Is there a Doctor in the house?

Three visits to the doctor in 1 week...you'd think we're not eating enough apples!

Now, if only Jonty also had Apollo's power to heal the sick...
Using the bow&arrow he and daddy made out of bamboo from the woods.

Doctor Visits:

• Jonty's subcutaneous lesion got infected
• I needed a physical to get a Portuguese driver's license, and 
• Gabi was hit with a 7-day gastro-bug. 

On top of that, Catarina had pinworms and Mark caught a bit of Gabi's bug, but luckily, those did not require a doctor. Last week was a tough week...

Fortunately, it has been seamless enough adapting to the Portuguese nationally funded health care system.  As Portuguese citizens, the kids and I can access the public stream; there are private healthcare clinics and hospitals, but we are happy to use the free one!

Once we updated our Citizenship cards with our new address in Sesimbra, we were able to register at the local health clinic (a block closer than the school--gotta love a small town!). We were immediately assigned to a family doctor who is available by appointment (and saw us last week without one!), every weekday from 8am-2pm. No waiting list? Point Portugal! Adults pay ~$6 per visit, kids are free.
Outside of that, there is a walk-in clinic at the same place, everyday from 3pm-9pm. Just like back home, the wait is loooong!  Prescriptions are partially subsidized.

Our local health centre - 5 minute walk from home
(a good thing when Gabi needed to be carried!)

Musings of a mother:

1. Portugal's version of Telehealth acts like Triage as well as helping determine what care is needed. At the end of your call, if the nurse feels you should see a doctor at the clinic or go to hospital, they figure out the closest place for you, forward your case there, and get you "in line" before you arrive. Then you don't have to repeat all the details when you see the doctor, and your wait is shorter. Sweet.

2. E-health records work here!  All our medical information is on our citizenship cards.  When you arrive at any health facility, your card is inserted into an e-card reader and voila--everything is there.  Come on Canada, our turn! 

3. The public clinics seem under-funded compared to Canada.  Small things: old diagnostic equipment, run-down waiting areas and bathrooms, no hand sanitizer for the public, the doctor himself complaining about the bare-bones system...

4. The closest hospitals to us are 45 minutes away by car. We almost had to take Gabi in (and this week we had no car). I now have a tiny sense of the stress single parents of multiple kids, families without cars (who wants to take a puking child on transit/in a cab?), parents in rural communities, and low-income households endure with sick kids. Sincere PROPS. 

Gabi is 5lbs lighter, but on the mend. Jonty's pain is gone, Mark is fine, Catarina is worm-free, and I hope to get my new license tomorrow. Yay for modern medicine!

A great way to get some Vitamin C: 
a little paper cone filled with fruit displayed in an ice cream cone holder.

Celebrating the return of Gabi's appetite at her favorite pastry shop.

Day 5 of missing school: crank the carols and make Christmas cards while sitting on our sunny balcony watching the ocean! Christmas is going to be a little different this year...