My daughter fell in a movie house. She cut her chin open.
She was six years old.
It was late on a Saturday night. We went to a clinic.
The doctor was doing his compulsory civil service, which all doctors do after graduating.
By now you must have guessed that this wasn't in the USA. In the USA, people are not required to do community service, usually in poor communities, after graduating from medical school.
The doctor and the nurse were incredibly patient, compassionate, and professional. They sewed my daughter's chin up so well that it left no scar at all.
It cost us $11. That was for everything including drugs. They wouldn't take a tip, so we brought gifts for the staff the next day.
That was the same summer that my eldest daughter got free violin lessons for the whole summer. And the same outfit that gave her that sponsored two concerts for me, and paid me quite well. They also sponsored talks on healthy eating habits and nutrition, as well as herbal medicine. Oh, and artistic pursuits, and concerts- LOTS of concerts.
I'm talking about the ISSTE, the state company that sponsors all kinds of things in Mexico. All this happened in Oaxaca.
By the way, we are USA citizens.
Yes, this is not a long diary.
Tough. I don't pad my writing. And I think you get my point.
If Mexico can have socialized medicine, why can't the USA have it?