jarofthoughts
Empirical Curmudgeon
Allow me to shed some light on the situation from the point of view of someone who not only lives in one of the most socialist countries on the planet, but who has also been recently forced to test the services of our socialized healthcare system.
Just before Christmas holidays last year I contracted the swine-flu. Seeing as I am a teacher I sort of expected this to happen and with that in mind I took my precautions, called my doctor and followed his advice about staying at home for a week. And that would have been the end of it had it not been for the fact that after a few days at home I was having problems breathing.
So I called a friend of mine, got him to come get me in a cab and take me to the emergency room. When I got there I met with a nurse who set me up with a doctor. He immediately took some blood samples and x-rays of my lungs which were all sent to be processed immediately. They checked on me regularly and it seemed things had stabilised somewhat. However, when the tests came back it was clear that not only did I have the swine-flu, but I had also contracted a nasty infection in my lungs. So he ordered me an ambulance that took me to the hospital, more to make sure that I got to the right place than because we were in any hurry. At the hospital I was put on oxygen to try to raise my O2 levels. But after about a day it became clear that they just kept dropping and finally the doctor told me that they had to put me under in an artificial coma in order to try to contain the infection more efficiently.
I awoke about a week later with an oxygen tube in my throat and some very worried relatives and friends around me. I was to stay on 24 hour surveillance for more than a week while they were trying different types of antibiotics and finally after what seemed like forever they told me I was free of all infection. They then removed the tube in my throat and transferred me to a part of the hospital for those recuperating just to make sure. I stayed there for another week attended by a physiotherapist as I had been lying still for almost two weeks and they wanted to make sure everything was working as intended.
During my last week at the hospital I met a girl who was a former drug addict who was in to be treated for some heart condition which was probably due to long time drug use, and we got to talking, mostly because a hospital isnt the most exciting place to be and we had nothing better to do.
It then struck me how lucky I was.
The treatment I had received over the past weeks would have cost several tens of thousands of dollars, money I did not have, and without insurance would surely have forced my mother to sell her apartment. Of course, I am a single person with a decent paying job so if I lived in, say, the US, I would probably have coverage. But what about the girl with the past of a drug addict? In Norway she received exactly the same care and treatment that I did, and no-one ever looked down on her. Not the doctors, not the nurses and certainly not me. She would never have been able to afford a decent insurance, and might have had to make do with second hand care, all the while feeling like she was a burden on someone. But we dont think of people like that over here.
We believe that there are certain things that you, as a human being, are entitled to. One of them is proper health care, should you need it. And another is decency and respect.
My hospital bill and the girls hospital bill came out to exactly the same: nothing.
I just signed the release papers and went home.
And that might be one of the reasons that Norway is at the very top of the UN list of best countries to live in.
Just saying.
PS: If anyone is interested in knowing how universal healthcare works in a socialist state consider this an open invitation. I will happily answer any and all questions to the best of my ability.
Just before Christmas holidays last year I contracted the swine-flu. Seeing as I am a teacher I sort of expected this to happen and with that in mind I took my precautions, called my doctor and followed his advice about staying at home for a week. And that would have been the end of it had it not been for the fact that after a few days at home I was having problems breathing.
So I called a friend of mine, got him to come get me in a cab and take me to the emergency room. When I got there I met with a nurse who set me up with a doctor. He immediately took some blood samples and x-rays of my lungs which were all sent to be processed immediately. They checked on me regularly and it seemed things had stabilised somewhat. However, when the tests came back it was clear that not only did I have the swine-flu, but I had also contracted a nasty infection in my lungs. So he ordered me an ambulance that took me to the hospital, more to make sure that I got to the right place than because we were in any hurry. At the hospital I was put on oxygen to try to raise my O2 levels. But after about a day it became clear that they just kept dropping and finally the doctor told me that they had to put me under in an artificial coma in order to try to contain the infection more efficiently.
I awoke about a week later with an oxygen tube in my throat and some very worried relatives and friends around me. I was to stay on 24 hour surveillance for more than a week while they were trying different types of antibiotics and finally after what seemed like forever they told me I was free of all infection. They then removed the tube in my throat and transferred me to a part of the hospital for those recuperating just to make sure. I stayed there for another week attended by a physiotherapist as I had been lying still for almost two weeks and they wanted to make sure everything was working as intended.
During my last week at the hospital I met a girl who was a former drug addict who was in to be treated for some heart condition which was probably due to long time drug use, and we got to talking, mostly because a hospital isnt the most exciting place to be and we had nothing better to do.
It then struck me how lucky I was.
The treatment I had received over the past weeks would have cost several tens of thousands of dollars, money I did not have, and without insurance would surely have forced my mother to sell her apartment. Of course, I am a single person with a decent paying job so if I lived in, say, the US, I would probably have coverage. But what about the girl with the past of a drug addict? In Norway she received exactly the same care and treatment that I did, and no-one ever looked down on her. Not the doctors, not the nurses and certainly not me. She would never have been able to afford a decent insurance, and might have had to make do with second hand care, all the while feeling like she was a burden on someone. But we dont think of people like that over here.
We believe that there are certain things that you, as a human being, are entitled to. One of them is proper health care, should you need it. And another is decency and respect.
My hospital bill and the girls hospital bill came out to exactly the same: nothing.
I just signed the release papers and went home.
And that might be one of the reasons that Norway is at the very top of the UN list of best countries to live in.
Just saying.
PS: If anyone is interested in knowing how universal healthcare works in a socialist state consider this an open invitation. I will happily answer any and all questions to the best of my ability.
