i am quite proud of our system even if it is not the best. one time i had to wait for a neurosurgeon for 9 hours in emergency centre, but before that i was checked by regular doctor and my blood was taken so i was not in immediate danger. and after neurosurgeon came they did my head scan with some pricy machine. how much all of that cost me? a thank you to a doctor that's all. in usa i would probably had to pay ten of thousands just for it.
United States: the MRI is $3000, but a three-plane X-Ray is only $93. If you absolutely have no assets, the United States has Medicaid program (please see Wikipedia). Poor people still get treatment. It is illegal to refuse emergency treatment to anyone solely on the grounds of (in)ability to pay. The most I ever had to pay to see a specialist doctor like a neurosurgeon was $280.
I'm proud of our healthcare. Also its insane seeing the full cost of medicine, that my wife requires constantly, being discounted to zero in the receipt, and I'm talking about thousands, when we have to pay nothing (I'm fully aware that not every medicine is compensated but that is a big help for us). Regarding corruption- I've never paid a cent, however, I know some people always hand an envelope when checking out. In my family's experience- even those who tried to offer money were told to keep it, even after having some serious surgeries done, so I guess it depends on the staff you have to deal with. Overall, this form of "bribe" comes from some stupid custom, that was common in soviet times. By the way- I'd strongly suggest you to do some advertising of your content or ask some questions when you need info in Reddit. There are quite active subreddits (both of locals and our guests) like r/Vilnius, r/Lithuania and r/BalticStates that should hear about your channel and might provide you with the answers you will be seeking.
I had once bribed a Lithuanian anesthesiologist, the orthopedic surgeon and the medical director of the department (I gave a valuable gift instead of cash to the latter) to treat my Mother. My Mother still died due to a medical error. Surprisingly, I ended up being operated by the same surgeon four months after my Mother; I had no spare cash at the time and gave nothing.
In the mid to late 2000s my mother had to give our family doctor constant bribes just so I would get sent to the top specialists in Kaunas or Vilnius for my numerous health issues after a problem with my hips was overlooked and I was left with x shaped legs as a result. However, my dad had spine surgery less than a decade ago and was advised against bribing his doctor so the culture has definitely changed a lot
Lived in UK, and I always go back to lithuania to see doctors and do some check ups. in uk they don't even want to give an appointment, and everything is cured with paracetamol. i think that says a lot, that people travel back to see a doctor.
Every foreigner in the UK from the EU I know does just that. At first I thought the anecdotes about the terrible UK NHS were an exaggeration until I had to deal with it myself. Frankly, it was so bad it was the main factor I decided to leave the UK.
As Lithuanian living in the US with a medical condition, I received a great care when I was a kid. Can’t talk about current waits etc, I did have to wait to my appointments but I was always taken care of and did many checkups to make sure I am ok. And at least Lithuanians won’t be bankrupt if need emergency care like in the US.
Regarding corruption: ive never seen any doctor demanding a bribe, never given a bribe. However, ive heard first hand stories where an oncologist refused to investigate an issue before getting bribed. Also, many, many people ager 50+ (mostly russian speakers) pay bribes regardless, even if the service has been completed successfully. I find bribing disgusting. I wouldnt pay a cent, a piece of chewed and spit out chocolate or a cap from a bottle.
The 'thank you' bribing is seen as necessary only by older generation. Im 31 now, and I couldn't think of bribing doctors, its not like they wouldn't do their job otherwise. My grandmother on the other hand is a different story...
It is not bribing, it is a tip because they have really low salaries. It is the same as waiters in the States. I'm in my late 20s and I would pay for my surgeon (or any other more serious procedure).
When my whole family (myself included) caught covid at the crytical period December 2020, my clinic had a policy to call every 2 days. My brother had come for Christmas vacation from UK and had no insurance here. Since he'd been living in UK for 10 years at that point, he was using UK phone number, had no register residency here. Signing for covid test let alone my clinic was a stressful nightmare, my clinic tried their hardest to find a backdoor to register him! My family doctor went out of her way to consult both of us during same phone call! We came to a point to call ambulance because our condition was THAT bad so poor woman in full PPE patiently consulted as if we were her children, calmed us down. We did not need to go to the hospital after our parents after all. Sore over the years I had negative experiences, and even traumatic ones, but memory of the most stressful time in my life, the one i literally stared greying out, restored all hope in humanity.
I think Lithuania should be proud of their healthcare system. I have worked in and around the NHS for 20yrs and I can say the UK is suffering from systemic long-standing under-funding. Wait times and lack of service are very serious here. On the very few occasions we've needed primary care in Lithuania it's been quick, effective and straight forward. A better experience than here.
