A Visit to the Doctor
I spent a couple of days feeling, as they say here, very unwell. A bit of a fever, and pain in my throat. At my partner’s prodding, I wound up going down to the local pharmacy, where a doctor has visiting hours a few times a week.
I first called the pharmacy to find out how much the appointment would cost. The unhelpful woman on the phone said it all depended on the doctor and she really could not say. Well, I insisted, I need to bring money with me, so could she kindly tell me if we were talking of 5 liri, 50 liri, 500 liri, you know, a general estimate of how much I should bring. No, she could not. Well, I am happy to report that stupid/unhelpful customer service people are a worldwide phenomenon. I phoned up M, my partner, at the office and got a realistic estimate. Doctors in Malta are quite inexpensive and I should not worry. So I gathered up most of the liri I had, just in case, and headed out.
The heat and strong sun have been keeping me indoors during the peak hours, but yesterday was a gorgeous day. Sunny yet mild. It was very therapeutic to walk by the sea on the way to the pharmacy. I was born and spent my childhood by the sea, and when I moved away from it I missed it constantly. I am very happy to be near it again, and I make a point of taking a seaside stroll daily. I thought that being ill would mean no seaside for the day, but as it turns out I did get to breathe in the lovely scents of salty sea water. Fishermen, swimmers, polo players and small boats were out and about in the Mediterranean as I passed by, mingling with locals and tourists on the promenade.
I found an older lady waiting for the doctor as well. She went in and spent the next half hour with him. I could hear a lot of talking coming through the door. I began to wonder whether she was really ill or just wanted to make conversation. Eventually she came out, and the doctor apologized for such a long wait.
This is where my story turns happy. Without too much hyperbole, this has got to be one of the most pleasant doctor’s visits I have ever had! The doctor was extremely sweet and pleasant. He started by shaking my hand and chatting a bit. He asked about my name and declared that he had never had a patient from Peru. I replied that I had never had a Maltese doctor. He shared with me the two Spanish phrases he knew, and I showed off with some Maltese phrases. This impressed him, as foreigners seldom learn the language (more on this in a separate entry). This was all such a contrast to the years I spent in the United States. There, doctors are so afraid to be sued that they cover themselves in latex and plastic and barely touch you. They devote a few minutes to you, sound like they are reading from a script, and move on. Here I felt like I was having a chat at my uncle’s house. Medical questions and physical examination were interspersed with comments and questions about Peru, Malta, my visit there, where I was staying, etc. Eventually he prescribed antibiotics for my throat infection.
I do not like to bring up money yet again, but I was just floored when he wrote up the bill. The grand total was Lm5, which works out to US$15, €12, £8. I mentioned that I had lived in the US for many years and that I could not imagine paying 5 liri for a doctor’s visit. He replied that he wished he could charge US rates in Malta. We shook hands and said our goodbyes. I purchased the medicine from the unhelpful pharmacist and went out for my seaside stroll back home.
I think that 90% of what a doctor has to do is reassure you. I immediately felt better just from such a positive interaction, which gave me the energy to walk back up the hill to the flat.
