My Polish is definitely getting better.
Though my child is not. The cough did, after all, eventually turn into a bacterial infection of the throat, according to a doctor at the private clinic of Luxmed -- a pediatric laryngologist who for a mere 160 PLN wrote us more prescriptions than you could shake a stick at. This was an enormous clinic way on the outskirts of the city (we even had to jaywalk across a 6 lane road and trek through a large mudfield to get to the clinic -- it seems to have been constructed for the future car lifestyle that Poles are aspiring to, so it was quite far from the bus stop). There were very few patients out there, and we spent some time trying to figure out what the doctor does between appointments.
Dr. Wrona Maciej spoke some English, was very sweet, and sent us on our way in about 4 1/2 minutes. Very efficient.
A week later, though, my son is still sick. And now he feels pressure in his sinuses, so we are worried about another sinus infection like he had last autumn. And he's been sick for 5 weeks, ever since we got on the airplane to leave home. High time to investigate more of the Polish medical system.
In theory I filled out paperwork right when we arrived to get my work contract and insurance taken care of. I have now taught for 3 weeks, 6 classes... but apparently the paperwork confirming my appointment at the Center for East European Studies has yet to go through.
This Monday I was assured that yes, I have health insurance, and all I have to do is show up at an NFZ clinic with my child and my passport number and we can be seen.
I knew it wasn't that simple.
In part, I knew this because bureaucracy is bureaucracy everywhere, even in Poland. I may have begun filling out paperwork on February 1, but then I had to pass my "hygiene" course and get my medical clearance (the extensive medical exams I underwent for the State Department were not sufficient!). I was warned that my hygiene course would take an hour and involve emergency procedure training (in case there was a fire during class?) ... but actually I just had to sign a paper saying I had read the 6 page handout (in English, thank goodness) that explained how to cough into my sleeve and wash my hands. And how to call the Polish version of 911 (in case of that fire...).
The next day I began my badanie -- my medical exams at the University NFZ clinic -- which could only happen on a Monday or a Thursday. Classes had already started by this time.
The badanie was quite an experience, especially since no one spoke any English. I went to an intake meeting on Monday, had two more appointments on Thursday, including a laryngologist (since ja pracuę głosem -- as a lecturer I work with my voice) and an internist. My laryngologist (I guess an ENT in the US) was about 70 years old and worked with a very old headlamp that plugged into her surge protector. She was not at all happy that I had begun to teach without getting my clearance. Her exam consisted of looking at my tonsils, into my ears and nose, and then whispering words to me while I stood in the corner of her office with my back to her and a finger stuck into one ear at a time. Several times she uttered the word "twenty-six" and I got it every time. We were done in 10 minutes, and she signed a paper for me and stamped it with her special stamp.
(Everyone in Poland has a special stamp -- the signature has no meaning without the stamp, and vice versa, I assume.)
Next, after lunch, was the internist, though I didn't have a specific appointment. His hours were 13:00-15:00; I showed up about 12:45 and was fifth in line, and by the time I saw him around 1:30 there were over a dozen people in the hallway. I kept hearing kto ostatny, but after a few minutes I was no longer last. I did also learn the plural for "wszystko" -- when a new person came and asked if I was waiting for gabinet 45 I gestured to the entire hallway full of people and said "wszystki" -- everyone was waiting for the same doctor!
He was also about 70 years old, spoke almost no English, and was less than happy with me. I didn't have my Książeczka zdrowia (in fact, I didn't even know what it was until he gave me one); I didn't have some papers that I needed; and of course we couldn't understand each other. He grabbed his stamp and left the office, taking me back to the first badanie doctor who confirmed that I was indeed an employee of the University; she then took me back up to him (and pointed out to him that my paperwork was on his desk where she had sent it earlier in the day). He asked me what my glasses prescription is and wrote down what I told him, then stamped the form and the little blue health book and sent me on my way.
Friday, at the end of the second week of classes, I finally took my medical confirmation to the staff at the Center for East European Studies. I knew I didn't have health insurance yet (indeed, they had refused to pay me at the end of the month, so I knew my contract hadn't even been confirmed), and when I signed more papers on Monday, I was pretty sure things wouldn't be ironed out this week.
But Kinga and Magda -- the girls at the Studium Europy Wschodniej -- assured me that I am covered, that since January 1 everyone is in every computer all over the country, and with my passport number and date of birth I can surely get an appointment. So this morning I went to the NFZ clinic at Chełmska 13/17 to try to get my son an appointment.
By now my Polish is much improved, and that's a good thing. I went with a set of vocabulary all prepared: bół gardła, infekcja, antibiotiki, zapalenie zatok [sore throat, infection, antibiotics, inflamed sinuses]. I had my first private Polish lesson on Monday and can now say: Nie mówię po polski, ale rozumiem; pracuę na uniwersytecie; mam ubezpieczenie; mój syn jest chory; źyjemy tu na ulicy Chełmskiej [I don't speak Polish, but I understand; I work at the University; I have insurance; my son is sick; we live here on Chelmska Street] and a few other things.
Luckily. The receptionist at the children's clinic seemed to think that if she just talked more quickly, I would suddenly begin to understand Polish. She, two nurses, and by the end the pediatrician were all trying to figure out what to do with this American, who has no evidence of her insurance and no European Health card (after all, I kept saying, ja ne jestem z Europy. ja jestem z Stanów), but has a sick child and wants to be seen. They all agreed that I certainly don't speak Polish -- but we did continue to discuss the matter for about twenty minutes.
They gave me an appointment for 13:00 tomorrow. (The pediatrician was done with her clinic hours for today!) But I'm supposed to bring evidence of my insurance when I come ... I spent about half an hour on the phone with Kinga at the Studium and ascertained that no, I still don't have any Polish insurance.
