Which country are you in and what’s a typical doctor visit like? How much? Wait time? Etc
Give them a call. Generally get an appointment within 2 days.
Get told to take paracetamol for 2 weeks and make another appointment if the problem persists.Drs are generally on time maybe 10 min behind but when I was in Australia they would regularly get up to an hour late.
Costs are generally subsidied by the national government so unless something comes up unexpectedly there is no cost. If something does then you pay a fee and your private health takes care of the rest.
Why do you have private healthcare?
Australia has a dual system of private and public health coverage.
You get access to public health services but as with all public health services things take time. If you have private health insurance you get a faster access to specialists. Public health doesn’t do stuff like dental or physiotherapy where private cover does.
In addition to what slazer said, in Australia once you earn over a certain amount you get hit with an extra tax if you don’t take out private health. The conservative coalition brought that in a long time ago because their donor mates in private health asked them to ruin our public health care and this was their first step towards that.
I still have private cover as it seems like the least bad option even though it pisses me off. I guess that’s the point.
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I call my Dr.
I book an appointment. If urgent but not medically urgent to my immediate wellbeing I can get in in a week or so.
If urgent, but not emergency, I can go to a clinic or the hospital non emergency (hospital can have wait times up to several hours)
If emergency and severe or traumatic injury or life threatening - emergency at hospital. Triage assesses need. Last time I had to take someone it was maybe a 20 minute wait - they had been hurt pretty bad - got jumped.
None of any of the above will cost me any money.
An ambulance, though, costs like 75$ if it is not life threatening.
Canada.
The hospitals usually have a severity for triage. If you broke your arm your going to be waiting longer than someone with a sever allergic reaction. Which makes sense, some injuries can wait longer than others.
That part is normal in US emergency rooms as well.
But the wait times in US emergency rooms are longer since people are there who are unable to get the care they need elsewhere or they haven’t been able to afford to go to the doctor and have no waited until it’s an emergency.
Honestly, as someone who’s spent a lot of time in emergency departments, it depends a lot on the hospital and the time of day. Sometimes they’re packed and sometimes they’re almost empty. (At those times it’s very important not to invite disaster by mentioning how quiet it is.) Having an Urgent Care in the same place for Triage to divert people into helps a lot as well.
Can confirm the same thing, there have been times where I’ve gone in, checked in, and speaking to the doctor within 20 minutes of stepping in the door - whereas other times I’ve waited 5+ hours to even be given a room to sit in (and then wait another couple of hours for a doctor to see me).
I think your definition of “urgent” might be off if you think that it can wait a week or so.
“Emergency” and “urgent” are different categories in hospitals.
And actually defined, at least in my local Canadian hospital.
Urgent Care is defined as infections, lacerations, wounds, less serious injuries, minor Pediatric illness, situational crisis support, Women’s Health services, contraceptive management, etc. So stuff that “could” wait about a week if necessary. I find they can get to stuff much sooner, based on anything I’ve needed or reports from friends and family.No that tracks for me, and I work in Healthcare in the US just the same. I personally had what I perceived as urgent but non-emergent and got into my doctor within a week.
I would go to urgent care (I know it’s in the name but alas) if I had more pressing concerns or symptoms were bad but not life-threatening.
I would go to the ER if I was in massive pain and felt at imminent risk of death.
From US and was visiting Singapore when I came down with a sinus infection.
Took the elevator from the government controlled housing to the ground floor.
Walked 5 minutes to the attached small community strip mall which consisted of cheap food options, a grocery/convenience store, and a number of essential stores including a small drs office.
Waited 15 minutes, saw the dr. Explained my condition, allergies and medication I usually take and went through the exam. We had to help look up some of the medication names.
Paid $35 for the exam. There was some confusion because I expected it to cost more and I asked about. They apologized and said that since I’m foreign I had to pay full price.
Walked across the mall to the small pharmacy. Waited 5 minutes for the antibiotics prescription. Paid maybe $5?
Bought some tea from the grocery and was better over a few days.
People from the US who travel and need healthcare know very well our system is the worst.
People from the US who travel and need healthcare know very well our system is the worst.
I mean, we don’t turn to witch doctors, so I guess we’re not literally the worst, but…
There’s a sizeable portion that tout hopes and prayers as a cure, and plenty of faith healers off the highways. May not be the bongo drums and carved masks you imagine, but it’s witch doctors all the same.
Yeah, but that’s a minority of the country.
25% or about half of the voters is technically a minority.
Guess you don’t get to Canada much. People that actually need fixed now head to the states and pay, and are usually impressed by the treatment, both personal and medical. It’s often life or death though, die waiting here or don’t.
