Hospital Resort

Wednesday night was my first visit to an Emergency Room at the Second Red Cross Hospital in Kyoto and it showed me wonders of modern medical technology that I didn't even know existed. Everyone knows that everyone hates hospitals. The long lineups, the bad magazines, the smell. There's lots of reasons. But, after this experience, I won't hesitate to get sick and come running to a Japanese hospital. Helene gets national health care for about $20 a month which really seems worth the price for the service I got. As for me, I bought some insurance before I left Canada.

I felt something like this when I first got to Japan. At the Tokyo Airport I had to pass through security en-route to Osaka. It was fast, calm and very comfortable. By far, the most relaxing processing I've ever experienced. Somehow they have a way to make unpleasant situations very tolerable and easy. Service with a smile.

First of all, the hospital did not have a big neon sign to identify the Emergency ward. I think that it's not very common to go straight there. I honestly think that Japanese people wait until the main wards are open in the daytime, respectful of true Emergency situations. The following day I had to come back to the Hospital for more meds and I was told to go to the main building where it was crazy busy as I was accustomed to at a hospital. The first night though, the Emergency ward was deserted and I got the doctors' attention within 3 min of sitting down.

I got into the Emergency ward with Helene who tried to act as a translator. (Languages is her thing and she seems to be picking up Japanese like clockwork). I barely had a chance to sit down when I was approached by a doctor who asked me if I spoke Japanese. He then quickly called another doctor for the initial English interview. I was then directed into a huge room with spotlights and technology everywhere. It looked like I stepped into the futuristic laboratory. There I was met by not one but three doctors who each took turns asking me questions. Also two nurses stood by to help out if needed. One quickly started giving me an ultrasound while the other took my blood and set me up with an IV drip. The third stood in the back with my file writing down everything that everyone said.

Now, I don't know if this is normal treatment. I'm not sure if it was because I'm Gaijin and they wanted to make a good impression or maybe it was a slow night and they had nothing better to do.

Now, I've never had an ultrasound before and I don't know what they're using in Canada these days but I have seen pictures from Canadian ultrasounds and I can tell you that the technology I saw here is far next-gen. When he asked me to breath I could see detail from the inner lining of my tummy wall. They took pictures and it was impressive how much detail you could make out.

Afterwards, I was sent for a CT scan. When all the doctors exited the room and stood behind the thick piece of glass, I started to worry but that fear was nothing compared to the daunting loud English recording that freaked the living hell out me, telling me to breathe in and hold my breath. They really should check the volume on that thing. It almost gave me a heart attack. The pictures from the scan were so detailed I could make out every little rivet in my intestines. Then they looked at a side view which seemed like a large camera flying through my pelvic bone into my intestines. It was like a little movie of my insides.

Afterwards, most of the doctors scattered and a few sat there arguing about my results. The nurses had a good laugh because everyone was trying to communicate with very limited vocabulary. One thing that amazed me was that no matter what happened there was always a nurse by my side. Wow, that's service. Not including the IV drip which lasted a while, everything took about an hour. Wham, Bam, thank you doctor.

They told me to come back the next day if the IV wasn't enough. So I did, and the main hall was very cool. The main desk asked me what the problem was and directed me to the ward of the hospital specifically for me, in my case Gastroenterology. Where I was interviewed and given a prescription for the exact amount I would need. Honestly, they gave me five pills.

The check-out machine was cool too. You put in your medical card (which they gave me), it makes a bill and prints off exactly what their overall prognosis was for your records.

In Canada, you just go to the Emergency and they deal with you. If you have a problem you just come back to them. I never figured what the rest of the hospital was for since everyone goes to Emergency. I'm sure there are wards but I never went there. Don't even ask about France. You'll be lucky if they listen to you after you waited for 4 hours. You have to put on a show to get attention there.