Turns out that both Kinga and Magda are brand new at the Studium, and they don't really know what to do with a Fulbright lecturer...
Maybe I can pay for the doctor's visit at the Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia?
Though my child is not. The cough did, after all, eventually turn into a bacterial infection of the throat, according to a doctor at the private clinic of Luxmed -- a pediatric laryngologist who for a mere 160 PLN wrote us more prescriptions than you could shake a stick at. This was an enormous clinic way on the outskirts of the city (we even had to jaywalk across a 6 lane road and trek through a large mudfield to get to the clinic -- it seems to have been constructed for the future car lifestyle that Poles are aspiring to, so it was quite far from the bus stop). There were very few patients out there, and we spent some time trying to figure out what the doctor does between appointments.
A week later, though, my son is still sick. And now he feels pressure in his sinuses, so we are worried about another sinus infection like he had last autumn. And he's been sick for 5 weeks, ever since we got on the airplane to leave home. High time to investigate more of the Polish medical system.
In theory I filled out paperwork right when we arrived to get my work contract and insurance taken care of. I have now taught for 3 weeks, 6 classes... but apparently the paperwork confirming my appointment at the Center for East European Studies has yet to go through.
This Monday I was assured that yes, I have health insurance, and all I have to do is show up at an NFZ clinic with my child and my passport number and we can be seen.
 |
| This is the clinic right next to our building! Very clean and convenient. |
In part, I knew this because bureaucracy is bureaucracy everywhere, even in Poland. I may have begun filling out paperwork on February 1, but then I had to pass my "hygiene" course and get my medical clearance (the extensive medical exams I underwent for the State Department were not sufficient!). I was warned that my hygiene course would take an hour and involve emergency procedure training (in case there was a fire during class?) ... but actually I just had to sign a paper saying I had read the 6 page handout (in English, thank goodness) that explained how to cough into my sleeve and wash my hands. And how to call the Polish version of 911 (in case of that fire...).
The next day I began my badanie -- my medical exams at the University NFZ clinic -- which could only happen on a Monday or a Thursday. Classes had already started by this time.
 |
| This NFZ clinic, like my classroom, is in a former palace. |
(Everyone in Poland has a special stamp -- the signature has no meaning without the stamp, and vice versa, I assume.)
Next, after lunch, was the internist, though I didn't have a specific appointment. His hours were 13:00-15:00; I showed up about 12:45 and was fifth in line, and by the time I saw him around 1:30 there were over a dozen people in the hallway. I kept hearing kto ostatny, but after a few minutes I was no longer last. I did also learn the plural for "wszystko" -- when a new person came and asked if I was waiting for gabinet 45 I gestured to the entire hallway full of people and said "wszystki" -- everyone was waiting for the same doctor!
He was also about 70 years old, spoke almost no English, and was less than happy with me. I didn't have my Książeczka zdrowia (in fact, I didn't even know what it was until he gave me one); I didn't have some papers that I needed; and of course we couldn't understand each other. He grabbed his stamp and left the office, taking me back to the first badanie doctor who confirmed that I was indeed an employee of the University; she then took me back up to him (and pointed out to him that my paperwork was on his desk where she had sent it earlier in the day). He asked me what my glasses prescription is and wrote down what I told him, then stamped the form and the little blue health book and sent me on my way.
Friday, at the end of the second week of classes, I finally took my medical confirmation to the staff at the Center for East European Studies. I knew I didn't have health insurance yet (indeed, they had refused to pay me at the end of the month, so I knew my contract hadn't even been confirmed), and when I signed more papers on Monday, I was pretty sure things wouldn't be ironed out this week.
 |
| The Tyszkiewicz-Potocki Palace where I work! |
But Kinga and Magda -- the girls at the Studium Europy Wschodniej -- assured me that I am covered, that since January 1 everyone is in every computer all over the country, and with my passport number and date of birth I can surely get an appointment. So this morning I went to the NFZ clinic at Chełmska 13/17 to try to get my son an appointment.
By now my Polish is much improved, and that's a good thing. I went with a set of vocabulary all prepared: bół gardła, infekcja, antibiotiki, zapalenie zatok [sore throat, infection, antibiotics, inflamed sinuses]. I had my first private Polish lesson on Monday and can now say: Nie mówię po polski, ale rozumiem; pracuę na uniwersytecie; mam ubezpieczenie; mój syn jest chory; źyjemy tu na ulicy Chełmskiej [I don't speak Polish, but I understand; I work at the University; I have insurance; my son is sick; we live here on Chelmska Street] and a few other things.
Luckily. The receptionist at the children's clinic seemed to think that if she just talked more quickly, I would suddenly begin to understand Polish. She, two nurses, and by the end the pediatrician were all trying to figure out what to do with this American, who has no evidence of her insurance and no European Health card (after all, I kept saying, ja ne jestem z Europy. ja jestem z Stanów), but has a sick child and wants to be seen. They all agreed that I certainly don't speak Polish -- but we did continue to discuss the matter for about twenty minutes.
They gave me an appointment for 13:00 tomorrow. (The pediatrician was done with her clinic hours for today!) But I'm supposed to bring evidence of my insurance when I come ... I spent about half an hour on the phone with Kinga at the Studium and ascertained that no, I still don't have any Polish insurance.
Turns out that both Kinga and Magda are brand new at the Studium, and they don't really know what to do with a Fulbright lecturer...
Maybe I can pay for the doctor's visit at the Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia?
Bardzo ciekawie to zostało opisane. Będę tu zaglądać.
ReplyDeleteIn retrospect, I think my son had mononucleosis. Sigh. But the medical adventure was pretty interesting!
ReplyDelete