Doctor in Venezuela, The truth that they dont tell you...

Sometimes its hard to decide on a topic to adress, when there are so many things happening in your life at once, and when english its not your native tongue this task becomes even harder, (so excuse for any mistakes that you migth find in this essay)  I decided to start with something I know a lot about, something that I watch every single day but many of you might never experience in your lifetime (I hope) and that is "the crisis", but im not talking about any crisis, im talking about the crisis in healthcare, as the title says im from Venezuela, country known by many of you like the next Cuba, a tropical paradise that was lead into communism and now has become a tropical nigthmare, I would like to say before I continue with my story, that I neither like or dislike communism, but my thoughts about this subject are not very relevant to my speech, maybe in another time we can discuss some things about communism and capitalism trough the time. Anyways, as I was saying, I live in Venezuela, and currently I am  preparing to be a doctor, well not exactly preparing as getting used to the idea of  being a doctor, because graduation will be 4 months from now, in many other countries another person with only 4 months left would be happier than ever, but well thats not the case here in my country, its been a rough 6 years of study, 6 years in wich I have seen a lot  of bad things happening around me.

Lets start from the begining,the first years of carrer your practically dont touch the hospital, the only patient you will know its your books, and the only diseases you will treat are the exams, its not untill you study 3 years that you actually get the chance to go to the hospital and touch a real sick person, and by that time your unnexperience with real people will make you look to the eyes of the patients like Dr. Nick Riviera.

But that is completely normal and every Med student has lived it, the following years of carrer gets even harder, while you get used to combine the life in the classroom with the new life in the hospital, and that my friends, its when things get exciting, but here in Venezuela its when things get real bad, for my friends in the US you should known that healthcare in Venezuela its supposed to be free, in fact many people on the goverment fill their mouths saying this, let me guide you in the experience of going to a hospital in venezuela.

Imagine yourself right now, but you are not in your current location, you are in Venezuela, and star feeling bad, fever, some cramps, nausea and diarrhea, common symptoms that everyone will get in their life, a few days passes and this get worse, now you feel weak, you are dehydrated and decide to go to the hospital because you dont have enough money to go to a clinic, the first thing you will notice when you enter the emergency room will be people on the floor, why is that?, because there are not enoughs beds for everyone, while you pass trough all this people (some of them in really bad conditions) you notice that the doctors are in the examination room, when they finally attend you its when things get ugly, why?, because the hospital is practically empty, they will ask you to buy the solution, they will ask you to make the blood tests on a private laboratory (because the lab on the hospital is not working) once you get the results they will ask you to buy the medicine and you probably will have to go to at least 10 drug stores to find the medicine they tell you, for some of you this maybe its not so bad, but i want you to think now, what happens with the emergencies?, the scenario I just pictured you it wasnt a emergencie, but what if you get mugged downtown and somebody stabbed you, your life now its on a thread, and when you get to the hospital, your friend or the people who brougth you will have tou buy everything I just told you, but wait, you just have been mugged, so you dont hace money to buy this, now you have to wait to someone with money helps you, and hope you dont die in the process.

I know this sound terrible, but trust me, its happening, if you known a Venezuelan near by you, ask him or her about this issue and they will tell you all, I dont want to extend myself too much, if you liked this small essay and want to know more just tell me, for another theme I can bring some photos of the hospital wich I work, and before saying goodbye one final apologie for any mistake that you migth find, remember that english its not my native thonge.