The first thing I noticed when I was over in europe 30 years ago, is the hospital waiting rooms are small compared to American standards in larger cities.
The reason: routine non-emergency care is handled at the clinics because those are free/inexpensive too. So emergency rooms tend to have less traffic as people don’t wait as long for care. Earlier intervention = better health outcomes.
The regular clinics had very short wait times. You could get a routine appointment within a few days. The clinic was busy but you weren’t waiting for 2-3 hours for a regular appointment. (Maybe 15 minutes).
The first thing I noticed when I was over in europe 30 years ago, is the hospital waiting rooms are small compared to American standards in larger cities.
The reason: routine non-emergency care is handled at the clinics because those are free/inexpensive too. So emergency rooms tend to have less traffic as people don’t wait as long for care. Earlier intervention = better health outcomes.
The regular clinics had very short wait times. You could get a routine appointment within a few days. The clinic was busy but you weren’t waiting for 2-3 hours for a regular appointment. (Maybe 15 minutes).
That’s all very, very dependent on what kind of appointment you’re trying to get.
Want to see my GP/family doctor? 1-2 days, same day if it’s an emergency.
ENT? Month or two at most usually, unless it’s a super busy time for them. May need to go to one in another city of course.
Want to see a dermatologist? About a year, 2 at most.
Want to see a psychiatrist within the national healthcare system? No.