Dr. Gott:: They do things differently in France

Dear Dr. Gott: I visit France every so often since my son and his family have lived there for more than 10 years. I noticed some things about medical care in France.

First of all, when my daughter-in-law calls her children’s pediatrician, he answers the phone and gives her advice. He doesn’t have a nurse or secretary do it.

Another thing: The medicines are given with a suppository (even for adults). In France they believe the medicine enters the body more quickly via this method.

They also said doctors in Europe don’t make nearly as much as they do in the States, which I understand since it is more socialistic and they have very high taxes.

In France, they say, if the doctor made a mistake (like cutting off the wrong leg) and it was his fault, he would lose his license to practice medicine and the victim would be compensated for a reasonable amount, but the lawyer would not make a pile of money.

In France, if you want to have better care, you pay the additional cost out of pocket.

Dear Reader: With the U.S. health-care system in crisis, many authorities are in the process of examining the means by which foreign health-care workers deal with issues in their own countries. No system is perfect. However, if we can learn something from abroad, so much the better.