@@tom4stream you can do half of that and go see a private doctor any time you like. But you’ll pay a lot. You can’t ‘screw’ the nhs by not paying in. That funding comes out of your income tax and national insurance levies every month.
I only encountered rude doctors if they were pretty much elders. I’m a young adult and I only started going to the doctors independently from the age of 16, so I barely have any experience, I only know some things to some extent from general knowledge. It would be nicer if the staff would be more understanding in public hospitals, because even the staff working at the information usually seem so annoyed. I try to be understanding, that they are most likely just mistreated by the majority of clients, so they’re just in a bad mood, but I don’t deserve to be treated like that, when I try my best to be polite and just ask questions. I choose a private clinic, if i can, if it means I won’t get judged by someone who has to help me out when I experience health problems. That’s why I think bribing became a problem in the first place, it gives people the impression, if you give people money, that they will treat you better:/
Here's the best thing about Lithuanian healthcare: I don't know how medical insurance works. I never had to find out. And I've had 10 surgeries and have a chronic condition. If you're a child, a student, disabled, or have a job, you just have health insurance automatically and never have to think about it.
Well I didn't like the amount of paperwork I had to deal with while using healthcare services. Like for example to get my health check for firearm permit it took me 2 full business days going from doctor to doctor. Also I can confirm some doctors can be rude at times due to them being over-worked due to shortages of medical professionals you mentioned. But generally speaking it's not that bad of a system overall especially in smaller towns where waiting lines are significantly shorter then in places like Vilnius.
You want gun thats why you was waiting There is people who sick in sakė line Bro. Thats why you was waiting. Nori duris dėl to ir laukei žmogau nesakyk kad kažkas ne taip. Turėtum pabandyti pereiti daktaru komisija sienos apsaugai arba kariuomenėje tada nabutum rases komentaro 😁
My great grandpa with whom i lived could barely walk, had internal bleeding, was taken to the hospital, and he just had to sit in cold and wait for 14 hours through the night. He died 2 days later. This was 5 years ago. Even with that, im still somewhat positive about our healthcare system, could be way worse.
From my personal experience, most medical students decide to work abroad due to lack of residency programs in Lithuania. There's a lot of applicants and just not enough residency slots for everyone.
Well once I had to wait 2-3 hours in a "emergency" clinic when i was stabbed in the chest. Doctor came and decided Im alright, just a small wound. It was 3cm off my heart, punctured lung. So I had to wait over 2hrs for an expierenced doc to show up. They performed a surgery before anesthesia kicked in. Just yesterday I payed 314eu for one tooth treatment in a private clinic, cause my city has no equipment in facilities which are paid up with taxes.. Also I just swapped jobs and for 8days of work I payed over 100eu for health care tax..So yeah, lack of expierenced staffunderpay and not transparent tax distribution is an issue here.
@@tom4stream Lithuania, Kaunas. Its a very busy and understaffed clinic. I heard similar stories about it. They kinda have to rush things so mistakes happens.
It is too good but i have a request expecting at least one English speaker(to guide or book reservation) in every hospital this will definitely helpful for all most every foreigners because hospital more comon place like airport so they must have English language support for non Lithuania people.
To be honest, giving a doctor "an envelope" is not a bribe in my book.. Usually people do that after the surgery so what they can "bribe" for? It is a "thank you" and a tip, I'd say, because salaries are a joke. I had a surgery that saved my life. I checked and at the time the surgeon who did it earned the same as me (student with no degree). I had the surgery once and moved on with my life. The only thing I regret is that I did not give him 500 euros (my monthly salary at the time). Because to me - it is only 1 month of my salary, but for him (assuming at least 1 out of 10 patients give money) is a good addition to his crapy salary. And he saved my life, so at least he have to be able to afford an average lifestyle.
I think the system is not bad at all for ordinary people with ordinary diseases. Some things like e-sveikata can be improved quite quickly. Rare conditions like rare cancers, rare genetic abnormalities, gender changes need to be treated in bigger countries. I see two big problems there. One is lack of nursing staff, like in many places. It used to be normal for relatives to care about their sick to help nurses in hospital. With quarantine things got even worse. Second is weak, obsolete mental health system. And for now no improvement is seen. Emergency system has forgot how to deal with psychotic patients, paramedics get beaten themselves. The system needs renovation with new approach and then from top to bottom. I wouldn't advise to address state system for now, only private clinics.