UK here. This is all “free” (i.e. paid for by a significant portion of every paycheck I ever earn via tax).
I phone my GP. They say you have I call at 0830 to get an appointment. Call back tomorrow. I ask for an advance appointment and they say they have nothing for 6+ weeks. So I call back the next day and the line is constantly busy. I get through at 0837 after mashing redial constantly. I’m told the appointments are all gone and I should call back tomorrow again. They suggest “if it’s urgent then go to the A&E department”…which is clearly inappropriate for my problem. So I call back the next day. The next day I happen to get through at 0833 and they take my details. I’m told the doctor will call me back at some point later that day. Spend the day watching the phone, but can’t answer it because I’m work. Duck out of something really important at work to take the call, I’m told to come to the GP later in the day. Later in the day I have work stuff I can’t just leave immediately, so I ask for an appointment the next day. Get told to phone back at 0830 the next day to make an appointment.
I’ve figured out a way to short circuit the system. There’s a national urgent medical line (111) and I have to answer the operator’s questions for 20 min (am I bleeding profusely? Am I unable to breathe? Am I going to die imminently?). Finally, they’re able to allocate an appointment for my own GP at a sensible time the next day…apparently thesr guys have access to appointments with my GP which the fucking GP won’t give me. Great! I go to the GP to be seen by a FY2 doctor (i.e. 15 months posts undergraduate qualification), this guy admits that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, that he’ll speak to the GP later and phone me back with the outcome later that day. He phones me back later that day saying they don’t know what to do so they’re going to refer me to a hospital specialist, the hospital appointment should be sent to me in 10 months or so.
The few times I have had to go to the A&E department with my kid, I’ve taken chargers, entertainment devices, extra coat for my kid to use as a blanket, food (2 full packed meals), water, video game console…I’m expecting to be there for about 6 hours if things move really quickly.
The state of national healthcare in this country. Thank you Conservatives, for 13 years of record low investment.
I have health insurance in the US and still have to pay a fuckton in copays to use it.
In early May, I searched GPs on my Healthcare plan, and I get to see a doctor on Jully 11.
Some hospitals are horribly staffed like this. In Sweden I had this problem until I changed to a different (government-owned) GP.
There’s a national urgent medical line (111)
What? I’ve been lied to. I was told the UK line was 0118 999 881 999 119 725… 3
From south Brazil.
For something not urgent I can usually get a private GP within a week or a specialist within a month.
For something a bit more urgent, usually 1-2 hours in a private hospital, or 2-6 hours in a public one.
When going private the health insurance has always covered everything, so no cost.
Never had an emergency so I can’t say how it is.Germany. When I am sick I call my doctor in the morning ask what time would be best to go there as to not wait too long. Then I go there, wait maybe an hour sometimes because he likes taking time for his patients, tell him my symptoms, get a sick note for work and possibly a prescription if I need medication.
I dont pay anything for the visit. If I need medication I will go to the pharmacy near my flat after the visit give them my health card, get my medication and depending on what drug I got pay a little bit, maybe 5€ , maybe a bit more.
Dont forget you can write sick threw phone call now
Yeah but you need to go there once a quartal to give them your insurance card. So if you are sick less than that you still need to go every time.
I’ve heard there should be another option, iirc bringing the card in later when you’re not sick/infectious anymore (better for everyone methinks), but that this takes extra administration on their side and so they mostly refuse to acknowledge you have this legal option. Or so a colleague mentioned some months ago, I probably mix up some details
Canada… Depends what kind of visit really. I captain a few rec teams, so breaks or dislocations, we’ll go to emergency, get triaged and wait for a bit.
If it’s somwthing I’d like to get checked out but not urgent, I’ll schedule an appointment with my family dr, might take a week or 2?
For something sooner, I’ll go to one of the several walk in clinics nearby. Wait time really varies but generally pretty quick as long as I get there a little early.
Depends on who you’re seeing, what time, etc. for a GP you’re waiting as long as the ones in front of you take. I actually don’t mind that so much, in my case it’s because my regular gp hates metrics and doesn’t give a fat shit what the clinic wants. He takes as long as is needed with each patient (and bills them all as standard consults) Unfortunately he also sees a lot of little old ladies, so sometimes it blows out.
Recently found out we were inadvertently exposed to a shitton of lead dust. Monday we decided to get tested, yesterday (Tuesday) morning i got the consult, gp wrote me up the paperwork, I scooted the while four meters to the phlebotomist, they took blood and urine, should hear back today /tomorrow, already received my medicare refund. Same with hubs, although he tacked on getting his flu/rsv and latest covid vaccinations done at the same time. Australia here for the record.
