I had my first doctor's appointment this week. It was nothing serious, just a routine checkup. Visiting the doctor here in Ecuador is much different than visiting a doctor at the Kaiser hospital I used to go to in Sacramento. At Kaiser patients are pushed in and out of the examination room as fast as possible. An assistant would ask me all the preliminary questions, take my blood pressure, and enter all the data into a computer. I would usually get about 5 minutes to actually talk to the doctor. They would answer my questions, but there was always a sense of urgency, like they were half way to their next patient.
The doctor I saw here works at one of the "best" clinics in Loja, and is also Lucho's best friend's brother-in-law. Since he is a friend he greeted me with a kiss on the cheek (a very common greeting here in Ecuador). I'm sure that was the first time I've every kissed my doctor on the cheek! Then he ushered me in to his office which was a combination office/examination room. He conducted the entire examination himself, took his time, and asked me lots of questions. I didn't feel rushed at all. I guess it used to be like this in the States in "old days", before skyrocketing health care costs made everyone become more "efficient". The best part of the doctor's appointment was making the payment. The cost of the visit - $25.00.. can't beat that!