Italian Health Care

Last week I woke up with an extremely sore throat and wasn't able to talk without having tears come to my eyes.   After calling my friend and having her consult her mom who is a doctor we decided that I should probably go see a doctor. However, the American doctor here in Bologna that BCSP uses didn't have office hours that day, so the only other option was to go to the emergency room, or as it's called in italian Pronto Soccorso. 

10:30 call a taxi to drop us off at Via Massarenti 9, we arrive at Ospedale Sant Orsola and the taxi is not able to drop us off at the correct building, so he leaves us in a parking lot and we walk into the emergency room. However this was the pediatric emergency room. So unable to talk, my friend asks where the emergency room for adults is. 

11:00 We arrive at the correct Pronto Soccorso, which isn't in the same building, but down the street, and around the corner. We get in line for triage. There are two people in front of me. While waiting an old lady walks in with her nose bleeding severely from a fall and a young man walks in also bleeding and thankfully they were quickly rushed into triage. 

11:40 Brought back into the room where my friend explains what's wrong, as it's too painful to talk. The woman takes my temperature and blood pressure and gives me the diagnosis of something along the lines of pharyngitis. 

11:45 My passport details are taken, I'm given a medical bracelet, and we're told to go sit in the waiting room. Unfortunately we were given the color of doom: white, signifying the lack of emergency and the board says that the estimated wait time is 220 minutes.... almost 4 hours. 

....

14:00 My name is finally called.  They wouldn't let my friend come with me so all I could get out to the doctor was " fa male" and "è difficile di parlare." The doctor looks in my mouth and tells me, "Well it doesn't seem so bad" and then goes " ooooh, there are your tonsils." So the nurse takes some blood. 

14:05 Back in the waiting room, waiting for my blood results. 

....

17:00 My name is called again, the nurse hands me the results and tells me to go talk to the man at the information desk who will tell me where to go next. The man at the information desk had no idea what to do and couldn't tell me where to go. After a small goose chase we figure out that I need to see the otolaryngology specialist. 

18:00 Finally with another doctor she looks into my mouth again and tells me that I have tonsillitis. She prescribes me some antibiotics. 

18:15 At the 24 hour pharmacy in Piazza Maggiore 

18:30 Back home and in bed.

After 7 hours of waiting I had that little slip of paper allowing me to go the pharmacy and get antibiotics. After 7 hours of waiting and only a total of maybe 20 minutes with a doctor I was able to leave the hospital. I owe major props to my friend who waited with me that whole time and sat by my side, talked for me, and kept me company even when I probably wasn't the most enjoyable company to be around. 

I definitely missed having my family doctor back in Minnesota who I could call up and within an hour have been in and out and had a prescription in hand.