I finally have first hand experience of the Chinese medical system, it was a mixed experience with some good, some bad parts I did a lives tream with further information here: ru-vid.com... And the script is here: open.substack....
As a Chinese I can confirm your experience since I was hospitalized for two weeks. It's not convenient for sleep and nurses and doctors have a tight working schedule so they came and checked very often. So my noise cancelling earbuds came to my salvation. But the place is well clean and the treatment is efficient. Overall the cost is covered by the insurance.
Hi Jerry, don't worry about us because you might create less content, I'm sure that all viewers, like me, surely will understand that your health deserves to be taken care of. Wishing you nice recovering vacations. Greetings from Switzerland.
Haha. Jerry, Hospital is the worst place to recuperate. Hourly round for severe cases, 2nd hourly and subsequent observations all contribute to a restless stay!!! 😂😂😂
Jerry will be good to share your experience with the management, so perhap they can improve for a better tomorrow that will benefit incoming patients if they do listen. Take care jerry😊😊😊
Already done but I don't think it will change, it's a fairly deep rooted system - I got a survey quesitonnaire when I had been home a couple of days, and included this info in there
@@jerrystakeonchina799 point taken, is true not easy to change a deep rooted system/practice, never the less, since you had conveyed your predicament to them, hope they may give some thought over the matter. Fingers crossed
No worry Jerry. You easy attitude will be your health pill for your 90 plus blessed life span. Here in my Banana Republic of India, they used to wake me up from a deep slumber in the hospital, To Give Me My Sleeping Pills. Hospitals in India are places where you feel you'd be better off in Heaven or Hell.
Thanks Jerry for sharing your hospital experience in in China. The "hardship" you experienced there is typical as my relatives in China also had similar experiences. Your health is your top priority and don't worry too much about the channel - I trust most of the viewers are your fans and will stay with you. Me? Of course!! :)
Hospitalization costs are heavily subsidized by the government here for citizens but long waiting time except for emergencies. I think the total costs here will be around Jerry’s costs or lower. Private hospitals here are very expensive like everywhere else in the world. Just don’t get yourself sick.
Regards Jerry, from Uruguay. You're still young! I'm almost 32, my father turned 60 this year and he still hasn't gotten any grey hair (at least the last time I saw him, in 2018 he didn't have any xD)
I've sent you an email before, I just sent you an unfortunately longer one now. It's very relevant, but if you don't have the time to go through it I understand. I hope you enjoy your holiday! You deserve it after the scare you had. Gotta take care of your peace of mind! Much love from the USA.
I was hospitalized in a small Australian city this Feb for appendectomy. They wake me up for checkups every two hours, impossible to sleep. I like the most of their service, what I didn’t like was they keep suggesting and feeding me pain killers, even though I said so many times I don’t need that much, they even gave me Oxycodone, I looked it up then I refused to take it. I don’t know why Australian nurses are so scared of my pain which is actually a natural healing process for human and I was surely able to handle.
First off, no need to reply! Glad to see u out of the hospital! And quite happy to hear your candid comparisons of your hospital experiences, that old granny next to you, what a hoot she is. I hope u got enough/adequate rest… and enjoy your well deserved holiday in Sri Lanka!
Grt to hear, all's well. I had a similar situation to yours in Beijing end of 2007, a huge wakeup call! Will not bore you with the details....just that I had a very good experience, grt care, and professional service in one of China's best hospitals (by chance, pick it bcos it was the closest hospital to me). As a foreigner, I was in the international wing of the hospital. A bit of background, Aussie, I'm a relatively fit and active person (ex-gymnast, swimming and Fitness instructor, avid snow skier and scuba diver, and by profession, ex-banker), love food and thought that a moderate diet will suffice. Not the case, I suffered a mild heart attack whilst skiing in Beijing. In the beginning, I was skeptical about Chinese healthcare but it turn out, the opposite is true. Had a Sten put in. I was given medication for life and a scratchy healthy life and diet advice, as expected, they are not experts in Fitness or diet. As an ex Fitness instructor, I knew what to do for exercise but when it came to diet, had to do a lot of research. Fast forward to 2024, I'm 70 yrs old now and as fit as a fiddle, wind down and stopped taking medication after about 2 years in 2009. Its all about living a balance lifestyle, maintaining fitness (and burning off calories), eating the right food, prepared with healthy ingredients, this is just a quick overview. Strictly no drinking or smoking!
