Due to all the hubbub in the states regarding socialized health care, I’ve been very curious about how the system here works. So here are some of my discoveries.
You’re assigned a general practitioner and pharmacy based on your geographic location. If you don’t like the doctor you’ve been assigned, you have the right to try to get another doctor to take your case. Some of them, like our own Dr. Antonio, are very nice about this and will take you on even though they’re overbooked. Bear in mind, the doctors get paid exactly the same amount no matter how many patients they have or how long they work, so it’s a big sacrifice for them to take new patients. Since that's the case, I suppose that the doctors here practice for the love of medicine and helping people rather than the urge to make money. I also imagine the burnout rate is rather high.
Because you’re assigned a pharmacy as well, it’s easy to manage writing and filling prescriptions since the doctor’s office and the pharmacy are hooked to the same system. All your information in both places are listed under your DNI, or national identification number. In a lot of ways, the whole shebang reminds me of the way education is already set up in the states.
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