Tuesday, October 2, 2007

You get what you pay for

A survey of 29 European countries has somehow decided that Estonia has the best health care system on the continent. At least, reveals the Health Insurance Fund, in price/quality terms.

The country has improved on its runner-up position from 2006, overtaking Slovenia, who it seems has fallen away to buggery, and beating Austria and the Netherlands into the silver and bronze medal positions respectively.

“The thorough and rapid changes we implemented at the start of the 1990s have served us well,” remarked Haigekassa Chairman Hannes Danilov. He seems not to have grasped the implications of the survey results, however, in adding: “If we maintain the course we are following, we will soon be on a par with Europe's best health care systems.”

I oughtn't to make fun though, since they removed my gall bladder free of charge. Makes we wonder how the price/quality ratio works though: if you don't actually pay anything for the medical services you receive, what kind of quality can you expect? If it's all free, surely it would be churlish to complain even if it wasn't up to scratch.

5 comments:

AndrewGoesBroadway said...

And yet another award-winning quality picture!

phutty said...

Thank you, thank you.

Estonia in World Media (Rus) said...

Pilt on lahe

phutty said...

Kiitos!

Anonymous said...

:)) I'm reading and reading your blog and wow... that's all very very critical stuff. I can see why you have still survived in Estonia: sceptic, critical... That's almost like a native Estonian! Hope not all is so awful all the time though, makes the 2-3 Estonians who actually smile to other people (and not being drunk or stoned) feel ...ahh what else could they feel, if they feel at all, of course- suicidal. But probably they are too cold to feel anything, right? ;)