See the comments at the end!
I had a wholly satisfying encounter tonight with the Swiss medical system. It started, as you might imagine, with a worry: I appeared to have a deep vein thrombosis (clot, aka DVT), which in the worst cases can be fatal. I was processed promptly, with good news, at a good price.
Chief complaint: swelling, redness and pain in the foot
Last week while traveling I developed what seemed to be gout: a painfully swollen big toe joint. Long story short, five days and a long overseas flight later the symptoms had shifted and I wondered if it could now be a DVT. My doctor, with images and discussion via Skype & email but unable to physically examine me, said yes, I should go have it checked out.
Great: nothing like looking for medical services in a strange city, I mean strange country. Where to go? What’s this going to cost this uninsured foreigner? How long will I wait?
My trip host and the hotel desk agreed I should go to the walk-in clinic at the railroad station, across the street. Ginny and I gathered our things, and 15 minutes later we’d found the clinic and were waiting in line, with one person ahead of us. I checked in, and ten minutes later was called into an exam room.
Outcome:
Here’s the next episode in what I’m starting to call “The Big Ugly” – a wave of suffering that will happen as the medical industry contracts, and everyone tries to find ways to maintain their income. Unfortunately when an industry shrinks, everyone can’t maintain the same income. As anyone knows who’s seen an industry die (like mine, typesetting; or steel in America, or what Detroit went through), it’s painful. Good people get hurt, and organizations fight for survival.