It's true that Lithuanian doctors are highly demanded in the EU. I am one who moved to work in Sweden. They paid for everything: language courses, document translation, license fees, moving fees and even apartment rent for 3 months. I got my first salary 2 weeks after I had moved there, though I didn't work at all for those two weeks. Needless to say I now work 4 times less than I used to work back in Lithuania and I earn 6 times more than I used to earn. Even with high Swedish prices I have a very good life. And doctor-patient relationship is very different. Patients are often bullies in Lithuania, they demand what they want and they can make a complaint or sue you for whatever reason. Patients in Sweden trust in their doctors and complaints/law suits against doctors are a very very rare thing. Work environment is totally different. Here in Sweden I can talk to my boss as to my equal which was unimagineable back in Lithuania. Corruption and nepotism are another things that are very prevalent in Lithuanian healthcare system and which do not exist in Swedish healthcare system. A bribe to get your job done (better/faster)? Not heard of.
I doubt you are a doctor; but I will give you a benefit of doubt. Patient's body is patient's business, the patient knows what works best for her/him. There's a tool called "second opinion" to deal with "stuck-up" medical doctors in the United States.
@@tom4stream Yeah right, "susimušiau pirštą, todėl dabar man reikia galvos magnetinio rezonanso tomografijos" is clearly "the patient knows best what works for her/him" and it clearly needs a "second opinion". Bet papasakok daugiau, pabaigei gi mokyklą.
@@blueeyedbaer insane patients definitely exist and are not uncommon, especially when it comes to elder people, but a lot of doctors also just really don't care about their patients unless they're threatening lawsuits/give a lot of bribes for back in the day. Like, here's a little rundown of problems I had as a child and how the best family doctor in my town dealt with them: 1. Was late to start walking thanks to what we now know was an abnormality in my hip bones, which obviously caused me pain during physical therapy - was dismissed by both the physical therapists and the primary physician, have X shaped legs now, which has a visible effect on how I walk 2. My body literally producing acetone, almost killing me at one point - doctor gave no recommendations around diet adjustments to decrease the acetone production, mom had to literally bribe the doctor in order to send me to Vilnius to get any advice on managing it at all. I still end up with the same issue if I don't drink enough water or eat specific foods 3. Breasts started forming at 5 - nah, she's just chubby. Mom bribes the same physician, I get taken to an obgyn and endocrinologist in Kaunas, by that point my puberty had progressed as much as it would normally be at 12, I was soon started on heavy doses of puberty blockers, the doctors literally yelling at my mom for not taking me in sooner. So yeah, it's definitely always the patient being delusional and not doctors not wanting to do their jobs
I really hate how corrupted our healthcare is. And I would like to say that it's mostly our own fault. Nearly everyone I know (especially older generations)has at some point tried to give money to a doctor as a thank you, or in a way to "insure" that the doctor will do the best job possible. And from my experience its not needed at all. I have never personally given money to a doctor, but still got medical attention that was pretty excellent. I feel like these people who try to bribe are ruining our doctors, because at some point medical professionals are going to feel entitled to the extra cash (sadly I have heard stories about it from my relatives). So yeah, I don't know if I made much sense but that's how I feel about it. Maybe I'm completely wrong
Seams that you are talking about old generation or experienced small towns attitude. I think you are wrong. I haven’t bribed any single doctor as well as my family or friends! Bribing comes from soviet times but it’s getting away now. Medical staff is very professional but, sorry to say, they earn very little money!
@@giedres797 yeah, what im talking about are people 40+ years old. I guess it depends on what you see as a small town, maybe in Vilnius or Kaunas is not common to do that, but I know doctors in Klaipėda that always expect something extra.
Never in my life have I bribed a doctor, but then again, I'm only 30. When I was hospitalized I did see other patients trying to bribe our surgeon and he was very uncomfortable, he refused every time but they were so insistent... The patients were older ladies. Anesthesiologist was also "attacked" with alcohol, chocolates and hidden folded money bills, he also refused. I think the healthcare is not corrupt. It's the soviet old ladies making it look like that. I don't know about old men, as I've only seen this behavior from women patients.
you should check what people get to eat in hospitals here, i know some people who refused to eat the slop they got and just starved for a few days instead
I've been to a lot of hospitals over the years and I can say that the quality of food always varied in time and depending on the hospital. There was a scandal about food being terrible a couple years ago, but since then a lot of things changed. The portions are small, but that's mostly because we seriously eat too much at home and restaurants, they aren't actually that small if you consider the calories. Also you can bring your own food and some hospitals even have small stores.
How true! Lithuanian hospital food quality is only half the problem (the food is edible, at least). The quantity is the problem. I could never get full eating hospital food, and I am just an average-sized guy (183 cm)
@@reggie7537 Did you know that almost every hospital in the United States has a restaurant kitchen, and you eat restaurant-sized meals? American doctors consider this "you get [to] eat what you need". They seem to disagree with Dulkys and especially Veryga.
