The second part has been reprinted from the December Issue of The Expatriate. 

S: Were you confident in the hospital medical staff? 

D: I felt confident with the doctors: they and the nurses were fine. 

S: Were you able to communicate with them? 

D: In basic medical language I could communicate quite well with the doctors. Only one of the nurses spoke English. The other nurses knew medical terms but could not make sentences. 

S: When you were receiving medicine and injections, did you know what you were getting? 

D: . I received no explanation other than the one word, "antibiotics". The injections in my hip... I assume they were pain killers. Also, I received about 25 x-rays. I thought it was a bit excessive. I lost count after 20. They did the chest, pelvic, lower leg; numerous x-rays on my broken foot and many on the other for reconstructive purposes. 

Again, my attendants took the x-rays while my friend held the x-ray plate at a certain angle. In western hospitals, no one would be allowed in the x-ray room. The attendant & my friend were given no radiation protection. That was a bit of a disappointment because they were endangering other people who didn't need to be endangered. 

S: Did you get along with your roommates? 

D: Well, there were typical roommate problems. Unfortunately we have a television and no remote control. I personally don't like Korean television whereas the Koreans enjoy it very much and this television goes 19 hours a day. So that's difficult. 

S: Are you able to sleep through some of that? 

D: No - I cannot sleep through that. I get 5 hours of sleep per night and doze a bit during the day so I'm not dog-tired. 

S: How is the food? 

D: The food is as good as typical family-run Korean restaurant food. 

S: Do you have rice for breakfast? 

D: Yes, I have rice and kimchi for breakfast every morning for breakfast; and for lunch and dinner every day. 

S: So there's no pancakes, bagels, coffee, eggs and bacon for breakfast? 

D: No. Actually, they asked me if I wanted Western-style food and I said no because unless you go to a really expensive restaurant in Korea, the western food is no good. So I opted for the Korean food. I don't eat a lot of spicy food so they gave me mul (water) kimchee. I was disappointed about the special diet: I was supposed to have a special diet but didn't get it as far as I know. I got raw side dishes; I was supposed to have only cooked vegetables. I suspect there was no communication between the doctors and kitchen staff. But I was given various kinds of soup; rice or rice gruel (juke) & various side dishes. So over all, it was okay. 

S: What are your impressions of the hospital facilities. 

D: Well, this building is at least 30 years old. It seems obvious to me that when it was built the patients; particularly leg injury patients, were not expected to use the bathroom. Two things lead me to this conclusion. First of all, it's a struggle just to reach the toilet. The door to the bathroom is scarcely wide enough to allow a wheelchair in. If one is skilled enough to maneuver through while powering up the incline in the floor, the next challenge is to avoid colliding with garbage cans, recycle bins and cleaning equipment. Secondly, if a patient has any kind of serious injury, the Korean-style toilet is very difficult to deal with, as you can imagine. There is one Korean-style toilet, one more western-style toilet and one urinal so I have to wait in line to go to the toilet. 

S: You seem to have handled this whole experience very well. Did you have any exceptionally trying times? 

D: I was quite upset one morning when there was no toilet paper in the western-style toilet. The night before there was no toilet paper in the western-style toilet. The next day at 9:30 in the morning there was still no toilet paper so I used what little Korean I know to communicate the need for toilet paper. I compared the hospital's bathroom to a subway station's bathroom where there is never any toilet paper. I asked them in Korean "Is this a hospital?" I don't know if they understood the comparison but ever since then we've had toilet paper. When the foreigners yell or get upset, they jump. When a Korean yells, they say "Ya ya." 

S: Based on your experiences, do you have any advice for foreigners in Pusan? 

D: Yes. First and foremost, always carry your health insurance card with you. Next, if you are hospitalized, bring a friend or family member to take care of you as the nurses are only here to give injections. The other option is to hire an attendant as I did, but that becomes costly. And finally, expect unexpected expenses. You have to pay in advance for basic supplies like medicine, I.V. needles, cotton gauze and pressure bandages. 

S: Your overall reaction to this hospital experience? 

D: As I mentioned, the building is very old. In modern circumstances it is not acceptable. I heard that they are building a new one, however. The doctors are fine; the nurses are fine; it's the facitlities that are not so great. I'm sure the new hospital will be more up to date. 

S: Thank you very much for your time. 

D: No problem: right now, I've got lots of it.