Ambulance rides in Japan have always been free, but I just heard from a paramedic that hospitals will start charging 40,000 yen per ride in the near future.
Attention all hypochondriacs: Get your free rides while the getting’s still good!
Raising a family in Thailand // Documenting Issan food, culture, music, and people
I have an Indian friend studying at WSU downtown Detroit. About three months after he arrived, walking home from the library @ about midnight on a thursday night, two guys pulled up in a stolen SUV, jumped out, one pointed a gun at my buddy and demanded his money, backpack. My buddy handed over his wallet, backpack, watch. The SUV passenger jumped out with a bat, walked over and cracked my indian buddy in the face with a full swing. Smashed his jaw and cheekbones in multiple places. The assailants rifled through his pockets, took his cell phone, made a call and threw the cell phone at his bloody face.
Here’s how this story’s relevant to your post. Someone stumbled across my buddy, called the police. Police showed up. The university hospital was only one block away. The police, per regulation, call an ambulance, which shows and transports indian to the hospital. Indian didn’t have health insurance. The hospital charged, on top of emergency care, surgery, etc., charged him almost $2000 for the one-block hospital ride.
Shucks. That IS crazy, Tom. Feel sorry for the poor guy. Any idea what happened to him?
How much in US$ is 40,000 yen anyway?
About $400. Sounds like a bargain compared to Detroit!
Yeah, he received indigent treatment @ the hospital and went back to India!
Fucked up.
That’s sad we gotta charge for emergency care… But that’s life. Nothing in the society functions without money.
Dan
Ambulance Doc