The matter was brought to our attention by one of our readers. The young woman is still studying and generally uses doctors who have contracts with the National Health Fund (NFZ). However, she went to a private gynecological practice in Bolesławiec. “Until then, I had gone to public clinics. But the office there is equipped with only a chair. I decided to have a private appointment. It was very expensive for me, because it cost PLN 150,” the young woman says.
Very professional and very expensive
The young woman complained of an infection of the reproductive tract. After examining her, the doctor told her that she had an erosion [ubytek nabłonka lub błony śluzowej szyjki macicy – przyp. red.].
“He told me that the erosion was enormous,” the young woman says. “I believed him. He prescribed very expensive vaginal suppositories because he decided not to cauterize it. He advised me to treat the erosion. He also performed a Pap smear”[badanie komórek w kierunku raka szyjki macicy – przyp. red.]
The patient hesitated about buying the expensive medicine, but the ailment was troublesome. Eventually, she began treatment. After applying four suppositories, her condition worsened. During that time, she also received a summons to the doctor’s office because the Pap smear results had arrived.
When a Pap smear comes back normal and no abnormalities are detected, the patient is not specifically called in. A summons means trouble. Our reader says that after receiving a phone call from the office, she went to the appointment with a heavy heart and great anxiety.
It could be cancer
The patient was experiencing considerable pain in her intimate areas. “I told the doctor how bad I felt. Then he informed me that the test results were very bad. I wanted him to examine me, to look at me. I was suffering. But he told me that my condition was precancerous. He did not examine me; he saw me at his desk, and when I asked him what was wrong, he replied: ‘What am I supposed to do with you now? We need to act immediately.’ He proposed further expensive procedures,” the teenager says.
One of the examinations was to be a biopsy, meaning the removal of tissue fragments for further testing for cancer. According to the young woman, the biopsy was to cost nearly PLN 200. Another proposed examination was to cost more than PLN 100.
“The doctor charged me PLN 50 for the appointment during which he only informed me of the results and recommended further tests,” the reader says.
The girl returned home in tears and terrified about the state of her health. Her ongoing symptoms did not reassure her either. The women in her family recommended that she see another doctor and verify the diagnosis. The next day, she went to another gynecologist, also privately, because the public clinic did not have the equipment to perform some examinations immediately.
There is no cancer
The doctor she consulted looked at his colleague’s test results and said just one word: “Szczecin.”
“The previous doctor sent the Pap smear tests to a laboratory in Szczecin. Apparently, as the new gynecologist told me, I was not the only patient who came to his office in a panic, thinking she had cancer, and showed him results performed in Szczecin. Apparently, they are equally bad every time,” the young woman explains.
The doctor examined the patient. It turned out that the expensive suppositories, which had not dissolved, were responsible for the deterioration in her condition. Simply removing them was enough to improve the patient’s condition. Colposcopy [oglądanie szyjki macicy za pomocą wziernika i szkła powiększającego – przyp. red.] did not confirm the results of the examination from Szczecin.
“Then I also waited for another Pap smear,” the young woman concludes. “That one also came back normal. I have a small erosion, but I am to have another examination in 12 months. I am healthy.”
In total, the patient paid approximately PLN 400 for being frightened that she had cancer and then reassured that she did not, together with the prescribed suppositories. “The gynecologist I first visited privately told me, while conveying the bad news, that unfortunately health costs money and that any amount is worth spending on it,” says the reader, sarcastic but happy and healthy.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)