I woke up one morning
with a raging fever, unable to talk and tortured by a burning hot, swollen
throat unlike anything I had had since a was a young child, phlegm filled lungs
and waves of nausea. I could barely drag myself out of bed to text message my
supervisor that I wouldn’t be coming in to work that day.
I knew I had to get
myself to the doctor’s to get a note so that I could qualify for sick leave pay
and lose out on the day’s pay, but I was so ill that I was tempted to simply
stay home in bed. After a long feverish,
sweat soaked nap I managed to get dressed and walk out to the lobby and then
out the front door to flag down a cab and get to the doctor’s office.
I was glad I had
taken the time the month before to find the nearest clinic and find out what I
needed in order to get registered for health care, so I had my passport and
health care card ready, as well as a pamphlet with the clinic’s name, address,
phone number and a map. It was such a relief to be able to pass over the
pamphlet with a map and phone number the cabbie could call instead of having to
croak out directions and try to communicate with someone who likely had as many
words in English as I had in Arabic: about 10.
Once at the clinic, I
went to the front reception desk and was met by very efficient Filipino nursing
staff who spoke excellent English. I only waited for 5 minutes before I got in
to see a female doctor. She promptly diagnosed me with laryngitis, bronchitis
and the flu and prescribed 3 antibiotic shots, which I received from the
medical clinic on the other side of the lobby 20 minutes later.
I had never had shots
like this before. I was shocked when I felt instantly better, within minutes. They
only cost me about $6.00 in total, after my health care coverage was taken into
account.
I felt human by the
time I left the clinic, and felt my fever go down quickly. I was ready to go
back to work within 2 days, which struck me as a minor miracle. Had I been back
in Canada, they would likely have given me a prescription for antibiotic pills,
told me to go home and rest and let things run their course, and I would have
been really ill and off work for at least a couple of weeks.
So, as you can guess,
I was left with a really positive impression of the health care system in Saudi
Arabia.
As a result, here`s a
recap of my recommendations:
-negotiate for health
care plan as part of your contract, or if included, find out the specifics (is
dental included? When does the plan take effect?)
-Visit the nearest
clinic(s) to your home and find the best hospital for foreigners, and go there before
you get sick in order to get a business card, brochure or pamphlet with Arabic as
well as English, phone number(s), and a map / address, so you know how to find it again, and also
have something to give cab drivers.
-Follow up to make
sure you get your health care insurance card as soon as is reasonably possible
(six weeks or less is reasonable) after signing your contract and make a photocopy
of the plan details and health care card as a safeguard.
