The Clinic

I had to get a health check for my job. Based on a scan that they did at this health check, the doctor thought there might be something wrong with my ventricle (I didn't try to explain that all Scottish people have blocked up heart pipes due to the amount of fat they eat) so wanted me to come back for a CT scan later on.

So I went back today. I didn't have an appointment, because last time I tried to make one they just said "but we can just do this now". Anyway, today was packed and so they asked if I had an appointment. I didn't so had to wait. I finally saw the doctor, and he told me that he would have to arrange for the CT scan to be done at a hospital. He calls them up (don't know why a receptionist couldn't have done this about half an hour earlier) and arranges a scan.

More waiting. I get a letter and am told to go to this hospital. I get there, and go to the relevent reception desk. The woman asks me, "are you new here?" "Yes," I say. "Take a number," she says, and gives me a plastic token with '1' written on it, then the receptionist says, "number 1!" immediately after I've been given the token. Just in case you don't understand how ridiculous this was - we were all standing about 1ft away from each other. I register. Get another letter and have to go to the radiology department.

I go to that reception desk, more waiting, then I get told to go to the waiting area outside of the CT scan room. I finally get the scan which was like being put inside a giant radioactive washing machine and then go back, get told to go back down to the ground floor to pay and then come back up and wait 30 minutes for them to put the scan on a CD so the guy back in the clinic can look at it.

I get the scan, go back to the clinic, then have to wait again for the doctor to be free. I finally see him and he says, "well I can't see anything wrong, it was probably just a shadow or something on the last scan." I pay another fee for his services and then leave with certification that I'm fit and healthy. I celebrate by eating a burger and chips.

My experiences with Japanese health care have been good, but the bureaucracy can by Byzantine.

Then, this evening I had one of the most surreal experiences of my life - I walked into a meeting room where about 20 members of the art team were drawing, in silence, pictures of my face, each one of them with a photo of me on their desk.