Prague Journal

Monday, November 1, 2004.

November in Czech is Listopad, which literally means falling leaves. The smell of burning leaves is in the air; the leaves still on the trees are yellow and orange, with just a sprinkling of pale green.
Today is the first Monday of the month, so the Women in Business group met for their regular dinner at Mlýnec. I met several interesting women, whom I hope to write about later as I get to know them on a more personal level. I will meet with Eunice tomorrow. She and her late husband started a high-end stereo/electronics company here in Prague, so I am hoping to talk with her about her company also.
Most of the evening was spent talking with a woman who is working for the health ministry. The Czech health system is totally socialized in that all care is paid for by the state. There are private doctors, clinics, and hospitals, but the Czech system is free (for citizens). What this means, then, is that people will often consult a doctor just to get a few aspirin. It also means that people frequently bring their doctors gifts so as to assure – or hope for – better attention to their problems. Most doctors apparently do not talk with their patients. In fact, a lot of information, concerning prescription drugs, for example, is withheld, i.e., not available to patients at all. There is no choice of doctors either, including the doctor who may be available to deliver a baby, despite the fact that a woman may have seen someone else throughout her pregnancy.

posted by JWinn @ 11:34 PM