The best Christmas gift. #HealthInsurance

Growing up, I thought health insurance was a way rich people liked to spend their money. Honestly. It always seemed like an unnecessary investment. Yes, it’s an investment. I didn’t fall sick much as a child, neither did people close to me. And so I always thought it was the same for everyone. Even when I later grew up and suffered migraine headaches and had one tablet of a triptan costing me about 11000 Ugx, which came close to 500K UGX annually on just that, I still thought medical insurance was a luxury.

Flash foward to medical school. I started to feel it when I saw wards in hospitals with so many very sick patients, beds all occupied to the point that some slept on the floor. Many patients go to government hospitals hoping for a free service, but due to overwhelming numbers there, some patients don’t even get to see a doctor even close to 6 days of being in hospital. And when they finally get seen, then they have a long list of stuff to buy. Syringes, gloves, medicine, spinal needles, anaesthetic drugs…it’s a big mess.

So many patients have resorted to going to private hospitals where they will be attended to in time, given quality care, and when the pocket starts beeping, then they request for referral to a regional or national referral Hospital. Sad reality.

And that’s where medical insurance comes in. As a doctor today, I see patients walking in hospital, very sick, and very desperate. Even when we decide to do priority investigations first, the amount gets to a figure this person doesn’t have even with their annual savings all put together. Many people take years seeking care in only small clinics taking painkillers only to reach a big hospital when their “cancer” is already metastatic. Something that could have been solved and presented.

Christmas and the big holidays are around the corner. You must be very excited to find the perfect gift for your loved ones. Health insurance should be top of that list. Surprise you parents, grandparents, siblings or even gift yourself. You never know when you or your loved one will need it.

I wish you a happy Healthy living. Invest in your health