One things that never fails to puzzle me: Americans' neocolonial attitude towards medical care in other countries.To wit, a recent New York Times article on an intrepid reporter's medical adventure in Lombok, once she deigned to venture away from the luxe confines of the Oberoi hotel. When her husband suffered a fractured ankle after falling into a ditch, they contemplated a $120,000 airlift back to New York City, and ended up springing almost $10,000 for a first-class ticket back home for treatment by American doctors.
Now, come on. Anyone who's been to a U.S. emergency room knows that the situation here is just as horrendous as anywhere else. The few times I've been in one, have reinforced my desire to never get sick again, ever. They're all disasters. And first-class medical facilities in other countries, anywhere from Thailand to India to Singapore, are just as good - if not better - than the best American hospitals. In fact at some top-flight ones, you get Western-trained doctors, marble hallways, gourmet food and recuperation at a five-star resort, all for a fraction of the price.
So can we all stop assuming that the U.S. has the best medical care around? That is all.
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