Hey, folks. Do not confuse a hospital stay to a hotel stay. Lack of privacy is better than being alone with a creepy hospital personnel. Patients are very vulnerable to malpractice, the outcomes after the treatments or surgeries are more important than the so called privacy. Equal access to health care provides a peace of mind.
Hi, Jerry, I've had a couple of operations in the last 10 months, my experience in the hospitals are exactly like yours. And, on top of it, for probably the same reasons "sitting way too long way too often". So even tho you said no, "get well soon".
I'm in IT, so I sit a lot too. But I changed to a standing desk many years ago, so instead of sitting now I'm standing when I'm at work. So get one standing desk, its awesome. You can alternate between standing and sitting while doing your work and add in some little dancing in between. That's what I do, turn on the music and dance like no one is watching for a few min and then back to work ! :)
Hi Jerry, I'm 66 too, my mom is in a long term care facility is have the kind of night situations as you have described. I have a stock of ear buds for her to sleep at night. I have switched to gardening from spots when I turned 56, couples years earlier I have also added in some form of mibility exercise. In Winter I do shovel snow and keep watching my breath and always have time for a cup of tea between my snow jobs😁 Get well soon and live happily everafter.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m very glad to hear about what drives your enthusiasm for this channel. The more I see and learn about our being purposefully lied to the more I agree. Keep on telling what you see and find. Thank you Jerry.
In Australia public hospitals are in very similar situations but you Will have more privacy though. Jerry you don't need to reply to comments like other RU-vidrs and your followers understand that too❤❤
Thanks for sharing your hospital experience. I have had one night stay in an NHS hospital last year after my Ablation procedure. Although I didn't have the horrid interruptions during the night as you had, the beeping sound from all the monitoring equipments were enough to keep you awake all night 😬
@@jerrystakeonchina799 I do a lot of on-line reading/watching your videos amongst others but try to make sure every 90mins or so I get up and walk or do other things😁👻
Hi Jerry While I was working I too, sat too much and too long… to the extent that I developed sciatica nerve pain caused by the 6th lumbar disc pressing against the spinal cord. The COVID-19 lockdown that saw me having to work from home provided me the opportunity to go for walks on the treadmill and do stretching exercises in the time that I would have otherwise spent commuting to and from work. That helped immensely and today, I continue with my daily walks although I’ve since stopped working. A smart watch that reminds you if you’re sitting too long would be extremely useful. Apart from this episode, I’ve not been hospitalised and it’s something that I definitely do not look forward to anytime soon! Take good care, Jerry. Cheers!
You went to a public hospital so no private room unless you are a VIP. Compared to the west, costs are very reasonable for a westerner and the treatments are quick and pretty good. For most, an IV is the solution for what ales you and if you are from the old school, these huge public hospitals have a 'Chinese traditional medicine ' wing. i mentioned before that when my wife first came to the US she thought she had a cardiac problem so I took her to emergency and she stayed half a day with a cardiologist consulting, The hospital charged me $16,000 and the cardiologist charged me $10,000 for the hospital visit and an office consultation because she had no insurance. I had a high blood pressure problem in Shenzhen and I went to emergency for an overnight stay that cost me $150 USD complete with stay, medication, and a three time visit by an cardiologist. I suspect Shenzhen is not the cheapest city so costs are probably higher. All in all, I think the Chinese have productionalized their medical treatment with doctors assigned to hospitals to make the process seamless and fast. Most Chinese have insurance, even the older ones. Foreigners are on their own and its a pay as you go or you can get 'foreign' insurance which is costly. I, like you have a savings for medical, but so far, it has been not used. I go in annually to get blood and urine tests and the whole affair costs less than $50, which normally includes a GP, ultrashound, the tests, specialist vistis if needed, and medication if needed. It's a pay as you go plan unless you have an insurance card. And, you are right, its like getting treated in a Macy's sales day. Everyone is interested in knowing what ales you and what the treatment you are about to get.