The best I can say about Lithuanian healthcare, it was availed to all Lithuanian citizens free of charge until mid-2000s. When it began being taxed, the contribution was some 28 Litas (about 8 Euro) a month - a reasonable rate most citizens could still afford. I do not know the precise rate today, but it's not 8 Euro a month anymore (it's something buried in "Sodra"/GPM and is beyond reasonable). You can no longer elect to pay just the healthcare tax. I use a private clinic to help me make it through while in Vilnius. It's 70 euro for the first visit, subsequent phone consultations are 40 euro. That's about a half of US price. I'd love to move back to Lithuania from the United States but it turns out getting my medical treatment is impossible in Lithuania long-term. Still! Recently, in October 2022, I had to urgently spend $1316 US dollars to return one-way to the United States to get my treatment. The same treatment would not have become available in Lithuania for another five days.
In medical schools in Belgium, we are thought that Lithuania, from all EU countries, is the most behind with their medical knowledge.. They are trapped in the 80s on medical field (and on tons of "other fields" as well).
As a pediatrician, I sometimes feel like our government is waging a war on my colleagues and on my patients. It's like they don't think at all. "Hurr durr, the children's departments were half empty all summer, we better downsize." Bitch, most of children's disease is seasonal; it's winter now and we don't have anywhere to put all these kids who need i/v antibiotics. "Hurr, I heard that in Sweden, there are no pediatricians in primary healthcare, only family doctors." Do you really want your growing kid treated by a person who spends all their time copy-pasting prescriptions written by other people? Add in how criminally underpaid and overworked everyone in the system is, and it's a genuine miracle that we continue providing quality care for our patients. Hell, I don't even care if I'm not paid for a month, just give me the tools I need to do my job. Right now, I can't prescribe oral fucking penicillin to kids because some dumbass, who, I guess, wants bacteria to develop resistances, decided it's not worth importing anymore. It's just like our education system: they do the reform first, then wait and see how much they messed it all up, when anyone even remotely connected to the field could have told them it's a stupid reform from the start... Meanwhile children get to pay the price of the government's carelessness.
That's not true. Primary care doctors in Sweden do much more than they do in Lithuania. Primary care doctors in Sweden are actually treating patients instead of just "copy-pasting prescriptions written by other people". A rotation of 10 weeks at a children disease clinic is mandatory for all resident doctors of general practice in Sweden. That covers the most frequent child diseases in primary healthcare pretty well. Health of children is also followed much better in Swedish "family medicine" clinics than they are done in Lithuanian ones. Specialists of children diseases often come to "family health" clinics (called "healthcare centers" in Sweden) to consult children who have more serious health problems. There are also many child disease clinics all around the country that are used by the primary health care. I wonder where have you heard such nonsenses. It's also hurtful that you belittle competence of your colleagues working in primary care. That is another problem with Lithuanian healtcare - doctors thinking they're better than other doctors.
@@povilzem Nemanau, kad lietuviški šeimos gydytojai yra blogesni už švediškus. Taip, Lietuvoje jie rašo daugiau siuntimų ir kopijuoja receptus, bet dėl to kalti ne šeimos gydytojai, o įstatyminė bazė, kuri Lietuvoje yra absoliučiai nelogiška. Šeimos gydytojai yra gydytojai ir gali gydyti tiek vaikus, tiek suaugusiuosius. Tie patys lietuviški šeimos gydytojai atvažiuoja dirbt čia į Švediją ir kažkaip susitvarko, nereik net kažkaip persikvalifikuot. Ir tuos pačius švediškus vaikus gydo ir seka, ir nenugydo.
I moved here from UK and our child delivery was handled in very professional and caring manner. Will always be thankful for that!
Thank you for considering Lithuania, seriously (smile and thumb-up)
i am quite proud of our system even if it is not the best. one time i had to wait for a neurosurgeon for 9 hours in emergency centre, but before that i was checked by regular doctor and my blood was taken so i was not in immediate danger. and after neurosurgeon came they did my head scan with some pricy machine. how much all of that cost me? a thank you to a doctor that's all. in usa i would probably had to pay ten of thousands just for it.
United States: the MRI is $3000, but a three-plane X-Ray is only $93. If you absolutely have no assets, the United States has Medicaid program (please see Wikipedia). Poor people still get treatment. It is illegal to refuse emergency treatment to anyone solely on the grounds of (in)ability to pay.
The most I ever had to pay to see a specialist doctor like a neurosurgeon was $280.
@@tom4stream experiences differ. An emergency surgery on my arm cost 50,000 lol. But then again I live in California right now
@@karkevicius Pleasant coincidence. I am in California, too - the Northern.
I love your content as a Lithuanian!
