After suspecting a back injury, I had to ask leave from work to go see the doctor. Conversation turned quickly into "how gorgeous the Swiss health system (as in doctor quality and network) is and how awful the health system of the rest of the world is" discussion. I swear to you, sometimes I feel like strangulating my usually peaceful and friendly work colleagues, because no matter what, they are Swiss, therefore blinded by the shine of the polished copper shield of Helvetia.

What angers me the most is the constant denigration of foreign health systems without EVER having used it, either as locals or as a tourist. They simply have never used it, but jump into ridiculous assumptions that turn into pearls like “Do you have x-rays in Portugal?” Or “Do they know what a papanikolau is in Germany?” Or “Do they vaccinate children in Portugal?”

I was born in a country with a development deficiency, worked in a country with huge problems caused by a constant blunt abuse of the social system. But in NO FREAKING WAY are Swiss doctors any better than the Portuguese or the German. Nor is the ridiculous amount of money you pay them, ridiculous amount paid to a useless Health Insurance aside, the price for said “better quality”. BECAUSE IT DOESN’T EXIST. There are bad and good all around the world. But one thing I can say with personal experience (opposite to said hardcore locals) Swiss quality is not better than Portuguese, German or Finnish. Nor worse. It’s the same bullshit for the triple of the price.

/end rant

I’m sorry. Being nervous because of my back made my usual taking shit level drop a couple of inches. And I needed to release the pressure before I go berserk slapping some people here in the office.

Good news are I don’t have a back injury, just a static problem, which was made obvious by an x-ray, which a Portuguese doctor would probably not be able to read, since they don’t know what an x-ray is.


P.S.: This is not a rant about the doctors themselves. My doctor is an extremely caring, intelligent, competent doctor. It’s just about the blunt racism from the locals even against things they know nothing about, making them 150% experts.

Feel better now?

Not everyone would agree with you...

A static problem = ?

Good job you are here then. I hope you will join all your colleagues in celebrating another miracle performed by the Swiss Healthcare System. Indeed, make sure you thank them for allowing you to use the system. Another near-death experience avoided.

LOL Carlos... I actually feel a bit better now. Holding so much anger is not good for anyone.

My doctor actually told me I have a very good weight. Imagine that! A foreigner that is not ruining the system because of her fat!

edit PS:

A Static problem in the back is like a Static problem in a house: it relates to bodies at rest or forces in equilibrium. The muscles on the left are underdeveloped and because of it the body had problems keeping the balance. To compensate the imbalance, it distorted the position of the column, causing an asymmetry on my shoulder blades that is creating a painful strain on the vertebra. Good news is, if I make some extra training on those muscles, I will be able to correct the problem without having to go to the knife. Anything curable without a knife makes me happy (specially when it comes with a doctor prescription to use a jaccuzzi regularly)