All the signs were there - I was clearly afflicted with a bladder infection. Too much swimming in a colder sea perhaps? So I dosed up with vitamin C and grapefruit seed extract, an anti-microbial, antibiotic and one of nature's great gifts. And then my kidneys started to hurt and I felt pretty unwell.
Not only is that no fun at all but kidney infections are not to be taken lightly, so I decided to consult a doctor. How would the Greek health service be functioning, I wondered, in its present economic crisis? I'd read about cuts, long waits and people having to pay more for services and drugs - and I was a foreign visitor. So it was with some apprehension that I drove the five or so miles inland to the village of Vamos, which serves as a regional centre for this area. A lot of its traditional buildings have been restored, like these houses.
Following the well signposted route to the Vamos Health Centre, I eventually found a pleasant building the size of a large clinic with an ambulance outside. This centre serves a pretty big area and it's open 24 hours . To my relief, the car park was fairly empty, so perhaps I wouldn't have to wait too long.
Inside was quiet and empty, except for the reception area, where five or six white-coated women chatted or busied themselves with paperwork. I showed my European health card to the friendly receptionist, who told me that I just needed to pay 5 euros and I could see a doctor. I was immediately invited into the room of a French-Greek doctor called Christine, who was thorough, friendly, relaxed and treated me like an intelligent adult who knows her own body.
Her quick test showed no sign of infection, but she advised me to have a fuller test done. "You could go to the hospital in Chania but you'd have to wait a long time. I suggest the private microbiology lab in Kalyves. Go there tomorrow morning, they'll phone the result through to me and I will call you tomorrow afternoon."
The lab was similarly efficient and charged 20 euros for the service. At lunch time Christine called. "There's still no sign of infection, I think you've flushed it through by drinking plenty of water and doing what you've been doing, it often happens. Call me if you have any more problems."
Clearly not everything in Greece is falling apart and the concept of help and hospitality to strangers still thrives....
Not only is that no fun at all but kidney infections are not to be taken lightly, so I decided to consult a doctor. How would the Greek health service be functioning, I wondered, in its present economic crisis? I'd read about cuts, long waits and people having to pay more for services and drugs - and I was a foreign visitor. So it was with some apprehension that I drove the five or so miles inland to the village of Vamos, which serves as a regional centre for this area. A lot of its traditional buildings have been restored, like these houses.
Following the well signposted route to the Vamos Health Centre, I eventually found a pleasant building the size of a large clinic with an ambulance outside. This centre serves a pretty big area and it's open 24 hours . To my relief, the car park was fairly empty, so perhaps I wouldn't have to wait too long.
Inside was quiet and empty, except for the reception area, where five or six white-coated women chatted or busied themselves with paperwork. I showed my European health card to the friendly receptionist, who told me that I just needed to pay 5 euros and I could see a doctor. I was immediately invited into the room of a French-Greek doctor called Christine, who was thorough, friendly, relaxed and treated me like an intelligent adult who knows her own body.
Her quick test showed no sign of infection, but she advised me to have a fuller test done. "You could go to the hospital in Chania but you'd have to wait a long time. I suggest the private microbiology lab in Kalyves. Go there tomorrow morning, they'll phone the result through to me and I will call you tomorrow afternoon."
The lab was similarly efficient and charged 20 euros for the service. At lunch time Christine called. "There's still no sign of infection, I think you've flushed it through by drinking plenty of water and doing what you've been doing, it often happens. Call me if you have any more problems."
Clearly not everything in Greece is falling apart and the concept of help and hospitality to strangers still thrives....
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