You know, ambulance most times when we’ve had to deal with medical care our friends in the States have asked us if we’re worried about going to the doctor here in Colombia. Yesterday I realized I would rather have a doctor in Colombia! Why? We’ve been to several doctors for varying reasons and every doctor I have met has given me his business card. Yeah, no big deal, I know…except each one of them has also given me a home phone number, a cell phone, a pager number, etc. Talking to one doctor yesterday he looked me in the eyes and said, “My number is on there so that you can call me anytime if you ever have any concerns or questions. If for some reason I don’t return your call within 20 minutes – call me again!” I thought about our past weekend when I was desperately trying to get some Stateside advice about Alex’s condition. Don’t get me wrong, we adore our pediatrician in the States, but when I called I got patched through to a nurse’s voicemail and she eventually called me back, but left a message, etc. It is impossible to actually speak to the doctor – the one who knows the patient best. I was frustrated that I could get textbook answers and suppositions, but I couldn’t actually talk to the one that knew what kinds of things he had before and his medical tendencies. So I just wanted to give props to Colombian doctors for being accessible to their patients! By the way, after frustration with trying to get a hold of our pediatrician I picked up the phone and called a doctor here who was immediatly available to give me answers on a Saturday from his home!
~Tona