Thanks to the good climate and food, I can say that I have not had the opportunity to visit a general practitioner for a year. Not because I did not fall ill, but I could not get an appointment. I remember the time I was having wisdom tooth pain and dizziness, and I tried to contact a doctor to register for appointment via phone. But I was told to take in fruits and vegetables for a week. If I still had the same condition, I could get an appointment. This led me to take care of myself more than usual, because getting dizzy and trying to make this kind of appointment at the same time would make me even dizzier.
So, knowing that I cannot drop by any hospital at any time, I started to increase my willpower and to develop a self-healing mechanism.
This worked positively, but not in all cases. A friend of mine needed a severe health care as her menstruation would not stop for 14 days. I tried to contact the emergency during the weekend. But I could not understand the instructions because it was in Dutch. I pressed some numbers randomly and came a lady told me that I had to press 2 and that it would take at least 20 minutes to wait for the answer. Losing our temper, my friend decided to rest well and to call back later.
Maybe it’s the typical perception of a foreigner, but I feel that medical conditions cannot be explained on the phone. And if somebody feels ill, there is a serious reason for them to call.