Run, run, run... The medic won't come!

Well, guess what happened today? I tried to go to the doctor. One of my legs hurts when I step on it. The pain is no so unbearable, but, still it is an issue, especially, when I have to walk a lot. And, moreover, in my mind a small problem should be fixed, because it may escalate into something far more worst.

The Medical Center for students

So, I said to myself, since it is not an emergency (a life or death experience, because to me it was) I should go to the campus doctor, first. Maybe, what I just need some pills or some cream to use against my pain. Better said than done! At the University Campus from the Warsaw University none of the medical staff speaks English, nor do they try to find someone to talk with foreign students. Ok, you do not know English, (although, many of the people that were in the office today were really young) then I will find someone who speaks Polish to translate for me.

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I was lucky, I soon stumbled upon a girl that was filling in some forms at another table, further in the back. For those of you that do not know were the Medical Center for Students is, I will tell you. After you enter the main gate of the university, you will see a big sign that says “Bank”, go there. You will see a small corridor, pass through it and then turn left, you’ll see a middle size poster with the name “MedCenter” on it. That’s the place!

Continuing with my story. I found a girl to talk for me. She explains my problem and then, a woman, a nurse (I think) asked “me”- my translator, if I have a health insurance card. I tell her that I have my health insurance and take it from my bag to show it to her. What happened next?

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European Health Card versus Health Insurance

Well, it seems they do not recognize private insurance papers. It almost made me laugh. I mean, in Romania you get your European Health Card for free, you just ask for it at the “House of Insurance”, the national institution that deals with medical issues. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to get that card from my country, because I was gone all summer, traveling. In Romania the procedure says that you have to fill in some personal documents, send a request to get the card, go personally to the institution that is responsible for your city, leave your file there, wait three weeks to a month and your card comes home, by post. I did not have the necessary time to do this and, actually I thought that it would be safer to have a paid insurance document. One, might I add, that I paid a lot for and that is supposed to be recognized in all the continents of this world. Not here, though. Moreover, you can't have the card sent from the country because they release it only if you go personally to the office. If you want to have it, you must make a lot of efforts. Make legally signed documents, pay for their legalisation, send them to Romania. Here your mother / father / who has time, does the rest. But this process, takes a lot, both in time and money.

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Ok. So, I can’t go to the student medical center. What to do? I went to the International Office for Erasmus students, to ask what can I do. Here, I got the answer that I was expecting, "go to the hospital or to a private clinic". Fine. The girl from the Erasmus Office gave me a link to check out, and like the previous lady from the medical center, told me that in Poland it is more important to have a health card, rather than a private insurance. If it is so important why don’t you post that somewhere? Maybe this information is out there and I didn’t see it. I must specify that before coming in Poland, I checked like all of you (I presume), what I need for my stay. Nowhere in that list posted on the official sites, did I see “one must have European Health Card, not Health Insurance”, but maybe I didn’t see it.

Wondering between clinics

I left the Erasmus Bureau and went home, here I looked up some clinics, got dressed and went searching. I went to a clinic near my flat, on Solec 99 street. Here, the “nice” woman at the desk told me that is doesn’t understand what I want or need and that I should leave and go to the hospital if I want something. At least that’s what I understood. She kept repeating the word “szpital”, that I understood as hospital.

It was the second time I got kicked out of a clinic.

Off to the hospital

No one at the front desk spoke English and no one from the desks situated in the back. I did not know what to do, I was breaking down with nerves and fury, lots of fury. I mean, I could have died if it was something more serious and all everybody kept repeating was “Nie rozumiem” – I do not understand. I started to ask the lady at the desk if she speaks, French, Italian or Spanish, hoping that I would get lucky. No, again! She didn’t even know how to tell me where to go. I decided to just follow the signs on the walls until I would have reached the Orthopedic Section.

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I was fortunate that my Romanian friend, Giorgiana was by my side. At the phone my mother was freaking out and I was feeling more and more worried. I talked through signs with a girl that managed to point to me, the door that was for the Orthopedic medical problems.

Here, I found Ania. She was so sweet and most of all she spoke a bit of English. Again the non-verbal helped, I showed her my leg and where it hurts. I waited in line for my turn and when I entered the examination room, Annia looked at my foot. Being a bit young, she went and got another doctor, to give a second opinion. They, both agreed that I should see a dermatologist for my problem. Annia searched online for a good clinic and a good doctor, gave me the definitive advice to find a polish student and to go there with that person. She also told me that if I do not have the European Health Card (EKUZ, in polish), my Health Insurance won’t be accepted and I would have to pay for all the things that the doctors will do to me, having to sort out the money issue with the insurance company from Romania, upon my return.

At that point, I did not care, health has no price. I truly was happy that finally someone took their time to talk to me. We might not have understood each other perfectly, but the important messages got through.

It all ended well and tomorrow I plan on asking a Polish friend to accompany me at the clinic. I hope that I will get a sure answer and a solution to my persistent pain. I must confess that I am in a bit of a hurry, because on Friday I am leaving for Belgium and I want to be on my top form. I will have to walk a lot and to, hopefully, party a lot and I can’t do that with this annoying unsorted leg problem.

Why did I tell you this? Well, for the obvious reasons, be careful not to be in my situation. That’s all from me! Talk soon! >:D<

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