The Netherlands
I call my doctor, make an appointment the same day, go there, tell my story, get referred to a specialist or get meds or whatever, all covered by insurance.
Specialist: sometimes appointment within a week or 2, sometimes it takes a month. It’s covered by insurance, but there’s an own risk budget each year of 380 euros. So all costs up to that budget are paid by yourself, the rest is covered. But since I’m getting mental health care, I pay 380 each januari and the rest for the entire year is all covered. This year I’ve had a broken collarbone repaired with a metal plate with all the photos before and after, I had 2 bladder infections which needed antibiotics and I had food poisoning on holiday and intestand infection, which was all covered at home and abroad.
Insurance
I pay 180 a month. It includes dental and some extras like 9 physical therapist appointments.
Brazil
An USian journalist recently described his health care treatment in Brazil: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/29/brazil-health-care-sus-hospitals/
I believe this is a good description of the public health care here. I disagree with his statement on workers’ strike. He didn’t mention that Bolsonaro and Temer (last 2 presidents) reduced spending in public health care which probably impacted the hospital this journalist got taken care.
Brazil:
Call an Uber, go to the hospital, grab a ticket, pass thru triage, called by name, show my id, triage decide which specialist to see, go to specialist waiting room and wait to be called by name.
Doctor examines me, ask for exams, maybe prescribe medication, do the exams, wait for result.
Back to doctor, prescribe medication, hospital provides medication (unless is something very uncommon, if so go to the pharmacy and buy it).
Call Uber, go home.
Total cost: Uber fare, usually about 6 dollars total.
Insurance is about 180 reais for two people, or about 30 dollars per month.
German here.
If I’m sick I just go to their practice during consultation hours. Without an appointment I have to wait a little, but rarely more than an hour. Then I get called in, the doctor takes a couple minutes to listen to me describing my symptoms, possibly does some minor checking, then writes me a prescription for whatever treatment I will need or a transfer slip to a specialized doctor.
For emergencies I can just go to the hospital. Oh, all of this costs me nothing at all, maybe a couple euros co pay for medications.
French here. Basically all the same.
Well not entirely true. We pay 9~10% out of our gross salary for this service
Ah yes of course, the system must be financed somehow in the end. Still infinitely better than the american system which works worse for the average citizen and costs a lot more.
Poland:
If I’m sick or it’s the 1st step in getting something diagnosed: I call the (public) clinic to book an appointment, get a date within like 3 days max. I usually leave with a prescription and paid doctor’s leave for work. The visit costs nothing. If it’s urgent you can walk in without an appointment or call the ambulance/go to the ER in your local hospital. This is free.
Sometimes the doctor gives you a medical referral to a specialist or for a certain test. This can be realized in the public health system, or at a private clinic.
Wait times vary a lot - some things like a blood test are very quick, but some specialists in the public system have very long wait times. Like, 6 months to a year. Some surgeries in the public system can take even longer. The public system is free, or has a small symbolic fee.
The private system is much faster for certain specialists - dentists, psychologists, dermatologists, injury rehabilitation, ect. but it also can’t do everything. In my experience, almost all serious and niche surgeries are done in the public system for example.
Overall it’s a decent experience, but the system is severely underfunded. This isn’t really a case of mismanagement imo, it’s genuinely just a lack of money in the system. Some surgeries can get delayed because money allocated for them ran out for the year.
Italy
If it is a routine visit, one week. If you are sick a prescription is done via phone, you will find your needed medications already in the pharmacy or it will be coming in 3 days max. Your health records, allergies and needs are already in the doctor’s database and your prescription will account for that.
Practices done in public infrastructure is free, and most presciption medications are too,
But we do have a very serious wait time problem with specialist visits. In the worst cases it can take more than a year if you need special visitations. There just aren’t enough medics specialized to fill those positions, and who is available prefers less stressful and overworked positions.
One of the few things I liked about Russia is the healthcare system.
If you have money, and I don’t mean like you’re in the top 1% or 10%, you just have an average salary, you can get any doctor any procedure within 2 days. Neck MRI is $120; ultrasound is about $30; regular appointment is also $20-30; PET $400.
When it comes to the free healthcare tier, it’s kinda tricky. In an emergency you could be delivered either in a new medical center with boxes and wifi, or they could throw you in an old hospital where various infections were living for centuries and doctors just hate this place and everyone who’s around.
Haven’t been there for almost 5 years, if we exclude a short two month period where I haven’t interacted with the healthcare system. I heard that due to sanctions there’s a lack of basic medicine right now: antibiotics, infusions, and even paracetamol.
