are doctors overrated?

Cienciano · 29-08-2012 01:29PM

It's a pain in the hoop going to a doctor to get a perscription for something simple. Especially an ongoing perscription, or a doctors note.
My doctor only charges €35 though.

BillyMitchel · 29-08-2012 01:51PM

My doc is worth is weight in gold but 60 bills at the same time which is pretty expensive. He's helped members of my family with home vists free of charge. If you're sick he's there 24 hrs a day but if you go over because you blew your nose and are looking for a week off work he'll march you out of his office and say rest and will not give you the note.

These days I have a friend who's a surgeon and in times of need Id ask her first for a quick free diagnoses she tells me to stop smoking, rest and drink plenty of water!

MaxSteele · 29-08-2012 02:03PM

Sarky wrote: »

You're free to avoid going to a doctor. Google's right there, have fun diagnosing yourself with early stage Crohn's disease.

If you don't like paying fifty quid to be told there's nothing really wrong with you, then don't bloody go to a doctor when there's nothing really wrong with you.

Or ..... doctor's could just stop ripping people out of 50 to 60 euro for a 5 minute check up.

Surely 25 or 30 euro is more than enough for not even 10 minutes of their time.

Gael23 · 29-08-2012 02:19PM

Yes I agree its expensive but can you put a price on your health? If you ignored something and it turned out to be something serious could you ever forgive yourself?
I've been to a few diffrent GPs over the years, the last one I left because the practice was constantly expanding and it was nearly impossible to get an appointment and when you did they had so many paitents to see they couldnt get you out fast enough. Left there and moved to a much smaller practice and theres a huge difference , they are interested in you and actually give you the time of day rather than push you out the door with a prescription.

bluecode · 29-08-2012 02:29PM

Yes in my opinion, they're all very good at the common ailments. But when it comes to the tough stuff. They send you to the hospital where the Doctor there tells the nurse to take a lot of samples and send them to the lab for analysis.

When the results come back they now know what's not wrong with you. So they take more samples for different tests. Eventually one test turns up positive and bingo. Then the treat you for that or tell you're going to die.

Actually the person most underrated is the Medical Scientist in the Laboratory who actually found out what's wrong with you. Ok I'm biased being married to one.

angeline · 29-08-2012 02:36PM

My doctor is priceless to me. I can talk to my doctor about absolutely anything and it's like visiting a friend. Always supportive no matter what the issue.

Grayson · 29-08-2012 02:52PM

angeline wrote: »

My doctor is priceless to me. I can talk to my doctor about absolutely anything and it's like visiting a friend. Always supportive no matter what the issue.

Same here.

I honestly owe my life to doctors on more than one occasion.

Plus with my GP they have two consultation fees. One is for a diagnosis fee. the other is for a sick note (where you walk in with a streaming nose and sore throat ans say "I have a cold"), prescription etc.. Pretty much if they don't do much it's half price.

RaRaRasputin · 29-08-2012 03:25PM

So far I haven't come across a good doctor in this country but there might be a few fine specimen out there

Fuinseog · 29-08-2012 03:51PM

Soups123 wrote: »

He was probably condesending because you came in cock sure you knew what was wrong with you probably referencing a self diagnosis using Google. The amount of people I hear saying I think I have 'X' because I checked the symptons on Google, that must piss doctors off no end.

I reckon there are more problems/deaths for people because they find a google reference that tells them they are fine rather than going to a GP.

Also go to your chemist mine is brilliant for the more day to day stuff like feeling under the weather, I'd never go the doctor with flu!

as I said in another thread people are more informed these days and likely to challenge what he says and more importantly ask questions.
sometimes they can merely guess at what is wrong and makes a hames of things.

Fuinseog · 29-08-2012 03:56PM

Cienciano wrote: »

It's a pain in the hoop going to a doctor to get a perscription for something simple. Especially an ongoing perscription, or a doctors note.
My doctor only charges €35 though.

the medication you need could possibly be purchased over the counter in another country and at a cheaper price?
I have been fortunate enough not to have been seriously ill in my life and as a result have rarely been to a doctor. maybe they give regular customers a discount?

