By Karen Zhang

I had been in a good health until a few weeks ago when I got rash[皮疹] on my skin. Feeling itchy[痒的] and in pain， I finally had to visit a doctor. In America， a doctors visit is not as easy as you may have experienced in China. Unless you have an emergency like a heart attack， in which case you are treated immediately in the hospital. In the cases of normal checkups or treatments for small ailments[小病] like my skin rash， you have to make an appointment with a doctors office. Staff there will fix you a date that is usually more convenient for the doctor than for the patient. Be prepared for a month， or even a few months of waiting if your problem is only a pain in the neck. Many American doctorsappointment schedules are often booked up to three months in advance.

I n C h i n a ， a p a t i e n t c a n v i s i t any specialist[专家] any time without recommendation[推荐]. In America， a patient usually turns to a primary doctor for advice first. （A primary doctor is a physician who has general knowledge about every ache and pain.） Then he or she will recommend to the patient a specialist who will focus on the precise health issue.

I was lucky that I saw my primary doctor without a long wait. But it took me eight weeks to see my next doctor—a dermatologist[皮肤科医生]—for my rash. Now you could imagine how unbearable some days were during those eight weeks. However， the symptom came and went. By the time I visited the skin specialist， my problem had disappeared.

“Ill prescribe[开药] you an ointment[药膏，软膏] and you apply it to your skin twice a day，” the doctor said after a less-than-five-minute consultation[会诊]. “If the problem comes back， youll see me again. If not， youre fine.”

It looked like my idea of seeing a doctor was unnecessary. After all， I had waited much longer than the doctors appointment actually lasted.

A few days ago， a friend of mine refused to extend his vacation. He would rather see his doctor as scheduled. He had waited three months for that！ He said he was afraid if he changed the date， who knew how much longer he had to wait. Well， my theory was perhaps his health problem would be gone by then， just like mine. How important good health is to all of us！