That was a close call. Congratulations you are well now. Sorry to hear your ordeal at the hospital. The experience you had with the hospital proved that China still had room for improvement.
Get better soon! What I especially like about your videos is that you tell the truth. By stating that the food and other things, are probably better in the West, that shows me you are being honest. You mentioned the level of actual medical care is equal to or greater than the West. (Paraphrasing) I have a friend that has gone to China for 2 operations and procedures that he simply could not get performed on a timely basis here in the US. He told me that his care and comfort was quite good. His operations were without complications. Thank you again for sharing your experiences, and hope to hear more!
I like your take in China. I wish you good health and get well very soon and give us good introduction of various kinds of China's stuff that we don't know outside China.
Open windows -improve ventilation No nurse assisting living - less doctor and nurse to patient ratio. Less private rooms in hospital - large capacity of patients All above are ways to meet healthcare needs efficiently of huge populations. China is in steady development.
I am really surprised about the Chinese hospital’s separation of patient’s personal care and medical care! But feel that made perfect sense. The effort, cost and time to train nurses is far greater than training care takers. Wow, thanks Jerry, learned something good from you again. (Also learned that must put away enough money to engage a care taker when the time comes, since I don’t have a wife 😱😱😱).
Wow, close call and I am happy to hear you are on your way to full recovery. I look forward to your post regardless of theme, place or frequency. One thing I cannot help wonder and is common (often barred) debate is the negative results of the C19 'vakkcine' used by major Western providers (their possibility of causing thrombosis is common knowledge and fact). I'm assuming you took the Sino-V rather than the Western-ones (if any at all)? Sorry to being this up but one can not not-think of this when relatively young and healthy people are diagnosed with thrombosis (although of course may be coincidence). All the best 👍🏼
I'm also very sedentary. This resulted in a *pulmonary embolism* in 2012 (when I was 58). I nearly died. The experience changed my life. I spent four excruciating days in hospital (Canada). The pain was very difficult to endure. One more day in hospital to tie up loose ends and I was so relieved to go home. Hospital stays are never pleasant, whether in Canada or China. The differences are more cultural in nature. But you get good health care in either case. That's the important thing. Today, I'm on Warfarin for life.
Jerry, have you considered a standing desk? It may address the sedentary issue. I personally have found that it works wonders when it comes to reducing time spent sitting. Just a suggestion!
Nice it's not that serious! I went to Chinese traditional hospital to test some tinnitus treatment and that was always interesting since everyone always look at me very much 🤦😆
We will follow whatever you post Jerry, because you are genuine and you never talk rubbish for clicks. Enjoy your well earned holiday with wifie, and we will see you soon. 💝
I too started bicycling when my weight really became an issue. I found it very suitable for my situation. After 50 km a day for a year I lost 23kg. My health problems are getting away by the month. Very glad I made the decision and stuck to it.
In Canada, lights are kept on 24/7, and doors kept open 24/7 in hospital rooms. Private rooms are usually not available. Most patients are stuffed in a space with many other patients. The biggest difference is, that Canadians don't usually have family members helping them.
I was the wife who rent a cot to look after my injured husband several months ago and sleeping in a public hospital was truly a nightmare😢 It would be more comfortable in private hospitals of course, but much more expensive. Our health insurance covered over 90% of total expense so that would not be a problem, though.
this is my own experience here. i tore my left calf muscle on august 25, I went to the county hospital emergency room (about 40 km from my place )3 days later as the leg was swollen. the wait was only for 2 hours. the dr told me to get an ultrasound in a couple days. so I called to book an ultrasound appt the next day, I was told the next available would be june, 2025!! after a few more days, I found that my leg had bruises. i was afraid I might have a blood clot, so I went to the city hospital emergency room. the wait was 12 hours before I could see a doctor. then I was there for another 8 hours for blood work, x-ray, ultrasound ( because I told the dr that the next available appt would be june, 2025) and a cat scan. so I was in hospital for 20 hours!! the compassionate dr wanted me to have another ultrasound in a few days and it took him almost 2 hours to get a special permission for me to have an emergency ultrasound in a week. dr said it would take about 2-3 months for the leg to completely heal. love from canada.
