Page 40 - issue
P. 40
Doctors
they were satisfied with this model of health care, because
they have been living under a similar system for many years.
Henye Meyer, an American writer who has lived in
Manchester, England, for nearly 40 years, has only words of
praise for the excellent care she received during her two hos-
pitalizations of four months and one month, respectively,
during which she had surgeries, rehab, and chemo.
She writes, “The GP, the first point of contact, has the
medical knowledge to know which sort of specialist to refer
you to. He is updated regularly by the doctors whose care
you’re under at the hospital.
“Most of the staff, from doctors at all levels through nurs-
es and even support workers, are dedicated people commit-
ted to their professions and ready to bond with patients they
may never see again. When I went back to one ward to say
hello 10 months after I’d left, we had a real huggy session! I
found that nearly all the hospital doctors handle their
patients well and follow up with real personal interest in their
patients’ progress.
“To be honest, even though I could also complain about
holes in the NHS [England’s National Health System], I’ve
had such outstanding care from everyone on every level that
I won’t say a word against it, just as (lehavdil) Moshe Rabeinu
couldn’t strike the Nile for the first makka because it had
sheltered him.” Mrs. Meyer recently read a statistic that indi-
cated complaints about the NHS have actually gone down in
recent years.
Rivky T, who lives in Belgium, has also been mostly satis-
fied with her hospital experiences. She feels that the bedside
manner of any doctor simply depends on their personality,
and it makes no difference whether they are private physi-
cians or hospital doctors. In addition, in Belgium, your physi-
cian will be kept informed throughout your hospital stay,
receiving all test results and updates. From what she has
heard, she feels the system in Belgium is much better than
that in the U.K. or the U.S., particularly since it is inexpensive
and one receives quality care.
It’s Not All Rosy
Because we Americans are used to the old system, or per-
haps because kinks in the new system have not yet been
worked out, both community doctors and their patients are
sensitive to what feels like a break in the doctor-patient rela-
tionship. It can be a jarring experience when patients are
thrust under the care of a total stranger who knows nothing
about them or their previous history. Dr. Menachem Cooper,
a long-time physician in Baltimore’s Jewish community, says,
“Doctors, especially primary care doctors, have always prided
themselves in getting to know their patients and their fami-
lies and what makes the patient tick. If you can’t follow your
patient into the hospital, you lose that part of the loop, and
the loop falls apart.”
It is not only in Baltimore that these concerns are felt but
36 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
they were satisfied with this model of health care, because
they have been living under a similar system for many years.
Henye Meyer, an American writer who has lived in
Manchester, England, for nearly 40 years, has only words of
praise for the excellent care she received during her two hos-
pitalizations of four months and one month, respectively,
during which she had surgeries, rehab, and chemo.
She writes, “The GP, the first point of contact, has the
medical knowledge to know which sort of specialist to refer
you to. He is updated regularly by the doctors whose care
you’re under at the hospital.
“Most of the staff, from doctors at all levels through nurs-
es and even support workers, are dedicated people commit-
ted to their professions and ready to bond with patients they
may never see again. When I went back to one ward to say
hello 10 months after I’d left, we had a real huggy session! I
found that nearly all the hospital doctors handle their
patients well and follow up with real personal interest in their
patients’ progress.
“To be honest, even though I could also complain about
holes in the NHS [England’s National Health System], I’ve
had such outstanding care from everyone on every level that
I won’t say a word against it, just as (lehavdil) Moshe Rabeinu
couldn’t strike the Nile for the first makka because it had
sheltered him.” Mrs. Meyer recently read a statistic that indi-
cated complaints about the NHS have actually gone down in
recent years.
Rivky T, who lives in Belgium, has also been mostly satis-
fied with her hospital experiences. She feels that the bedside
manner of any doctor simply depends on their personality,
and it makes no difference whether they are private physi-
cians or hospital doctors. In addition, in Belgium, your physi-
cian will be kept informed throughout your hospital stay,
receiving all test results and updates. From what she has
heard, she feels the system in Belgium is much better than
that in the U.K. or the U.S., particularly since it is inexpensive
and one receives quality care.
It’s Not All Rosy
Because we Americans are used to the old system, or per-
haps because kinks in the new system have not yet been
worked out, both community doctors and their patients are
sensitive to what feels like a break in the doctor-patient rela-
tionship. It can be a jarring experience when patients are
thrust under the care of a total stranger who knows nothing
about them or their previous history. Dr. Menachem Cooper,
a long-time physician in Baltimore’s Jewish community, says,
“Doctors, especially primary care doctors, have always prided
themselves in getting to know their patients and their fami-
lies and what makes the patient tick. If you can’t follow your
patient into the hospital, you lose that part of the loop, and
the loop falls apart.”
It is not only in Baltimore that these concerns are felt but
36 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
