Health – Medical Care

Everybody in our country has the right to choose a doctor and many people go to one family doctor (that’s not common in Czech Republic). At present time two types of health facilities operate in this country: state and private ones.

Medical care is provided for our citizens from birth to death. Soon after birth every child is vaccinated against such sicknesses as tuberculosis, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and later smallpox. Then later in the school age, a child is under medical supervision which means that he or she  has to undergo a series of preventive medical and dental check ups where his body is examined, his teeth checked and eyesight tested.

When we grow out of our children’s diseases such as cold and measles we don’t have to go to the doctor so often. If we are not hypochondriacs we try to get over our cold easily by staying in bed, taking pills, keeping warm, sweating and drinking herbal tea with honey and lemon. But sometimes if a patient is trying to overcome a feverish sickness without staying in bed and curing it properly he takes a risk, as the sickness often leaves very dangerous aftereffects. If we still feel unwell, we finally decide to see a physician who is called a General Practitioner. The doctor diagnoses the case and therapy and prescribes a medicine. If we can’t go to the doctor’s office, we can call the doctor to our home. Sometimes we may be taken by an ambulance to hospital, where we are under the perpetual medical supervision.

Although medical care in our country is basically free of charge, the government encourages all citizens to be responsible for their health and has introduced a system in which the patient partly shares the cost of some treatment and medicine. According to law, all citizens are covered by health insurance. Though there are several health insurance companies, both state and private, most people belong to the General Health Insurance Company. The Health Insurance System is curently undergoing some changes. Employers pay health insurance for their eymployees but private persons must pay for their insurance themselves while the state pays the insurance for children and retired people.

In Britain, the National Health Service provides free health care to all people in the country. Everybody is free to choose a general practitioner in his own home area and be registered on his list. In towns it is usual for three or four physicians to join together in partnership and thus share the cost of expensive medical technology. If you need special treatment, the doctor will send you to see a specialist at the local hospital. In an emergency you can call an ambulance by dialing 999 from any telephone. In England, the companies also pay insurance for their employees and the government for other people.

In the United States, there are two different types of health insurance. Most people have private health insurance. If you have a fractured arm, a heart attack, or even a blister, it is possible to choose your doctor and have treatment. You pay the doctor, and then send a bill for the treatment to your insurance company. They will then send you the money. The problem is that private health insurance is expensive, especially for treatment that needs specialists, such as treatment for heart attacks. If one is poor, the government will pay the doctor for treatment. Many people, however, are not poor, don‘t have the money to pay for private health insurance because it is very expensive. If they fall sick, they must pay for it themselves. This is a big problem now in the USA, because a hospital must take care of people, if they fall very sick, even if they don’t have the money, and this is difficult for many hospitals.