How to See a Doctor at a Japanese Clinic
Before you leave home, find your My Number Card (registered as your insurance card) or your paper insurance card, and put it in your wallet. In Japan, most working-age adults pay only 30 percent of the cost of treatment (the rate is lower for young children and older people), and the card shows the clinic that you are covered. Also bring a photo ID, any medicine notebook you have, and some cash, because some small clinics do not take credit cards. Check the opening hours online. Many clinics close for a long lunch break, and some close on one weekday afternoon, on weekends, or on public holidays. If you can, choose a clinic that fits your problem, such as an internal medicine clinic for a fever or a stomach ache.
When you arrive, take off your shoes and put on the slippers if the clinic asks you to. Go to the reception desk and say, "I'd like to see a doctor." Hand over your insurance card. On your first visit, you will usually be asked to fill out a form. Write down your symptoms, when they began, and any allergies you have. If you cannot write Japanese, show a translation on your phone. This step is finished when you have shown your card and the receptionist asks you to sit down. Then wait in the waiting room. Waiting times can be long, so bring a book. Listen for your name, or watch a screen that shows your number.
When the doctor calls you, explain your main problem first and add details later. Use simple phrases such as "I've had a sore throat for three days." If you want to remember the name of your illness, ask the doctor to write it down. The doctor may give you a prescription, which is a paper that lists the medicine you need. After the visit, go back to reception and wait to settle up. Pay at the counter or at the machine. Keep the receipt, because you may need it for the medical expense tax deduction if your yearly costs are high. Put your card back in your wallet so you do not lose it.
Finally, take the prescription to a pharmacy. Many pharmacies are right next to the clinic. Give the paper to the pharmacist, who will ask a few questions and may give you another short form. Wait while the staff prepare your medicine. The pharmacist will explain how many times a day to take it and what side effects to watch for. You may also receive a small notebook for recording your medicines, so keep it and bring it next time. Pay at the counter once more. You have finished when you leave with your medicine and know exactly when to take it. If you still feel unwell after a few days, go back to the clinic.
Vocabulary
- treatment
- medical care given to a person who is ill or hurt — The treatment for a cold is usually rest and water.
- covered
- protected by insurance, so that the insurance company pays some of the cost — Are you covered if you get sick while travelling?
- internal medicine
- the part of medicine that treats illnesses inside the body, such as stomach and heart problems — She went to a doctor who works in internal medicine.
- reception desk
- the place in a building where visitors say who they are and ask for help — Please leave your bag at the reception desk.
- fill out
- to write the answers on a form — You need to fill out this form before you start work.
- symptoms
- signs in your body that show you have an illness — Her symptoms were a cough and a headache.
- allergies
- conditions in which your body reacts badly to certain foods or things — He has allergies to eggs and cats.
- sore throat
- a painful feeling at the back of your mouth — I had a sore throat, so I drank hot tea.
- prescription
- a paper from a doctor that says what medicine you can get — You cannot buy this medicine without a prescription.
- settle up
- to pay what you owe — We ate dinner and then went to settle up at the counter.
- receipt
- a small paper that shows you have paid for something — Keep the receipt in case you want to return the shirt.
- pharmacist
- a person whose job is to prepare and sell medicines — The pharmacist told me not to take the pills on an empty stomach.
- side effects
- bad changes in your body that a medicine can cause in addition to its main purpose — One of the side effects of this medicine is feeling sleepy.