"Public" Health Centres

Yesterday, I went to the local hospital to have my eye checked. For about 10 days now, I had a small growth in the corner of my eye, and no matter what eye drops or cream I used, it stayed red, swollen, and irritated. Turns out I had a sty. There was a big line up waiting to see the doctor, but because I had registered earliest, I pushed my way to the front and he took me first. He figured it out right away, but it was rather unnerving sitting there with not only him, but also the other 15 patients who had been impatiently waiting for him to return from his lunch break. There are no private cubicles or waiting room in most Chinese clinics or hospitals, so patients either wait in the crowded corridors or right in the small doctor’s office. In this case, most were crowding around me, debating as to what I had, and what would have to be done to fix it. Fortunately, he took me aside to a private operating room across the hall, away from the other staring eyeballs, where he gave me a local anesthetic, opened a tiny seam in my eyelid, and removed the built-up fluids that were causing the unsightly growth. Now, a couple of days later, there is a slight scar where he made the incision, but he did a great job and it should be invisible in no time. 
 
This experience was very similar to a visit I paid to a throat doctor a while back in Chongqing, when there must have been 40 people crowding around me, all trying to peer over the doctor’s shoulder into my mouth. The doctor did not seem to mind at all, making light of the situation and even chatting with them about my situation. The spectacle of the Sore-Throated Foreigner became the source of lively debate and unexpected entertainment for them. Getting stared at all the time on the streets is something you just try to get used to, but having your individual body parts receiving such scrutiny at such close range by so many people can be very unnerving.  
 
So, the term “public” in this case certainly gives a whole new added dimension and richness of meaning to the word!

last modified Sep 15, 2004 at 18:04

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Public Health Centers

Aside from the total lack of privacy, you describe two highly contagious conditions requiring, at least, some modicum of isolation. So, while the treatment might be quite good, the way it's practiced is hazardous to community health.

121782 | posted by hk on September 22, 2004 at 9:30