I'm proud of our healthcare. Also its insane seeing the full cost of medicine, that my wife requires constantly, being discounted to zero in the receipt, and I'm talking about thousands, when we have to pay nothing (I'm fully aware that not every medicine is compensated but that is a big help for us). Regarding corruption- I've never paid a cent, however, I know some people always hand an envelope when checking out. In my family's experience- even those who tried to offer money were told to keep it, even after having some serious surgeries done, so I guess it depends on the staff you have to deal with. Overall, this form of "bribe" comes from some stupid custom, that was common in soviet times.
By the way- I'd strongly suggest you to do some advertising of your content or ask some questions when you need info in Reddit. There are quite active subreddits (both of locals and our guests) like r/Vilnius, r/Lithuania and r/BalticStates that should hear about your channel and might provide you with the answers you will be seeking.
I had once bribed a Lithuanian anesthesiologist, the orthopedic surgeon and the medical director of the department (I gave a valuable gift instead of cash to the latter) to treat my Mother. My Mother still died due to a medical error. Surprisingly, I ended up being operated by the same surgeon four months after my Mother; I had no spare cash at the time and gave nothing.
tom4stream, You are a sad sad person and you are a part of all the problems that exist in Lithuanian healthcare
In the mid to late 2000s my mother had to give our family doctor constant bribes just so I would get sent to the top specialists in Kaunas or Vilnius for my numerous health issues after a problem with my hips was overlooked and I was left with x shaped legs as a result. However, my dad had spine surgery less than a decade ago and was advised against bribing his doctor so the culture has definitely changed a lot
Lived in UK, and I always go back to lithuania to see doctors and do some check ups. in uk they don't even want to give an appointment, and everything is cured with paracetamol. i think that says a lot, that people travel back to see a doctor.
Būtent 😉aš darau taippat ( exacly im doing the same )
Every foreigner in the UK from the EU I know does just that. At first I thought the anecdotes about the terrible UK NHS were an exaggeration until I had to deal with it myself. Frankly, it was so bad it was the main factor I decided to leave the UK.
As Lithuanian living in the US with a medical condition, I received a great care when I was a kid.
Can’t talk about current waits etc, I did have to wait to my appointments but I was always taken care of and did many checkups to make sure I am ok.
And at least Lithuanians won’t be bankrupt if need emergency care like in the US.
Tikra teisybė Deimante. Grysiu y Lietuva 💪🇱🇹
Regarding corruption: ive never seen any doctor demanding a bribe, never given a bribe. However, ive heard first hand stories where an oncologist refused to investigate an issue before getting bribed. Also, many, many people ager 50+ (mostly russian speakers) pay bribes regardless, even if the service has been completed successfully.
I find bribing disgusting. I wouldnt pay a cent, a piece of chewed and spit out chocolate or a cap from a bottle.
The 'thank you' bribing is seen as necessary only by older generation. Im 31 now, and I couldn't think of bribing doctors, its not like they wouldn't do their job otherwise. My grandmother on the other hand is a different story...
It is not bribing, it is a tip because they have really low salaries. It is the same as waiters in the States. I'm in my late 20s and I would pay for my surgeon (or any other more serious procedure).
Happy Thanksgiving!
When my whole family (myself included) caught covid at the crytical period December 2020, my clinic had a policy to call every 2 days. My brother had come for Christmas vacation from UK and had no insurance here. Since he'd been living in UK for 10 years at that point, he was using UK phone number, had no register residency here. Signing for covid test let alone my clinic was a stressful nightmare, my clinic tried their hardest to find a backdoor to register him! My family doctor went out of her way to consult both of us during same phone call!
We came to a point to call ambulance because our condition was THAT bad so poor woman in full PPE patiently consulted as if we were her children, calmed us down. We did not need to go to the hospital after our parents after all.
Sore over the years I had negative experiences, and even traumatic ones, but memory of the most stressful time in my life, the one i literally stared greying out, restored all hope in humanity.
I think Lithuania should be proud of their healthcare system. I have worked in and around the NHS for 20yrs and I can say the UK is suffering from systemic long-standing under-funding. Wait times and lack of service are very serious here. On the very few occasions we've needed primary care in Lithuania it's been quick, effective and straight forward. A better experience than here.
I am curious, can you elect to just forget the NHS and pay to see a private practitioner in the UK?
@@tom4stream you can do half of that and go see a private doctor any time you like. But you’ll pay a lot. You can’t ‘screw’ the nhs by not paying in. That funding comes out of your income tax and national insurance levies every month.
@@gedog77 Thanks. By "screw" NHS I mean "forget NHS". I did not want to write "to tell NHS to f... off"
NIce video as always!
Would love to see a video about public education too.
Thank you :)
Yup, compared with UK (London), Lithuania is somewhat better.
