Posted on 11/24/2009 4:12:31 AM PST by Daisyjane69
I moved to New Delhi a year and a half ago from New York for a new job with a newspaper. When I arrived in India's capital, I figured if I was going to live in the country, I might as well get used to the food, the water and the bacteria that doesn't seem to bother too many natives. I ordered juices, ate cold salads and drank the un-bottled water that restaurants bring customers for free. But I learned the hard way there are better methods for adjusting your body to the new climate. Less than two weeks into my time there, I found myself vomiting at the foot of a 12th century monument, the Qutb Minar.
(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...
USHA: You’re not going to the wedding, are you?
ELAINE: Well..
USHA: Don’t go. India is a dreadful, dreadful place.
ZUBIN: You know, it’s the only country that still has the plague? I mean, the plague! Please!
This sounds like the health care I grew up with back in the 50’s.
I guess the first thought that comes to mind is, what about lawsuits against dr’s & hospitals in India? Can people sue for malpractice and if so, how often are large judgements made against drs or hospitals?
And what do they pay for malpractice insurance?
Life expectancy in India is 69.89 years, ranking it 145th in the world.
Better than Russia.
I could have “cured” her for half that price by just giving her some electolytes and telling her to not be such a damn fool and to drink the beer instead of the water.
Who goes out and voluntarily looks to get Delhi Belly? What a maroon!
If you spend any time there, you will get sick. It is just inevitable. But, if you are careful, it is not too bad and you only catch one parasite at a time. I was there for three years and my medical expenses were $0.00. But I wasn’t an idiot and I took care of myself.
I like the fact that there is no insurance of any kind!
I’m worried, that seemed like hep A or even B.
If it’s B and it goes chronic she’ll find out a few years from now when her liver quits suddenly.
Given primitive conditions in rural parts of India and the likely high child mortality, I doubt an apples and apples comparison between life expectancies can be made.
bttt
Personally, I don’t think eating raw vegetables in India is such a hot idea; the farmers all utilize nightsoil (human waste) as a fertilizer, and consuming raw vegetables is an excellent way to get very, very sick.
And anyone who’s seen the butcher shops over there will, at the very least, give serious and lengthy consideration to becoming a vegetarian until back home in the States.
True, but do the Indians drink and smoke as much as the Russians?
Probably the smoking part. That’s considered a status symbol in the turd world. Certainly China.
FTA:”The poorest residents, just as they do in the U.S., often skip out on expensive treatments, and visit doctors only in serious situations”
Why do people continue to spew this crap? Go to an emergency room anywhere in this country and see what big “emergencies” show up. Like a cough, or a mild earache, or a backache needing a pain shot. Sheez..........
Thanks for posting...... I remember my mother taking to me a pediatrician and paying peanuts. No insurance involved
I’ve been to India and China many times. What WORKS in both countries are modern parts of the free market. What doesn’t work is anything still connected to the state-run socialist systems in both countries.
Yes, it takes a long time to get a land-line in India because it belongs to the world of the Gov’t “license Raj” - but a cell phone can be had in minutes, and coverage is great even in the remote countryside.
Same in China - the socialist system has beaten down people and systems so well, that any new technology that doesn’t belong to the old system is adopted immediately and with great effect.
Sounds like she spent most of her time sick....”Yeah, but it was soooo cheap to do so!”...No thanks.
I’ve never been to India. But I’ve read a book about it.
“The pharmacy counter where I could pick up the drugs was just outside his office. The cost to see the doctor? $6. The pharmacy bill was about $1. Total cost, $7, with no insurance company involvement whatsoever.”
Ok, does the idiot in this piece understand the difference in currency? How long does it take a person living in the slums to earn $7? Just curious.
There was a time in this country when rural docs were paid in chickens!
LOL
We paid peanuts because we were in the peanut business. Sometimes we paid with jars of peanut butter and jelly
After living in the Balkans, all that is true! Don’t drink the water unless it has been through my amazing American-made 3 filter system. Don’t drink the bottled water unless it’s from Italy. Even then, check to make sure it’s an original bottle. Wash all raw veggies in a bleach/water bath. Don’t eat the meat unless you saw the animal alive and watched the butcher dress it!
I never got bugs over there, while several of my colleagues ended up with severe stomach problems that plague them today.
7 USD is currently 325 INR (rupee)
Stanford University (http://cee45q.stanford.edu/2003/briefing_book/india.html)
claims the ave income in India is 500 USD per year (23,260 Rupee), they didn’t indicate the work performed. Engineers get 1/2 of what their US peers get paid, if that helps.
When you are poor in India, you ARE POOR. India has no food stamps, Aid to Dependant Children and on and on.
I would recommend some personla research on your part - perhaps a year long visit, crossing the counrty by foot and train. It would be educational, no doubt.
I’m trying to understand if you are being sort of aggressive with me. My point seems to be the point you make. $7 to an American is soooo cheap (as the author rails about) but to an Indian POOR person, that would be nearly unattainable. That was my point. What was yours?
Been there. It's quite impressive.
My point?
7 USD is a lot for a slum dweller
for an engineer, no so much.
That the “poor” in the US have it better that 7/8 of the world population, but they still bitch full time rather that try and get ahead. I’m talking welfare Queens of course...
You seemed curious abot lfe in India - thus my suggestion for a long trip to visit the country.
As a tourist, Amaericans rarely get to see the ‘real life’ of a lot of places they visit.
A working trip is best of course, I have been lucky and have worked in S Korea and Russia - great way to meet people and as noted in the article, get sick in new and interesting ways.
I don’t recommend the get sick part tho.
Not trying to harsh on your parade.
AH! So we did have the same point. And yes, I am very curious about the country and have been for a while. I have a friend from New Dehli and while I think the culture is beautiful, I am not anxious to make the trip.
Nepal is a different story though. Another friend is from the mountains of Nepal and it isn’t like the slums of New Dehli. Katmandu (not the authentic spelling I know) is stunning from what I’ve seen.
breathtaking - but altitude will do that for ya.
Come up to Alaska, every bit as pretty as Nepal and we still take US money (for now anyway). Not as many mountains tho....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.