I've had great experience with Chinese medical system I've also come from a family riddled with heart disease and I've managed to avoid that with a simple diet change keto diet for the last 18 years
The latest 10 years advice from the western medical community suggests strongly it is more diet related than exercise. Low carb and low inflammation is the answer.
💯. Yes, you are what you eat and you suffer what you do not eat right. I was a half marathoner for years and I still suffered a heart attack. Slightly overweight though. 😂
You must shake your legs more often since it's because of too much sitting. You your channel is definitely relevant. Its very good. You are very good. And enjoy your holidays.
When I was in hospital in 2018 my wife found some guy to assist me with some things. He slept on a camp bed on the ward for two nights until I told my wife I didn't need him as I felt he was more of a hindrance than a help. She was going to pay him 100 RMB but I said to give him 200. The only annoyances I had were a guy on the ward snoring all the time and it didn't matter whether he was sleeping on his back, his side or on his stomach. There was also smoking in the next ward as the smell would come into the toilet/shower of the ward I was in. There was hardly any noise from other sources.
Absolutely no smoking in my hospital now but walk outside the door and there's plenty going on - I was on the 9th floor, so it didn't matter at all but I suspect anyone on the 2nd floor would have had a problem with the windows always being open
Same experience at most Asian hospital, including the one considered most expensive in Spore. Seems nurses and hospital equipments are always meant to keep patients awake
Jerry, my friend, please read this, walking is very good, take a 20 minutes or so walk after meal, particularly the evening meal. Great video, a reminder to us all: prevention is better than cure. 👍
Hi Jerry, thanks for all your videos. No need to reply me. I just wondered if standing instead of sitting in front of the computer could help prevent or mitigate the same condition from repeating. Cheerio.
Sorry to hear that you were admiited to the hospital 🏥 , but good to hear that you were out within four days. A true story from me. My sister in law felt sharp pain around the abdomen and went to emergency. She was there for 10 hours with severe pain until the emergency doctor showed up, He checked her and told her it's fine, but my sis in law was complaining about the excruciating pain. The doctor then prescribed her with a dose of morphin injection and was sent home. NO MRI at all. She passed away that night of artery rupture. She was only 62. So Jerry take care and good luck.
I live in Dongguan, China. My hospital here only needs you to pay more RMB from 200 yuan every day, so you can have an independent ward. As long as you are willing to pay more money, you will get better space.
I just got pneumonia. Terrible. Coughing my lungs and brain out, uncontrollably nonstop. Went to a local hospital here in Chongqing. Not too many people like last time at the provincial level hospital. Got a CT scan and blood test to confirm. Am taking the 3rd daily IV injection. One more to go. It takes around 2.5hrs each time. It works great. I'm alive as before I felt dead. Anymore delays I would be coughing blood, the doctor said. This local community hospital is setup just like any hospital in China. No privacy when talking to the doctor. But there are much much less people than at the larger official hospital. So everyone here is more civilized. Its got everything under the roof. Usually the expensive CT and mri machines are in the basement. All departments are available, like internal medicine, neurology, etc under same roof. Immediate treatment, unlike in the ŰŠ we'd have to run circles. CT scan was 500rmb ($71), with image available after 45mins (one week in ŰȘ). Total cost about 2500rmb or about $360.
A bad experience for you but a good medical intervention - same as mine, it's not possible to say it was A good experience, but it was good experience for me
Tip : Chinese hospitals have regular checks by the medical board on the cost of each successful treatment on a patient basis, this way it ensures cost are managed to as low as possible, so more people could afford care, but this also brings out a problem that you will not be given the most expensive or most recent medicine that has launched. If you are not cost sensitive you could ask the doctor to give you the Pfizer or AstraZeneca alternative but it would cost significantly more.