I only encountered rude doctors if they were pretty much elders. I’m a young adult and I only started going to the doctors independently from the age of 16, so I barely have any experience, I only know some things to some extent from general knowledge. It would be nicer if the staff would be more understanding in public hospitals, because even the staff working at the information usually seem so annoyed. I try to be understanding, that they are most likely just mistreated by the majority of clients, so they’re just in a bad mood, but I don’t deserve to be treated like that, when I try my best to be polite and just ask questions. I choose a private clinic, if i can, if it means I won’t get judged by someone who has to help me out when I experience health problems. That’s why I think bribing became a problem in the first place, it gives people the impression, if you give people money, that they will treat you better:/
What is the name of the music that you use in the background in your videos? Very catchy!
As a Lithuanian, everything you said in the video is true, especially the corruption.
As a RU citizen I can state, that LT health care is WAY better.
Here's the best thing about Lithuanian healthcare: I don't know how medical insurance works. I never had to find out. And I've had 10 surgeries and have a chronic condition.
If you're a child, a student, disabled, or have a job, you just have health insurance automatically and never have to think about it.
Well I didn't like the amount of paperwork I had to deal with while using healthcare services. Like for example to get my health check for firearm permit it took me 2 full business days going from doctor to doctor. Also I can confirm some doctors can be rude at times due to them being over-worked due to shortages of medical professionals you mentioned.
But generally speaking it's not that bad of a system overall especially in smaller towns where waiting lines are significantly shorter then in places like Vilnius.
Rest assured, we don't like the paperwork either.
You want gun thats why you was waiting
There is people who sick in sakė line Bro. Thats why you was waiting. Nori duris dėl to ir laukei žmogau nesakyk kad kažkas ne taip. Turėtum pabandyti pereiti daktaru komisija sienos apsaugai arba kariuomenėje tada nabutum rases komentaro 😁
@@jjjjjj6634 Tarnavau as kariumenej ir procesas kariuomenei nelabai trumpesnis nei ginklui. Ir ne apie laukima eileje as kalbu o apie popierizma.
@@240pixel popierizmas dėl ginklo visur toks pats . Aš ginklo licenziją laikinai seniai seniai atsimenu buvo reikalų.
@@jjjjjj6634 Kur tas visur?. visa ta procesa galima butu gerokai sutrumpint.
My great grandpa with whom i lived could barely walk, had internal bleeding, was taken to the hospital, and he just had to sit in cold and wait for 14 hours through the night. He died 2 days later. This was 5 years ago. Even with that, im still somewhat positive about our healthcare system, could be way worse.
From my personal experience, most medical students decide to work abroad due to lack of residency programs in Lithuania. There's a lot of applicants and just not enough residency slots for everyone.
Well once I had to wait 2-3 hours in a "emergency" clinic when i was stabbed in the chest. Doctor came and decided Im alright, just a small wound. It was 3cm off my heart, punctured lung. So I had to wait over 2hrs for an expierenced doc to show up. They performed a surgery before anesthesia kicked in. Just yesterday I payed 314eu for one tooth treatment in a private clinic, cause my city has no equipment in facilities which are paid up with taxes.. Also I just swapped jobs and for 8days of work I payed over 100eu for health care tax..So yeah, lack of expierenced staffunderpay and not transparent tax distribution is an issue here.
Which country did this happen in? Did you bribe the anesthesiologist? A saying goes, "always bribe the anesthesiologist first" (smiley)
@@tom4stream Lithuania, Kaunas. Its a very busy and understaffed clinic. I heard similar stories about it. They kinda have to rush things so mistakes happens.
Thanks for this video
Thanks
Thank you!!!
I love how seemingly most of your viewers are Lithuanians :D
It is too good but i have a request expecting at least one English speaker(to guide or book reservation) in every hospital this will definitely helpful for all most every foreigners because hospital more comon place like airport so they must have English language support for non Lithuania people.
To be honest, giving a doctor "an envelope" is not a bribe in my book.. Usually people do that after the surgery so what they can "bribe" for? It is a "thank you" and a tip, I'd say, because salaries are a joke.
I had a surgery that saved my life. I checked and at the time the surgeon who did it earned the same as me (student with no degree). I had the surgery once and moved on with my life. The only thing I regret is that I did not give him 500 euros (my monthly salary at the time). Because to me - it is only 1 month of my salary, but for him (assuming at least 1 out of 10 patients give money) is a good addition to his crapy salary. And he saved my life, so at least he have to be able to afford an average lifestyle.
I think the system is not bad at all for ordinary people with ordinary diseases. Some things like e-sveikata can be improved quite quickly. Rare conditions like rare cancers, rare genetic abnormalities, gender changes need to be treated in bigger countries. I see two big problems there. One is lack of nursing staff, like in many places. It used to be normal for relatives to care about their sick to help nurses in hospital. With quarantine things got even worse. Second is weak, obsolete mental health system. And for now no improvement is seen. Emergency system has forgot how to deal with psychotic patients, paramedics get beaten themselves. The system needs renovation with new approach and then from top to bottom. I wouldn't advise to address state system for now, only private clinics.
