Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ilsanman]

I saw a news report yesterday. It said that Korea is one of the highest (of highest) OECD country for average doctor visits a year. It was about 14 visits a year, with OECD average being somewhere between 7 and 8.

Also, even the senior citizens had a higher rate of hospital visits than other country's seniors.

I think this is mostly due to doctors giving them only 3 days of medication.

[RACETRAITOR]

[Rapacious Mr. Batstove]

I believe the doctors here use a different system than other countries.

The first visit by a patient to a doctor is called the 'feeler' or practice round. In this round the doctor guesses the patient's condition by judging their reaction to being punched between the shoulder blades a few times. The doctor is not required to listen to the patient in this stage by may feel free to comment on their personal appearance and hygiene. All white foreigners will be instantly diagnosed with HIV or an unknown sexually transmitted infection gained while abroad.

Stage two, better know as 'sickly seconds' sees the return of the patient in a worsened state. This stage is critical for weeding out those devious patients who were just faking in the 'feeler' stage. The doctor will listen to the patient in this stage from behind his computer. Pretending to type and record patient notes he will quickly access the Mayo clinic symptom database. Any search results which return the keyword 'infection' will be prescribed 3 days of below strength antibiotics. Any search results which render the keyword 'injury' will be referred to the 'pounder' (Korean traditional physiotherapist) and given antibiotics just in case. Any white foreigners returning in the 'sickly seconds' stage will have their condition upgraded to full blown AIDS and the second stage of syphilis.

Stage three or 'the encore' is mainly used for those persistent patients who refuse to get better and demand the time of their doctor for repeat prescriptions of weak antibiotics. This stage is money for jam for doctors. Very rarely will a foreigner return for the 'encore', should this instance occur, the receptionist will immediately inform immigration.



I hope this helps to unravel the mystery.

[d-rail]

[Underwaterbob]

The only three days of medication and the fact that Koreans go to the doctor for just about anything. Runny nose? Oh that's a shot and 9 wax paper packets o'pills!

Minor illnesses like colds and flus need to be let to run their course IMO.

Product of not having sick days?

[oldfatfarang]

A very observant synopsis of Korean medical treatment. However, we also need to include the Testing Stage. K doctors find this stage particularly fun (and lucrative) - as the helpless foreigner is sent from one specialist to another, 'for tests' - and at each visit they incur an additional hefty man-won fee.

Oh, and let's not forget the fun-time Prescribing Stage. That's where the doctor finds that a particular drug/chemical alleviates and/or cures said patient's illness - but the K doctor can't prescribe that medicine to the patient. Yes, the 'rules' say that said patient must visit the doctor to get that effective treatment - and incur more hefty man-won fees. Yippie.

[MarionG]

Product of 2000 won doctor visits more likely....

[RACETRAITOR]

[eamo]

Koreans go to the hospital when they have a cold. What more can you say?

And there are two pharmacies on every block. There are more pharmacies in my immediate neighborhood than there were in my whole home town.

[maddog]

Considering that for the first 22 years of their life they spend their entire day indoors studying and sleep just 5 hours a day, I'm not surprised that their immune systems are shot to bits.

MD

[Homer]

Nice to see the Daves MDs out in full force...

[Juregen]

Lol

the three days medication is indeed troublesome.

I always tell the doctor to perscribe me 2 weeks of medication upfront!

now i have a nice stack of painkillers in my closet.

[GoldMember]

Although not South Korea, in North Korea Drug Resistant Tuberculosis is on a rampage, just hope it doesn't come here, although once the 2 Korea do unite, it could spread here like wildfire.

[Boodleheimer]

i had 6 visits to the doctor to finally diagnose viral bronchitis with associated asthma last fall.

the first 3 were to a quack who told me that my physiology was different from Koreans' and that's why i was so hard to diagnose.

4th was to a hospital that finally took an x-ray and told me i didn't have TB

5th and 6th were to Asan Medical Hospital in Gangneung. finally got some good info.

[sojourner1]

This is how Korea gets drugs since there are very few drugs (there is meth) other than alcohol.