Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Captain Corea]

I figured that someone else would have posted this by now.
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/12/04/2009120400369.html

[crossmr]

Hospital visits or seeing a doctor?
and if it was this cheap and easy to see a doctor anywhere else, i'd probably go that much too.
Sure its free in Canada, but getting an appointment can be a pain. Going to a hospital unless I've got a knife sticking out of me means 20+ hour wait...

I can basically walk into most places around here and see a doctor in 10 minutes without an appointment.

[bixlerscott]

They do have many more outpatient pill prescribing clinics than you typically see anywhere else even in America and people just go on a walk-in basis any time to get tons of little pill packets of a plethora of seemingly unknown pills even to the guy who researches their names. The drugs are remarkably weaker than American drugs and many are unknown and seemingly undocumented drugs prescribed in Korea with such excessive scripts though seem to have little to no effect in potency of whatever it is you are getting. I must add, the drugs such as ibuprofen and Ambien are ridiculously weak. I would venture to say the Koreans do go to the doctor more times than necessary when actually ill, because their weak drugs are not working so they keep trying to get help when no positive improved results are seen. Asian cultures tend to be very conservative in the total opposite manner Americans are. Likewise for liberal perspectives as well. I can see health care being ridiculously skimpy over there, but fashion being anything goes without getting called, "queer," including murses, panties, and pink blouses for the boys.

It seems Koreans are under medicated, but do suffer and endure many pains narcotics would numb for added patient comfort from diseases resulting from nutritional deficiencies, pollution, and too much fermented red hot chili peppers and cabbage diet lacking variety though these offer necessary vitamins to prevent scurvy during long cold Winters where little fresh food is available. Stomach cancer might had been common for the past 5000 years like it is today from living on spicy fermented things and definitely malnutrition issues were more common than today though they are still obviously present. Also excessive consumption of imported fatty meats and dairy products are due to put cardiovascular diseases as common as they are in America. I seen mostly elderly old people in clinics and hospitals when I went to get drug testing, check ups, and for the many flues and sore throats I got repeatably in Korea.

Yes, people you heard it, placebo pills treating diseases resulting from pollution, bad alcohol, and nutritional deficiencies. Sorry Korea for de-sparkling it up a little today.

[Loudog]

My co-teacher told me that she and her son went to the hospital over the weekend. I asked what was wrong and she said they had a cold. It only cost them 4,000 won apiece. I told her you could not even get a band-aid for that much in an American hospital. They go in every time they have the sniffles, because it is so fracking cheap.

[bassexpander]

But it says Japanese visit them more often.

So who is the world leader? Is there a stat somewhere I'm missing?

[tatu]

[tatertot]

[Yaya]

I'd say more Americans would visit hospitals if the price of healthcare in the U.S. wasn't so darn astronomical.

[nautilus]

[Captain Obvious]

Hospital or clinic? A medical building of just about any size is called a hospital over here.

[nobbyken]

Going to a hospital here is the same as going to see your GP or Doctor in the the UK.
The small hospitals here are good for popping into for advice, a quick x-ray or some antibiotics to clear up a coldsore.

[redaxe]

[youtuber]

The ease of acccess to specialists here is astounding.

The very real possibility of being bankrupted by a surgery here is scary though.

[DrugstoreCowgirl]

Of course it's #1, they go to the hospital anytime they sneeze. I'm not joking, my co-teachers probably go to the hospital at least 2-3 times a month, usually just because they have a sore throat or stuffy nose. Anytime I've ever had a cold I'm constantly hounded to go to the hospital. It may only be w4,000 but it's unnecessary to go to the hospital for every little ailment.

[Greekfreak]

Growing up in Canada, we learned at a young age that nothing short of aputation will get our parents to bring us to the hospital. The doctors have more important fish to fry.

A slight exaggeration but when I tell my students that we treat colds, sore throats, flu, etc. at home, not at the hospital, they don't quite get it.