After a rather serious operation I was in a high dependency ward. A combination of age and 20 years of shiftwork means I usually have a broken sleep. One night I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so walked down to the little patients lounge, closed the door and turned the TV on low. After some time the door opened and a nurse popped her head in and asled was I OK? i said yes, just can't sleep 🙂
Well, that's good, I don't think we have a patients lounge in Chinese hospitals Colin, if there is one, I never saw it - I was actually confined to bed for the entire stay, so I wouldn't have been seen wandering the corridors :-)
Privacy is truly an issue in China. Seem to me they just don't have that concept at all. I went to the Greater Bay Area doctor in Guangzhou and people just walked into doctor office while we were going over my blood test report! I did asked my doctor about hospital stay in China and he said he hope I would never have to for their facilities are NOT up to American standard. All the hospitals in GZ are general hospital and that is why their fees are extremely low.
I'd agree the comfort levels aren't up to Wstern standards - I don't care about that, affordable healthcare takes priority ove having nice paintings on the wall!
Just to let you know, the only difference between a private room & 3-4 per room is the disruption to sleep is probably less. 2 yrs plus ago i was admitted to a private hospital and had a private room for stent procedure. Stayed 4 days 3 nights because i not only had 3 main + 1 sub arteries 100% blocked, i also had water in my lungs to the tune of 8 kgs. I was really on the brink of the end. Thus, i was under medication before the procedure and i was awakened even at 5am to take medication. My aunt who lives in Australia who had an operation also had the same experience of sleep disruption. Thus, regardless, you have to wake up for medication because it is timed accurately, i cant remember the frequency but if not mistaken, it was every 6 or 8 hours, so 3 or 4 times a day, but once was 5am everyday. The plus point is you get privacy and no open window. The worst thing to happen in a shared room is your roommate decided to leave for the after world and he or she decided to pay you a visit every night 😅.
1st of all, wish you well, Jerry. Then, here is what we have here in a hospital. I copy/pasted here for information: There may be private (one-person), semi-private (two-person), and shared rooms (three-person or more) available. While it's not possible to guarantee that your roommate will be of the same gender, your privacy is important, which is why every bed has privacy curtains. You can also ask about paying for a private or semi-private room, as there is a limited number available in each Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) hospital. One of my friend stayed in hospital for 3 nights (shared room) and was unable to sleep thanks to his roommate's groans, likewhat you experienced.
Yes, I could have "upgraded" but I am not a wealthy person, didn't know what treatment I needed and, in the end, was well looked after in the small ward, so all's well in the end
I had bleeding from one of my eyes on a saturday last year. I called the ear and eye hospital hoping for an appoinment. But they do not take appoinments. You turn up and wait. I turn up at the hospital, waited 35min before a nurse behind a glass security panel took a look, and gave me a file and number. I was told a 6-8 hour wait. There was nowhere to sit. Eventhough there was addition seats outdoors in winter. After waiting for 3hrs, there was a alteraction between 2 men that went on for a while before security stopped it. I decided to go home after that and made an appointment to see a private doctor by monday. I was at home when i got a call approx 8hrs from when i saw the nurse asking me where i was and that the doctor was ready to see me. At least she was right about the 8hr wait.
Had to chuckle re your complaint about getting a good nights sleep in hospitals. My chromic conditions often have me in hospital for anything up to an 8-day stay. I can say that it doesn’t matter what country you are in Jerry sleeping is something you don’t come to hospitals to get. Usually blood pressure checks are for me at night. 7pm, 11pm, 2am, 4am,. I might just get to sleep before I woken up again. The nurses all happily admit that you are not meant tp sleep in hospitals but get well. There is a difference. Usually after two days I am crawling the walls to get the hell out of there. And if I wanted to I can discharge myself, but usually allow the doctors to determine my freedom. And re thrombosis when I returned to Australia from the US the US medicos were saying I needed to keep blood circulation on the flight because cabin pressure could bring on a thrombosis . Every 30 minutes of a 15 hour flight I did a circuit of the Boeing 777 I came home on. A wide-body Boeing full of sleeping people...not pretty. IT was memorable...not! Diabetic nightmare. Suggest take up tap dancing for what ails ya! LOL/ Hope you got a laff out of this. All the best Jerry.
I'm in my 40s, chinese born in Indonesia. Your channel is my main view in YT. ❤❤❤ Thank you Jerry. (Edit) So just to confirm, in your case about your leg, you don't have to go through the surgery?
