The Great Inconvenience....

Apologies for the lack of updates for the past few weeks as I was feeling way under the weather for a whole week (with fever as high as 40 degrees for 3 days!)

As my colleagues would testify, I seldom get sick in SG. and to think that I had to get THIS sick in AU?! (Hopefully, after this ordeal, I will have better luck! haha...)

Now I truly understand why people say that it's better not to get sick in Koala Land. The private health system here is so different from what we have in SG and MY. For one, you may not get to see the doctor if you did not make an appointment beforehand. So imagine how you would feel when you are delirious with fever, shivering and nauseous and the receptionist has the cheek to tell you "I'm sorry, the doctor is all booked out today and he won't be able to see you today. Would you like to make an appointment for tomorrow?"

Fortunately, there's still some practices that allows "impromptu visits", the only condition is that you have to be patient and wait for your turn (which can take up to a little over an hour. However, I found out that even with an appointment you might still have to wait for about 30 - 40 minutes.... sigh....)

After seeing the doctor, you'd think that your ordeal is over and you could head straight home for your bed. But NO, you still need to go get your medicines! And you won't get them from the clinic. You have to drage your sick, aching body to a pharmacy to get your prescription. And if the doctor wants you to do some tests, you'd need to go to a pathology lab too!

This experience had made me realised that most of us take our private health system in SG and even MY for granted. At the very least, they won't make the poor sick souls walk all over for their meds and tests!

Why didn't I go to the public hospitals? Well, because th doctor said that I'd have to be prepared to wait for about 5 - 6 hours! I thought I might as well go home and lie in my own bed rather than to have to sit in the A&E for 5 - 6 hours. However, we found that the 5 - 6 hours meant from waiting in the A&E, to getting seen by the doctor, to getting your tests done, having your shots / IV drips / bandages etc, to observation, to prescription to discharge. It may take a shorter span of time sometimes, depending on your condition and the crowd at the hospital then. Upon learning the truth, I really regretted no admitting myself, at least I won't have to "suffer" for so many days... haha....

最严重的不方便。。。

首先，非常抱歉，应为我有好几个星期没有上网填写我的步洛课。我病了整整一个星期，发高烧（40度哦！）整3 天！

我当时在想，我怎么在新加坡不病，反倒来这里病得比在新加坡还要严重。或数， 熬过这场病，就会有更好的运气来临吧。 （真希望是如此！）

在澳州，看病是一个非常麻烦的事。最大的分别就是看病前要预约！你想象，你已经病的模糊不清了，他们还跟你说应为没有预约，医生今天没有办法见你，请你约明天再来吧。辛好，还是有些诊所让你“叉队”，只不过比蜀要有耐心等。

况且，看医生和那药或做任何测验是两麻子事哦。医生只能帮你打针，诊所并不会开药给你。你必须到一个药方抓药。可怜的病人只好拖着那非常不舒服的身体（和心理!），拿着药单到最靠近的药方买药。

为什么我不去医院呢？应为医生告诉我们去医院必须等个5 – 6 个小时！（不过我们后来才发现，那5- 6 个小时包括了在急诊室等候，医生诊疗，做任何测验，打针，钓水，开药，观察，最后出院。当我们知道真相时，都好后悔没有到医院去。至少，可以少受罪几天！）

这一场病，让我深深的感觉，其实新加坡和马来西亚的私人诊疗系统还要远远的超越澳州。至少，它是“包罗万有”的。