Fuinseog · 29-08-2012 03:57PM

angeline wrote: »

My doctor is priceless to me. I can talk to my doctor about absolutely anything and it's like visiting a friend. Always supportive no matter what the issue.

good to have one like that.

Sarky · 29-08-2012 04:18PM

MaxSteele wrote: »

Or ..... doctor's could just stop ripping people out of 50 to 60 euro for a 5 minute check up.

Surely 25 or 30 euro is more than enough for not even 10 minutes of their time.

Then hit them in their allegedly overstuffed wallets; Don't go. You send a message and save money, and they get 10 minutes extra to treat people with actual problems. Or maybe they get to go home at a reasonable hour and actually spend some time relaxing. Or maybe they just get a single night of uninterrupted sleep.

Colmustard · 29-08-2012 04:25PM

Depends, GPs are little more then administrators, a kind of triage service, for when you are sick they send you to the hospital.

But GPs still know more then me.

If I had it again I would have went into medicine, that is if I had the discipline and intelligence.

kylith · 29-08-2012 04:35PM

It's about shopping around for a good doctor. I was getting recurring kidney infections and my doctor was just throwing a week's worth of antibiotics at me. Because I felt he should be doing more I went to a different practise, got better antibiotics, problem solved. I went there when I was having difficulty shifting weight and they took bloods, gave me a thorough exam, found the underlying cause. I went with a bit of a sore leg and had a 30 minute in depth examination before referral to a physio.

My doctors (it's a practise so you never know who you'll get) are great, except for the lectures about my smoking but that's probably par for the course.

hoochis · 29-08-2012 04:37PM

Why do so many people begrudge doctors? They make a lot of money but the majority of them do deserve it. If it is such an overpayed profession then why are there not a lot more people becoming doctors? Easy, because most will not have the determination it takes to get 600 points in their leaving cert! If you are not happy to pay to see the doctor then don't go. Its only your health.

Temptamperu · 29-08-2012 04:45PM

I always go to the net first, if its serious i go the doctors/hospital if not a few ibuprofen and some paracetamol followed by drinking plenty of fluids... because its hard to drink solids I suppose.

MaxSteele · 29-08-2012 06:11PM

Sarky wrote: »

Then hit them in their allegedly overstuffed wallets; Don't go. You send a message and save money, and they get 10 minutes extra to treat people with actual problems. Or maybe they get to go home at a reasonable hour and actually spend some time relaxing. Or maybe they just get a single night of uninterrupted sleep.

Yes ... because I feel doctor's overcharge means my visit to them is for minor, unnecessary paranoia. Like this time last year when I had heart trouble. :rolleyes:

My family doctor works 9 to 5 on weekdays like most other people do. Weekend's off. While I appreciate and admire his profession, I don't think it's much to ask to maybe charge at a reasonable price like 30 euro a visit, considering the number of patients he receives each day.

SleepDoc · 29-08-2012 06:42PM

MaxSteele wrote: »

Yes ... because I feel doctor's overcharge means my visit to them is for minor, unnecessary paranoia. Like this time last year when I had heart trouble. :rolleyes:

My family doctor works 9 to 5 on weekdays like most other people do. Weekend's off. While I appreciate and admire his profession, I don't think it's much to ask to maybe charge at a reasonable price like 30 euro a visit, considering the number of patients he receives each day.

So he should charge you less because he sees lots of patients?

It's not a charity.

Carson10 · 29-08-2012 06:47PM

No i do not think Doctors are over rated, but perhaps yes the fees are a little high.

It seems simple yes that when you go with a cold, that the consultation only last 5 min, but they might spot something you wont see on the net.

I think you should just be thankful that all that worries you when you walk away from the Dr is a mumble about the fee.

MaxSteele · 29-08-2012 06:48PM

SleepDoc wrote: »

So he should charge you less because he sees lots of patients?

It's not a charity.

So 30 euro for 5 or 10 mins of their time is charity ?

