Italian Healthcare Bites
As some of you may remember, I had a slight biking mishap a few weeks ago. Well today was supposed to be my 21 day check-up after the initial 5 day check-up.
As you may also recall, I had a bit of a hard time at the 5 day check-up due to my missing impegnativa, but it managed to get all sorted out, etc. When I left that day, I asked the doctor about getting an impegnativa for the 21 day visit and he said I didn't need one because it was a public hospital and they help everyone; that if I didn't have an impegnativa then they would give me one.
Ok fine.
In the meantime, the Italian friends that I met through Gigi heard about my predicament. Lo and behold, they know an orthopedic doctor, so they gave me his contact info. and we met up a week and a half ago. He works at the same hospital where I was treated, so he told me that if they give me any problems then to just page him and he would take care of it.
Ok fine.
Well, yesterday I called to make an appointment at the clinic but the wouldn't give me one because I don't have that stupid form. The guy on the phone told me to just come in to see if the doctor who helped me was working.
So I did.
Well, let me say that I have never been treated so badly and rudely in my whole life!!! Of course the doctors were not available and since I didn't make an appointment (which I COULDN'T DO!!!) I should basically go to hell.
So then I went to the emergency to see if they would help me, and they also told me to go to hell. Well, first they insulted me over the fact that I didn't have a doctor. "How can you not have a doctor??? EVERYONE has a doctor! Even the pope has a doctor!!!"
What's worse is that they are screaming at you in Italian and you can't even defend yourself because a) you don't have 'telling-off' command of the language, and b) you get too flustered to say what you do know!
If I could have, I would have said something like:
"OH! And where is my doctor??? Did I forget to pick him up at the airport along with my luggage? Sorry, is there a Doctor Vending machine I can go to and choose one? Or does it rain doctors on Sunday? Maybe I should go get one then???"
But the most I could say was:
"I DO have a doctor. IN CANADA!!! [where I'm from! DUH!!!]"
And that was it. No one checked me out. I was flat out REFUSED treatment. They are most helpful here if you ask me.
As you may also recall, I had a bit of a hard time at the 5 day check-up due to my missing impegnativa, but it managed to get all sorted out, etc. When I left that day, I asked the doctor about getting an impegnativa for the 21 day visit and he said I didn't need one because it was a public hospital and they help everyone; that if I didn't have an impegnativa then they would give me one.
Ok fine.
In the meantime, the Italian friends that I met through Gigi heard about my predicament. Lo and behold, they know an orthopedic doctor, so they gave me his contact info. and we met up a week and a half ago. He works at the same hospital where I was treated, so he told me that if they give me any problems then to just page him and he would take care of it.
Ok fine.
Well, yesterday I called to make an appointment at the clinic but the wouldn't give me one because I don't have that stupid form. The guy on the phone told me to just come in to see if the doctor who helped me was working.
So I did.
Well, let me say that I have never been treated so badly and rudely in my whole life!!! Of course the doctors were not available and since I didn't make an appointment (which I COULDN'T DO!!!) I should basically go to hell.
So then I went to the emergency to see if they would help me, and they also told me to go to hell. Well, first they insulted me over the fact that I didn't have a doctor. "How can you not have a doctor??? EVERYONE has a doctor! Even the pope has a doctor!!!"
What's worse is that they are screaming at you in Italian and you can't even defend yourself because a) you don't have 'telling-off' command of the language, and b) you get too flustered to say what you do know!
If I could have, I would have said something like:
"OH! And where is my doctor??? Did I forget to pick him up at the airport along with my luggage? Sorry, is there a Doctor Vending machine I can go to and choose one? Or does it rain doctors on Sunday? Maybe I should go get one then???"
But the most I could say was:
"I DO have a doctor. IN CANADA!!! [where I'm from! DUH!!!]"
And that was it. No one checked me out. I was flat out REFUSED treatment. They are most helpful here if you ask me.
posted by Going Somewhere @ 7:23 pm
4 Comments:
At 11:29 pm, October 21, 2005,
Winnipeg Damsel said…
Wow, that's insane.
At 10:11 am, October 22, 2005,
Going Somewhere said…
Yes, the Italians are very fond of passing the buck and just shuffling you from here to there with everyone telling you someone else can help you. Most annoying.
At 2:52 pm, October 22, 2005,
Anonymous said…
isn't that one finger salute a universal word? you could start with that while you learn the language.
At 2:55 pm, October 22, 2005,
New Homeowner said…
Some potentially useful phrases I found on the internet for dealing with the emergency room staff:
chiudere il becco: to shut up, to shut one's trap; (lit.): to close the beak. (I.e. shut up about the stupid papers and look at my thumb)
essere un po' di fuori: to be a little wacky, to be out of one's mind; (lit.): to be a little bit out. (You're a little wacky, I already told you why I don't have a doctor)
fannullone: a lazy bum; (lit.): do-nothing (self explanatory I think)
portare male gli anni: not to age well; (lit.): to carry the years badly. (tell the people in emergency that they are aging badly - if they're already refusing treatment, it can't hurt that much)
scemo/a n. a stupid person, a jerk (self explanatory I think)
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