good times with the NHS...

ok...so, my eyes were bothering me and i needed to see a doctor right away...m and i have private insurance (which is a big luxury here apparently), but it was a hassle finding a doctor and making an appointment last minute...so, i did what most fun-loving brits do...i took advantage of the NHS...National Health Service...the UK's publicly funded healthcare system...or in other words, a U.S. Democrat's wet dream...

since m and i pay for the NHS through our taxes, may as well go, especially since there is a whole hospital devoted to Eyecare just a 15 minute walk away from work...so, I took a walk and went straight into the A&E Department (which stands for Accidents and Emergencies...basically, the ER...just another difference between the US and the UK)...

i waited in line for the initial consultation...the nurse took down my symptoms and gave me a card which read:

Green Triage Category
"This category means that you have been assessed as having a less serious problem. Patients with more serious problems will be prioritised in the queue, so you may see people who arrived after you be called in first. You will see a nurse, then either a nurse practitioner or a doctor will provide appropriate treatment and advice."

that basically meant that I had a 3-4 hour wait...great...just great...so, i just sat there listening to my Ipod...i knew i was in the right waiting room because the lights were so dimmed out and half the people were wearing sunglasses!

After about 2.5 hours, I was called in to see a nurse...the nurse took down more symptoms and tested my eyes a little...at that point, she came to the conclusion that i needed to see a doctor...so, she escorted me into ANOTHER waiting room!!!...ahhhhh...

so, i waited for another 45 minutes until one of the doctors finally called my name...he appeared to be one of the head honchos as he referred to himself as the eye surgeon on staff...anyways, he came to the conclusion that i had Viral Conjunctivitis...PINK EYE!...when he figured that out, he immediately ran to the sink to wash his hands...hehehe...

the doc told me that like most viruses, there isn't much he could do...my body just had to fight it off...so, he gave me a prescription for eye drops for comfort and showed me to the pharmacy...

all in all, i spent 7 pounds for the eye drops...and that was it...everything else was completely "free"...so, basically, everyone in britain gets healthcare...so, even if you were homeless or jobless (meaning you don't even pay taxes for the healthcare)...you still get this benefit...good or bad? hmmm...i'll stay away from my political views here...

so, the entire hospital was devoted to eye care...so, i walked through the hospital and noted departments for all sorts of eye problems...four floors and three buildings worth i think...the thing with the NHS is you obviously have to wait in long lines...and when you do make an appointment, it usually is like 2 months out...the equipment they have isn't exactly the most high tech and the facilities are straight from the 70s...oh well...

one thing that remains the same is that the hospital was littered with filipino nurses...they were everywhere!...the two nurses that saw me were filipinas! yikes!