Sorry, but you're local GP doesn't need to be charging 50 to 60 euro for every patient. I'd say a lot of them make more in a day or two than your average joe would in a week.

hattoncracker · 29-08-2012 06:58PM

My childhood doctor misdiagnosed me when I was a kid, it took three weeks for him to diagnose pneumonia, and I spent a week in hospital.

he's in his 70s and still practising. When my sister went to him last year with stomach pains he told her to go on a diet, and when she went to another doctor in his practice she diagnosed her with a massive stomach infection which would have killed her in two weeks.

I went back to him last year when I was pregnant and vomiting blood and he laughed in my face. I didn't continue with the pregnancy for other reasons, and decided I'd never go to him again, because I knew he would give me the insults/murderer routine.

I got a new doctor, young enough, in her late twenties. It took me a year before I'd go to another GP, and she's very good, and so lovely.

the right doctor is worth any money, the wrong ones should not be allowed treat people.

molly bronski · 29-08-2012 06:59PM

For every private patient that attends, there are (in most practices) two or three medical card patients. The GP gets a fixed fee for the year for them. They are a lot more inclined to come in with trivialities as it's a free service so it's not like to GP is seeing private patients all day long and rolling around in dosh.

El_Dangeroso · 29-08-2012 07:00PM

MaxSteele wrote: »

So 30 euro for 5 or 10 mins of their time is charity ?

Sorry, but you're local GP doesn't need to be charging 50 to 60 euro for every patient. I'd say a lot of them make more in a day or two than your average joe would in a week.

Paying patients effectively subsidise medical card patients because GPs get feck all for them and they go a LOT more to the doctor than paying stiffs.

Having said that, I know a good few hospital docs who look down on GPs for taking the 'easy way out'. One guy told me he knows a GP who rakes in about 400K per year.

Becoming a consultant requires giving up about a decade of your working life.

invinciblePRSTV · 29-08-2012 07:00PM

Are doctors overrated? No.

Are Irish doctors and the rest of the medical professions as a whole overpaid? Yes.

MaxSteele · 29-08-2012 07:02PM

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Paying patients effectively subsidise medical card patients because GPs get feck all for them and they go a LOT more to the doctor than paying stiffs.

Having said that, I know a good few hospital docs who look down on GPs for taking the 'easy way out'. One guy told me he knows a GP who rakes in about 400K per year.

Becoming a consultant requires giving up about a decade of your working life.

Becoming a GP you mean ?

El_Dangeroso · 29-08-2012 07:04PM

MaxSteele wrote: »

Becoming a GP you mean ?

Nope, a consultant, as in becoming a GP is relatively easier way of making the same money. Not saying it is easy to establish a practice, but easier.

SleepDoc · 29-08-2012 07:13PM

MaxSteele wrote: »

So 30 euro for 5 or 10 mins of their time is charity ?

Sorry, but you're local GP doesn't need to be charging 50 to 60 euro for every patient. I'd say a lot of them make more in a day or two than your average joe would in a week.

He dealt with your cardiac complaint. Money well spent.

Your doctor probably earns far more than your average Joe. Go to average Joe the next time you get chest pain.

Fuinseog · 29-08-2012 07:13PM

Colmustard wrote: »

Depends, GPs are little more then administrators, a kind of triage service, for when you are sick they send you to the hospital.

But GPs still know more then me.

If I had it again I would have went into medicine, that is if I had the discipline and intelligence.

why can you not eliminate the middle man and go directly to hospital yourself?
I do not understand the system. you pay the GP 60 euro and he scribbles something illegible on a note which refers you to someone else where you pay even more money.

SleepDoc · 29-08-2012 07:17PM

Fuinseog wrote: »

why can you not eliminate the middle man and go directly to hospital yourself?
I do not understand the system. you pay the GP 60 euro and he scribbles something illegible on a note which refers you to someone else where you pay even more money.

You can go straight to A&E. Will cost you about 120 euro.

Fuinseog · 29-08-2012 07:19PM

I had to have a medical check up for work a few years back. 70 euro for a ten minute check up. he weighed me and measured my height- things I could have done myself. Granted he took my blood pressure and but gave a non committal answer when I asked him was it good or bad.

are doctors overrated?

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