Cross-cultural communication （２）　

２）Israelis who care about the quality of medical care
　The first request I received from the lady at the general information desk was a young Israeli man, Benjamin. He had long hair and a beard, and was dressed in clean but worn jeans and a T-shirt, the very essence of a hippie (a dead word nowadays). The reason for the visit was a cold - cough, sore throat and runny nose - and after examining him as I usually do, explaining my findings, I told him in English that it was a cold with no complications, just a viral infection, and that antibiotics were not necessary and that a prescription for symptomatic treatment would be sufficient. He then said, “The doctor's examination was satisfactory, with a satisfactory explanation. I was very worried because my previous consultations in Japan had only prescribed medicines without any explanation.” , he said. He later told me that he sells hand-made jewelry at a street stall in the Shinsaibashi-suji shopping arcade. He also told me that the business was a family business and that he had to talk to some shady local sources. From then on, not only he but also his brother and cousins started seeing me.

　In Israel, of course, people of Jewish descent make up the majority of the population. For Jewish people, healthcare is a very important part of their lives. They demand quality healthcare wherever they are in the world. I have heard that the quality of healthcare in Israel's home country is also quite high. Without knowing this background, Japanese doctors who judged patients only by their appearance may have treated them with a bit of prejudice.

　After a few years, Benjamin decided to return home. The family business was taken over by his cousin. Benjamin gave my wife a large crystal jewelry as a thank-you gift for all I had done for him.

| BACK |