By arosema93
Well I’ve had quite an interesting last week, and not in a good way. It involved an aspect of my host country that most exchanges never experience or know much about: healthcare. And no, I’m not talking about politics here. While most exchange students go through their time without any medical glitches, I knew I had one coming eventually. I think the last time I went more than a year between hospital visits was when I was ten, and considering I am here for a year, something was bound to happen. I made it a grand total of 9 months this time.
Basically, I fell on my hand and the next day it was super swollen and painful. By the time I decided it was worth getting checked out, it was after 5 on Friday and due to a public holiday on Monday the earliest time I would be able to see a doctor would be Tuesday at least. So it was off to emergency at the hospital we went.
Long story short, I am currently writing this (very slowly with one hand) one week after the injury and I still have no idea if anything is wrong with my hand or not, despite already spending 10 hours in hospitals and doctors’ offices mostly waiting around. The upside of Australian healthcare is that it is free, when you pay $600 a year as an international student to buy into the system. However, although our overseas student health coverage gets us basically everything free, it also means having to initially pay quite a bit upfront and then make a claim through the insurance to get a refund. The downside is lots of bureaucracy and waiting.
My lasting piece of advice is this: If you go to another country, just don’t get hurt. Actually though, just don’t do it. It’s a waste of time, money, and frustration, and you never know exactly how the system will end up working out. Know about the healthcare in the country you are headed to before you get there so you know what it will be like, especially if headed to a non-western country. Getting sick or hurt is usually one of those things that we forget is a possibility and can play an important role in our lives. When we do remember it is a thing, we just hope for the best and pray nothing happens then go on with our lives. In another country, make sure you know what you are getting into at first. With another system, something as simple as hurting my hand could have cost thousands of dollars, or in some countries things could have been worse. Upon coming to Australia I was never too scared of the millions upon billions of poisonous snakes and spiders due to the knowledge that there are antidotes for all bites available at every hospital, but what if their weren't? In Australia I’m fairly safe (assuming I could make it to a hospital before dying), but this injury has, like all the other injuries I sustain, simply reminded me that nothing is guaranteed, especially when it comes to personal health.
All I’m saying is stay safe, especially when you don’t know the system. I would write about something else at this point, but that has literally been my life for the last week. Oh, and don’t expect this to change anything…I’ll still do just as much crazy and dangerous stuff as I always have