After 1 month of coughing and sneezing I decided to go to the hospital . . . I really dislike hospitals . . . One thing I had to remember was what we learned in training "it's not right or wrong, it's just different" The amount of orderly chaos that runs through the traffic of the streets also applies to the traffic of hospitals.
Procedure to get medication.
1. Registration
There is a window for registration that everyone goes through. However, there is no line. First come, first serve and whoever can push there way to the front will get served first. Logical right? Keep in mind that people randomly stand in front of this window for no reason, just staring through the glass at the receptionist which blocks the path for foreigners like me to get to the front because I thought it would be rude to push. They appear like they're registering, but really, they're not. So I stood there for a good 15 minutes trying to figure out this system.
2. Finally Register and Get Assigned a Room.
A room is given and you must go to it. It doesn't matter who is in it, or what they are doing. Your job is to push open the door and give your registration sheet to the doctor otherwise you will never be called. Not knowing this, I sat outside the door for 5-10minutes until someone else came and opened the door to give their paper in.
3. See the Doctor
Doctor asks "what's wrong" and after you reply, they start writing down stuff and tell you to go to room 1 without explaining anything to you. To your surprise room 1 is actually not a room, but it is the billing station right next to the reception where the other huge line of people are.
4. Billing
Paying your tab is the same process as registration. This is what I observed, so I pushed my way to the front to give my paper in so I can pay and get my medication, but apparently there is some sort of unspoken line. The guy at the billing tells me to go behind a few men and wait for them to finish. As I wait, other people come and do the same thing I did and then just wait where I was waiting before. Confused, I just wait for these men to finish and push my papers in front of everyone else so I can leave.
5. Testing
Surprise again, once you pay the bills, you're still not done. Usually in America, the doctor will do all of the tests and look after you, but it's a different order in India. After paying the bill, you head towards the lab, where another person will be taking your test. In my circumstance it was the throat swab. Now remember what I said about not looking people in the eye because they can get the wrong idea. I walk in say hello and smile and exchange eye contact because I can only walk straight and then the person is straight ahead of me. She, being a young female doctor, smiles back and giggles. Once again, I am confused. Smiling back at her then, I walk forward and give my sheets to her. She tells me to sit, grabs a swab testing kit and comes back. Tells me to open my mouth and by default I look at the swab and then look forward. She stares at me during this situation and tells me to say "ahh" looks at me in the eyes again during this awkard moment and smiles and giggles again. Then, I say thank you and turn to leave and she smiles and giggles and says bye!! So 2 options: first being that there was something funny about me or secondly, the thing about exchanging eye contact is true and should not be done.
6. Walk around the hospital lost while you look for the pharmacy (because it's hidden)
7. Find the Pharmacy and get your drugs.
The procedure is the same as getting your registration and billing done. Oh, and make sure you don't go at lunch because everyone is out to lunch and no one will be working because then you'll have to wait a while.
Very stressful experience and the sad news is I had to go back the following day to get results of the test and the other drugs to get rid of the throat infection.
Procedure to get medication.
1. Registration
There is a window for registration that everyone goes through. However, there is no line. First come, first serve and whoever can push there way to the front will get served first. Logical right? Keep in mind that people randomly stand in front of this window for no reason, just staring through the glass at the receptionist which blocks the path for foreigners like me to get to the front because I thought it would be rude to push. They appear like they're registering, but really, they're not. So I stood there for a good 15 minutes trying to figure out this system.
2. Finally Register and Get Assigned a Room.
A room is given and you must go to it. It doesn't matter who is in it, or what they are doing. Your job is to push open the door and give your registration sheet to the doctor otherwise you will never be called. Not knowing this, I sat outside the door for 5-10minutes until someone else came and opened the door to give their paper in.
3. See the Doctor
Doctor asks "what's wrong" and after you reply, they start writing down stuff and tell you to go to room 1 without explaining anything to you. To your surprise room 1 is actually not a room, but it is the billing station right next to the reception where the other huge line of people are.
4. Billing
Paying your tab is the same process as registration. This is what I observed, so I pushed my way to the front to give my paper in so I can pay and get my medication, but apparently there is some sort of unspoken line. The guy at the billing tells me to go behind a few men and wait for them to finish. As I wait, other people come and do the same thing I did and then just wait where I was waiting before. Confused, I just wait for these men to finish and push my papers in front of everyone else so I can leave.
5. Testing
Surprise again, once you pay the bills, you're still not done. Usually in America, the doctor will do all of the tests and look after you, but it's a different order in India. After paying the bill, you head towards the lab, where another person will be taking your test. In my circumstance it was the throat swab. Now remember what I said about not looking people in the eye because they can get the wrong idea. I walk in say hello and smile and exchange eye contact because I can only walk straight and then the person is straight ahead of me. She, being a young female doctor, smiles back and giggles. Once again, I am confused. Smiling back at her then, I walk forward and give my sheets to her. She tells me to sit, grabs a swab testing kit and comes back. Tells me to open my mouth and by default I look at the swab and then look forward. She stares at me during this situation and tells me to say "ahh" looks at me in the eyes again during this awkard moment and smiles and giggles again. Then, I say thank you and turn to leave and she smiles and giggles and says bye!! So 2 options: first being that there was something funny about me or secondly, the thing about exchanging eye contact is true and should not be done.
6. Walk around the hospital lost while you look for the pharmacy (because it's hidden)
7. Find the Pharmacy and get your drugs.
The procedure is the same as getting your registration and billing done. Oh, and make sure you don't go at lunch because everyone is out to lunch and no one will be working because then you'll have to wait a while.
Very stressful experience and the sad news is I had to go back the following day to get results of the test and the other drugs to get rid of the throat infection.
..and Jason, don't forget to not make eye contact with the young "doctor," ok? Otherwise, you will not know if there is something wrong with your appearance or you are leading her on...hahaha
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