They are tearing up the street, putting new, improved sidewalks in and repaving everything. They are making the area near the church a cobblestoned "pedestrian zone." They are making, as my grandmother would say, "a racket" out there. But it's music to my ears. It makes me happy. With each cement-crushing blow, I hear my tax Euros at work. Each cement-crushing blow is another of my tax Euros that won't line the pocket of some idiot Italian politician who makes 15 times the average Italian salary, rides around in a town car with tinted windows on the taxpayers' centesimo, has countless perks coming out his ass, a sense of entitlement to match his inflated ego and the audacity to complain about stupid things like not having gelato in the Senate cafeteria.
The local rag reports that by 2011 or so, they will create a "health center" that will bring all of the doctors in the area together, which will alleviate the problem of not being able to get medical care if you aren't able to get in to your local doctor during the random three-hour window that he or she is available each day. Apparently, this will mean that a doctor (even if it isn't yours, per se) will be available all day. I've mentioned before that my doctor has no phone or receptionist and to get in to see her, you have to show up in person and fight your way through the ill and angry mob to her door even if all you need is a prescription refill. I found out recently that she has 4,500 patients! No wonder it takes several days for her to get back to me with my prescription refill or blood test requests, and then half the time they are filled out wrong with mistaken codes and spelling errors that make completing the most basic of health care tasks impossible. They can't open up this health center with pooled medical resources fast enough, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe you'll even be able to make an appointment or ask for a prescription refill by phone or (wishful thinking!) via the Internet. Maybe there's hope yet for that photocopier at the elementary school!
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5 comments:
Too bad you're not in Rome - I could send you to my doctor. She's great. Yes, she's only open 4 hours a day but she has a great receptionist who is really on the ball and professional. It's just like in the US- you make an appointment by phone ahead of time - then you show up and the receptionist calls your name and you go in - none of this ridiculous cutting the line stuff like at other doctors' offices here. And the doctor seems to be pretty good.
Your doctor has 4500 patients! That is truly sad. My doctor only does three hours a day but there's always a receptionist so getting ricette is a little less difficult. We do have to wait in line because there aren't appointments.
That's great news about the medical center. We get "progress" down here sometimes, but it's usually some kind of pet project that doesn't actually benefit ordinary people.
Nice to see that your tax euros are hard at work! :)
Send those 'men at work' over on my way when they're finished. ;)
Go to the ASL and change your doctor! You've got more than one choice in the neighborhood. The one I used to have in Milan would at least talk to me on the phone for prescriptions.
I live in a town of 9,000 residents and ASL allows me to choose from two doctors. One is a good doctor with a good reputation (mine) yet no phone or receptionist. The other is apparently a bad doctor with a bad reputation, no phone and no receptionist. It's all about the lesser of two evils...
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