Health Care

with all this health care talk going on in the US, i thought i'd just point out some differences between health care in the US and Niger.

- health care is self-pay only in Niger. in Galmi, where i was, the most expensive surgery was around $140.

- HIPPA definitely doesn't exist. there are easily 2-3 patients being seen at a time in one room. they freely comment on each other's ailments.

-conversely, the physicians would ask other patient's family members if the patient in question has been going to the bathroom regularly. they did any of their business in front of each other anyhow...

- in the states, no one would come at 8 or 9 o'clock for an appointment that wouldn't happen until 3:00.

- very few patients ask for explainations about their ailments. i didn't have one patient come in with a list of questions that needed to be answered that visit.

- there definitely isn't any malpractice insurance. this is good and bad. do we end up valuing life less without a legal threat of retribution for malpractice? what if we truely don't have any medicine to offer?

- there is no palliative care treatment here...and yet there is a huge need because palliative care is regularly the only thing that can be offered. that was frustrating for me.

- you pay upfront....no back billing or coding issues. there is a flat fee for all visits which also includes 2 medicines. it is approximately $5. it is a lot less hastle for the providers!

- cleanliness standards aren't the same...we'll leave it at that!