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Medical Tourism Interview with a patient from abroad (Part 2)

InterviewMr. Mohammed F., a medical student in his final semester, came a few months ago from Libya to Germany to receive medical treatment. He spent several months in different hospitals, including Cologne. Mohammed was subsequently treated with physiotherapy in one of the centers of the Region.

Questions about organizational matters:

Mr. F., how were the organizational matters settled in terms of your medical treatment and stay?

The organization of my treatment and stay was mediated by a company from this region, which specializes in patient support.

What was organized with regard to your medical treatment and the associated stay?

Concerning my medical treatment, appointments with physicians, surgery dates and physiotherapy schedules were discussed. A translator was always present during these individual events. Moreover, the accommodation in a private room of the hospital was also organized. At the beginning I even received a telephone and a card so that I could call my family at all times. Regarding my stay, I can confirm that an apartment was found for me and a transfer was provided from the airport to my apartment and from my apartment to the hospital, respectively.

Was there anything you did not like about the organization? Where do you see potential for improvement?

The housing conditions were initially not satisfactory because the apartment was too small and it was not centrally located. In addition, the appointment arrangements with the hospital and the physiotherapy center were poorly coordinated, the appointments were not made in a timely manner and thereby valuable time was lost. Overall, I would say that the coordination of appointments is in need of improvement.

Were there any organizational deficiencies? What are your additional expectations form a full-service provider?

A significant aspect that was important to me or that I missed was an organized chronological sequence of my medical treatments. For example, I would have liked to have a detailed timetable with all my appointment dates. Moreover, it was too impersonal, not much attention was paid to my personal wishes and needs. Beyond that, I would have liked more information about the city, the environment and the infrastructure, including excursion possibilities. I would have also liked TV channels in my mother tongue or the possibility to eat food or food products typical of my homeland, especially in the case of a longer stay.

 

Autor: Dr. Heven Midani-Özkan

 
Links
  1. https://quomedic.com/https://quomedic.com/Printer/blog/display/2015/5/22/medical-tourism-interview-with-a-patient-from-abroad-part-2/