This has been overwhelmingly my experience in Switzerland as well. A doctor's appointment here isn't quite like back at home, but my wife and I have visited a number of GPs and specialists since arriving in Switzerland with only great experiences. We've used the doctors and nurses at the Basel Universitatspital as well as several with their own practices.
They have all been, without exception, kind and compassionate; professional; patient and committed to good patient outcome. They've answered all my questions, provided me with detailed medical research so I can do more reading on my own, and provided a standard-of-care equal or better to anything I've received elsewhere in the world. In short, I've been delighted by the Swiss health system.
I think a long look in the mirror about how you act as a patient might help explain how your doctor treats you...
As a Swiss, I have no objection at all to someone saying they've had an 'unprofessional and unpleasant doctor- even two' - but the inference that therefore all Swiss doctors are ... from that limited experience, is just plain daft.
From my experience here,the doctors are okay but I still think that South African doctors are the best in the world when it comes to experience and diagnosis.The Swiss doctors have all the degrees but
at times lack enough experience to give one a good diagnosis or a diagnosis at all.They are friendly enough in my opinion, just to get
an appointment can take a while.I miss my family GP back home..
he does housecalls..is available when I need him and every time I
visit,I see him to for a check-up and the relevant medication.He once
joked with me,'Don't you have any doctors or medicine in Switzerland?'
Statistical sample of 1? Not saying you're wrong, SA and Australia are famous for their clinics and health care education systems, but your supportive evidence is somewhat.. lacking.
Personally, I have found both good and bad doctors in Switzerland. Some of the Swiss can be extremely nice, I have found but their diagnostic method is quite different to what I am used to from Canada, which I have to admit, has a very, very good health system, although the health professionals can also be very unpleasant at times, but that is probably from having to deal with so many people -- it can be difficult to deal with, I can imagine.
I only had a few bad experiences here - one with a dermatologist, so maybe it is the same one!!!
I think it is often (not always) down to the way the complainer behaves. They're used to things being the way they are in their own country and can't adjust to a different approach. They then inadvertantly come across as being arrogant and irritating, which pisses the doctor (or whatever professional is happens to be) off.
I will agree that there seem to be more doctors in CH who behave like great high priests doling out their gifts to the the faithful - partly due to the attitude of their adoring patients.
The solution is simple - avoid them. They're not all like that. (I saw a top specialist last year in Zürich, and he was really very kind and never made me feel I was wasting his time with my questions and concerns, nor made me feel stupid).
It may well be true. GPs in SA and indeed in the UK will see a far greater range of patients than a GP here. Simply because they see more patients from a wide demographic.
In some countries, there is a web page where you can find the people's ratings of various health professionals. does anyone here know of such a system for Switzerland?
Also, don't you think that doctors should be used to sick, whiney patients and understand that they are not seeing people at their best?
Oh well,lacking or not,it's just my personal experience.I won't give
scientific evidence as I think being a doctor is also an art and not
just a science.Being a doctor in a developing country can be a lot more challenging as there tend to often be more health issues and 'dramas' in those countries.No data for that,sorry,just an opinion.Maybe I am wrong.. just my thoughts.Everyone is different and needs to find what is right/wrong for him/her.Sure there are some wonderfully experienced Swiss doctors too.I am just comfortable with my 'home doctor' for the moment but go to a doctor here if there is an emergency,of course.To get a diagnosis here for my fibromyalgia was impossible..I suffered badly.The doctors that I dealt with here thought it was all in the mind. That's another story..going into too much detail now..ha..ha..
I think there is a huge difference between to be not at your best and to be whiney. Children are allowed to whine and to throw tantrums when sick, but adults should know it better.
I am thinking not so much of throwing tantrums, as of people not being at their best. You know, not speaking with energy, non-assertive, stuff like that.
I have an elderly friend who told me once that she had asked her GP in Canada if she could check her blood pressure. The GP refused!!! My friend went to another doctor, and sure enough, she had high BP!
This kind of attitude on the part of doctors can be very dangerous IMHO.
There's the difference. But I admit I could be biased on this because there are quite a few whiners in my family. You know, the ones reclining on the sofa with a flu, and asking with a stricken voice: "Darling could you get me some more tea, please?" My grandmother used to call them "rompiballe" which I guess translates into a pain in the neck.
I imagine expats would often have problems finding a good doctor straight off the bat- at home you'd have more recommendations from friends and family to begin with, and maybe a GP that had been serving your family for years, etc.
I have noticed from personal experience and anecdotally a tendency on the part of swiss Doctors to prescribe drugs rather freely, including antibiotics, tranquilizers, and extremely strong painkillers that contain codeine and morphine, for example, for what I would consider very minor ailments.
There is a Doctor here who milks the insurance companies for every test imaginable on every patient, it's blatant and quite disconcerting. He'll also let you die in his reception area if you don't have a credit card he can swipe, even if you have proof of insurance in another country, etc. He (or rather his bulldog at the Reception) claims it is due to unpaid bills in past experience but basically he's a crook when it comes to tourists, expats and basically anyone he hasn't been treating for years locally. Another is a drunk, got to get him on a good day. There is a good doctor or two here but the amount of scary stories I've heard here would probably surprise a lot of you.
I was thinking exactly that. At home you have your doctor from many years ago or you get a recommendation from friends or family. Here even if you do get a recommendation often the Dr isn't taking new patients. So it's also more difficult to change Drs even after you've found one.
I really don't like our GP. But it's too much trouble to find a new one. He's fine & my DH likes him. For me it's a personal thing. I'm just plain don't like him very much. There's nothing you can do when you just don't particularly like some one.
But it's too much of a hassle to change. So, I stay with him.
Sadly though he's not the type you mention. He does not give up the meds freely!
Nor does he do every test imaginable. Personally, I'd be quite happy with that! Please do a bunch of tests just to make me feel better and make sure I don't have some rare disease that lay undiagnosed! (I'm only very slightly hypochondriac!)
Although I'm not sure how that benefits the doctor as it's the lab that will get paid to do the tests....
He routinely schedules a second appointment to take blood samples, etc, and then a follow up to give the results and any possible treatments, necessary or not. He's a real piece of work.