Health
How to choOse the right
healthcare professional
By Aisha Shakti Hakim
I
stared critically at my doctor as she
explained, in hard to understand
broken English, her thoughts
on what I could do to address
the condition I was there to see her
about. She was such a pleasant woman
and spoke to me conversationally,
like a friend, which made me feel
comfortable. However, I knew for a
fact that at least 2 options she shared
with me were out of date by Western
standards and she didn’t seem aware
of others.
One of the blessings of being a
Western expat abroad is that you
usually have free healthcare, or the
co pay is relatively small. Additionally,
medicines tend to be extremely
affordable. This blessing though, is
part o f the standard compensation
plan of any decent employer and
having access to it doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t be critical of the care you
receive.
I’ve heard horror stories of Western
patients who ended up with doctors
who didn’t know what they were
doing; treated them as if they were
“dirty”; or looked medical information
up on Google. In a way, it can be a
good thing if you find yourself in this
type of situation because it forces you
to become more proactive about your
healthcare and better informed about
your options. This is also true in our
home countries and certainly there are
doctors there whom we need to be
critical of.
Here are some things to
consider when trying to
decide on a doctor:
what is their level of English
proficiency? Having a highly trained
doctor doesn’t matter if you don’t
understand what they’re saying and
leaving your medical care in the hands
of a translator is probably not the best
idea. Familiarise yourself with your
condition. A well-trained doctor is
the expert but it won’t hurt to know
what’s going on with your body, so
that you can make informed decisions
about your care. Two of the most
reliable sites to educate yourself are
medlineplus.gov and mayoclinic.com.
Be careful of self-diagnosis, as it may
not be accurate.
For single women in Middle Eastern
countries, seeing a gynecologist can
be a bit tricky. Muslim laws oversee
everything, including healthcare, so
you’ll have to be discrete about what
your needs are and who to go to for
them. Doctor/patient confidentiality
isn’t really a “thing”, so you may be
better off going to a non-Muslim
Western doctor you trust for an “off
the record” conversation, just the 2 of
you.
the doctor I first described in the
beginning of this article, their role
is not to be my friend. Even though
it’s preferable to go to a doctor with
good bedside manners that should
not take precedence over their level of
expertise. The bottom line is choosing
someone who knows what they’re
talking about. Doctors are supposed
to be medical experts. If your doctor is
looking up information on Google, not
sure what to do, and doesn’t bother to
give you a second recommendation to
someone who does; it is time for a new
doctor.
One of the best sources of vetting
doctors is to simply ask on FaceBook
or other online group of expats.
Your question should be worded
“Does anyone have a personal
recommendation for a Western trained
(dentist, Gynecologist, etc.)” and then
ask for specific feedback once people
share. I’ve found some great doctors
that way. Keep in mind that Western
doctors are also expats, which means
they tend to move around a lot.
When you decide on a doctor, ask
them who else they’d recommend for
healthcare, so that on the likely chance
you schedule an appointment only
to be told “they’re no longer at this
hospital” with no further information,
at least you’ll have other options. Your
health should always be in your hands!
Even though I felt comfortable with
After The Bell
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Sep - Oct 2015
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