In Britain we have the good old NHS. Healthcare is free (well, its paid for by everyone's taxes) so hospitals are free to go about their business making people better (giving them MRSA infections). Elsewhere in the world hospitals operate a pay-as-you-go system, as it is in China. This makes hospitals something of a money-making business, rather than just the place to go when you're ill. I've noticed several things that make this all too apparent. For example, what do you do when you have a bad cold? Stay at home, plenty of hot honey and lemon, plenty of rest? Wrong - you should proceed directly to hospital, have an injection of vitamins in your buttock, have a drip put into the back of your hand (the colour of the liquid to be intravenously given varies, but the bright orange type is popular) and spend three nights in a hospital bed. Of course, you have to pay for all of these 100% essential things. Also, how do you choose which hospital to go to? I've already mentioned this topic here, but another thing I've noticed recently is the amount of advertising that's done by hospitals. Since they're effectively operating as cash-generating businesses I suppose this makes some sense. Some of the TV adverts I've seen for various hospitals are great. Here's a rough translation of one of my current favourites:
"What can you do in three minutes? You could drink one-third of a cup of tea. Or you could eat half an apple. Or you could have an abortion, at blahblahblah hospital..."
Another one that I like features a young couple contemplating the problems they might face in their married life:
Girl says: What if my clothes need cleaning?
Guy says: I'll wash them for you.
Girl says: Well, what if I get vaginal yeast infection?
Guy says: Then I'll take you straight to Xi'an blahblahblah hospital.
What I like best of all is the natural, everyday dialogue.
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