It's true that Lithuanian doctors are highly demanded in the EU. I am one who moved to work in Sweden. They paid for everything: language courses, document translation, license fees, moving fees and even apartment rent for 3 months. I got my first salary 2 weeks after I had moved there, though I didn't work at all for those two weeks. Needless to say I now work 4 times less than I used to work back in Lithuania and I earn 6 times more than I used to earn. Even with high Swedish prices I have a very good life. And doctor-patient relationship is very different. Patients are often bullies in Lithuania, they demand what they want and they can make a complaint or sue you for whatever reason. Patients in Sweden trust in their doctors and complaints/law suits against doctors are a very very rare thing. Work environment is totally different. Here in Sweden I can talk to my boss as to my equal which was unimagineable back in Lithuania. Corruption and nepotism are another things that are very prevalent in Lithuanian healthcare system and which do not exist in Swedish healthcare system. A bribe to get your job done (better/faster)? Not heard of.
I doubt you are a doctor; but I will give you a benefit of doubt. Patient's body is patient's business, the patient knows what works best for her/him. There's a tool called "second opinion" to deal with "stuck-up" medical doctors in the United States.
@@tom4stream I think you just lost the whole point of the comment above. I doubt you've ever finished high school.
@@modestasurbelis I assure you I have graduated from high school :)
@@tom4stream Yeah right, "susimušiau pirštą, todėl dabar man reikia galvos magnetinio rezonanso tomografijos" is clearly "the patient knows best what works for her/him" and it clearly needs a "second opinion". Bet papasakok daugiau, pabaigei gi mokyklą.
@@blueeyedbaer insane patients definitely exist and are not uncommon, especially when it comes to elder people, but a lot of doctors also just really don't care about their patients unless they're threatening lawsuits/give a lot of bribes for back in the day. Like, here's a little rundown of problems I had as a child and how the best family doctor in my town dealt with them:
1. Was late to start walking thanks to what we now know was an abnormality in my hip bones, which obviously caused me pain during physical therapy - was dismissed by both the physical therapists and the primary physician, have X shaped legs now, which has a visible effect on how I walk
2. My body literally producing acetone, almost killing me at one point - doctor gave no recommendations around diet adjustments to decrease the acetone production, mom had to literally bribe the doctor in order to send me to Vilnius to get any advice on managing it at all. I still end up with the same issue if I don't drink enough water or eat specific foods
3. Breasts started forming at 5 - nah, she's just chubby. Mom bribes the same physician, I get taken to an obgyn and endocrinologist in Kaunas, by that point my puberty had progressed as much as it would normally be at 12, I was soon started on heavy doses of puberty blockers, the doctors literally yelling at my mom for not taking me in sooner.
So yeah, it's definitely always the patient being delusional and not doctors not wanting to do their jobs
Not sure why this is in my recommended but hey ho here we are
I really hate how corrupted our healthcare is. And I would like to say that it's mostly our own fault. Nearly everyone I know (especially older generations)has at some point tried to give money to a doctor as a thank you, or in a way to "insure" that the doctor will do the best job possible. And from my experience its not needed at all. I have never personally given money to a doctor, but still got medical attention that was pretty excellent. I feel like these people who try to bribe are ruining our doctors, because at some point medical professionals are going to feel entitled to the extra cash (sadly I have heard stories about it from my relatives). So yeah, I don't know if I made much sense but that's how I feel about it. Maybe I'm completely wrong
Seams that you are talking about old generation or experienced small towns attitude. I think you are wrong. I haven’t bribed any single doctor as well as my family or friends! Bribing comes from soviet times but it’s getting away now. Medical staff is very professional but, sorry to say, they earn very little money!
@@giedres797 yeah, what im talking about are people 40+ years old. I guess it depends on what you see as a small town, maybe in Vilnius or Kaunas is not common to do that, but I know doctors in Klaipėda that always expect something extra.
@@simona_merkinin sometimes it could be true as to our society’s shame and soviet influence!But no need to over go with assumptions, pls😉
Never in my life have I bribed a doctor, but then again, I'm only 30. When I was hospitalized I did see other patients trying to bribe our surgeon and he was very uncomfortable, he refused every time but they were so insistent... The patients were older ladies. Anesthesiologist was also "attacked" with alcohol, chocolates and hidden folded money bills, he also refused. I think the healthcare is not corrupt. It's the soviet old ladies making it look like that. I don't know about old men, as I've only seen this behavior from women patients.
do video about lithuanian skyscrapers
you should check what people get to eat in hospitals here, i know some people who refused to eat the slop they got and just starved for a few days instead
I've been to a lot of hospitals over the years and I can say that the quality of food always varied in time and depending on the hospital. There was a scandal about food being terrible a couple years ago, but since then a lot of things changed. The portions are small, but that's mostly because we seriously eat too much at home and restaurants, they aren't actually that small if you consider the calories.
