In a previous article, I have talked about the metro, which is the greatest public service provided here. I've also learned that the sidewalks and streets are cleaned here daily, because Moscow is the capital. In this article, though, I want to share what I've learned about the hospitals and the experiences my friends have had with them.
I learned about the hospitals and medical services provided here. I have already had two experiences with the hospitals and clinics here. The first was an emergency in which one of my Italian friends had appendicitis and needed surgery! Even though this affliction happens to only about one in ten people, I have had appendicitis myself, so I know that it's not a fun trip. It felt scary to my friend because it happened in a foreign country. Fortunately, an ambulance came by to pick him up very quickly, even before he was diagnosed with appendicitis, and they took him straight the the hospital. He was seen as soon as he got in, and they ran a blood test on him to confirm that he had appendicitis. Next, they removed his appendix and held him in the hospital for a couple days. I can compare his experience to the procedures in America since I've had the same rare, once in a lifetime condition! Back in the U.S., I wasn't seen as quickly as he was, and I didn't take an ambulance since they're expensive.
