No hope of understanding the public's (or the doctors' for that matter) understanding of medicine here. They go to the doctor for a cold. Unbelievable really. Everything from prenatal to pediatrics to specialists. Emergency care and trauma, and then end of life. All very very frightening here. Love the country but the medical care is beyond a joke.
+1. But at least it is cheap. 8-9% of GDP vs. 17% in the U.S. The difference among other things is: a) you don't get the latest drugs, b) no or very little medical treatment by ambulance personnel, c) 8 to a room in hospital, d) most procedures are under-priced so the hospitals need to make money and require long stays in order to break even after losing money on operations/procedures, etc., and e) a huge shortage of long term care for the elderly disabled. It's probably not sustainable over the long run.