Also you can bring your own food and some hospitals even have small stores.
You get eat what you need not what you want,you in hospital not resturant.
How true! Lithuanian hospital food quality is only half the problem (the food is edible, at least). The quantity is the problem. I could never get full eating hospital food, and I am just an average-sized guy (183 cm)
@@reggie7537 Did you know that almost every hospital in the United States has a restaurant kitchen, and you eat restaurant-sized meals? American doctors consider this "you get [to] eat what you need". They seem to disagree with Dulkys and especially Veryga.
@@tom4stream if you are in the hospital you are here to cure and let your body to rescue you not to focus on digestion 😊
The best I can say about Lithuanian healthcare, it was availed to all Lithuanian citizens free of charge until mid-2000s. When it began being taxed, the contribution was some 28 Litas (about 8 Euro) a month - a reasonable rate most citizens could still afford. I do not know the precise rate today, but it's not 8 Euro a month anymore (it's something buried in "Sodra"/GPM and is beyond reasonable). You can no longer elect to pay just the healthcare tax.
I use a private clinic to help me make it through while in Vilnius. It's 70 euro for the first visit, subsequent phone consultations are 40 euro. That's about a half of US price.
I'd love to move back to Lithuania from the United States but it turns out getting my medical treatment is impossible in Lithuania long-term.
Still! Recently, in October 2022, I had to urgently spend $1316 US dollars to return one-way to the United States to get my treatment. The same treatment would not have become available in Lithuania for another five days.
SPEEDRUN
In medical schools in Belgium, we are thought that Lithuania, from all EU countries, is the most behind with their medical knowledge.. They are trapped in the 80s on medical field (and on tons of "other fields" as well).
As a pediatrician, I sometimes feel like our government is waging a war on my colleagues and on my patients. It's like they don't think at all.
"Hurr durr, the children's departments were half empty all summer, we better downsize." Bitch, most of children's disease is seasonal; it's winter now and we don't have anywhere to put all these kids who need i/v antibiotics.
"Hurr, I heard that in Sweden, there are no pediatricians in primary healthcare, only family doctors."
Do you really want your growing kid treated by a person who spends all their time copy-pasting prescriptions written by other people?
Add in how criminally underpaid and overworked everyone in the system is, and it's a genuine miracle that we continue providing quality care for our patients. Hell, I don't even care if I'm not paid for a month, just give me the tools I need to do my job. Right now, I can't prescribe oral fucking penicillin to kids because some dumbass, who, I guess, wants bacteria to develop resistances, decided it's not worth importing anymore.
It's just like our education system: they do the reform first, then wait and see how much they messed it all up, when anyone even remotely connected to the field could have told them it's a stupid reform from the start... Meanwhile children get to pay the price of the government's carelessness.
That's not true. Primary care doctors in Sweden do much more than they do in Lithuania. Primary care doctors in Sweden are actually treating patients instead of just "copy-pasting prescriptions written by other people". A rotation of 10 weeks at a children disease clinic is mandatory for all resident doctors of general practice in Sweden. That covers the most frequent child diseases in primary healthcare pretty well. Health of children is also followed much better in Swedish "family medicine" clinics than they are done in Lithuanian ones. Specialists of children diseases often come to "family health" clinics (called "healthcare centers" in Sweden) to consult children who have more serious health problems. There are also many child disease clinics all around the country that are used by the primary health care.
I wonder where have you heard such nonsenses. It's also hurtful that you belittle competence of your colleagues working in primary care. That is another problem with Lithuanian healtcare - doctors thinking they're better than other doctors.
@@blueeyedbaer Yes, Sweden.
@@povilzem Nemanau, kad lietuviški šeimos gydytojai yra blogesni už švediškus. Taip, Lietuvoje jie rašo daugiau siuntimų ir kopijuoja receptus, bet dėl to kalti ne šeimos gydytojai, o įstatyminė bazė, kuri Lietuvoje yra absoliučiai nelogiška. Šeimos gydytojai yra gydytojai ir gali gydyti tiek vaikus, tiek suaugusiuosius. Tie patys lietuviški šeimos gydytojai atvažiuoja dirbt čia į Švediją ir kažkaip susitvarko, nereik net kažkaip persikvalifikuot. Ir tuos pačius švediškus vaikus gydo ir seka, ir nenugydo.