Thanks God, compnay pays my bills

Basically, I am in good health and physically am pretty strong. I have asthma, though, but other than that, as long as I stay away from the causes, like dust and the cold, there is no problem.

But as one among those ungrateful human beings, I often take my health for granted.

Instead of leading a healthy life, I chose to lead a sedentary lifestyle. I gobble down any food in my vicinity, and do no exercise whatsoever.

I also smoke. Not heavily though, only two to five cigarettes a day. But considering I have asthma, that is too much for me.

At one point, however, I realized that something had to change. I had to take care of my health for my own good.

Well, of course, I did not all of a sudden wake up and decide that, are you kidding?

My so-unhealthy lifestyle apparently has caused several illnesses, which in a way are embarrassing, considering I am only 25-years old.

During the first and most traumatic event, I had to be taken to the emergency room in the middle of the night because of an asthma attack. It was the worst attack I've ever had as I could not breathe and every inch of my body ached.

And so there I was, laying helplessly with tubes and stuff, regretting having inhaled more cigarettes than I normally do.

Another thing is, I became very weak and susceptible.

Skipping one single meal? Nausea and throwing up. Eating spicy food? Diarrhea. Climbing two floors? Out of breath.

Even one dugem (hang out) session and I can catch a cold.

I thought, gee, what am I, a 70 year-old grandma? Please.

So, in the past four months I've been exercising regularly and trying to eat as healthily as I can.

It has started to pay off, as I'm no longer sickly, and am stronger and fitter. Plus, I have shed a few kilos.

However, there is one other reason why I decided to no longer take my health for granted: because medical expenses are bloody expensive here.

Just early last week, I suddenly developed a gigantic boil on the back of my right thigh. I did not know where the hell it came from because I have never had one in my entire life.

I was in total pain. It was so big and painful that I had trouble walking. Not just walking, but sitting, sleeping and even thinking.

After two days, thanks to those horrible stories about boils from my colleagues ("Oh, I had a boil once, and I had to be operated on ... blah ... blah"), I then decided to go to the doctor.

No surgery, thank God. But instead, the doctor pinched it, pressed it, sprayed it and gave it a shot.

Oooooooooouuuuuuuuucccch.

"Oh, come on, it doesn't hurt that bad, does it?" he said calmly, failing to recognize my ugly facial expression.

He then asked me to return two days later to change my waterproof bandage.

I did feel better, though, until I walked to the cashier to pay the bill.

What the...? It was Rp 308,862 for the doctor, the medicine, the shot, and the damn bandage.

I then paid with my credit card (short of cash), and as I returned to work from the hospital, I said to myself over and over again, "Thank God for the company."

Yes, thank God my office covers some 80-90 percent of the medical bills of its employees. Because of that, I always opt for a good hospital. The very same hospital that charged me more than Rp 300,000, plus another Rp 227,327 on the second visit.

So, thank God for the company. Because if it was not for it, I could definitely not afford it.

But that amount that I paid was nothing compared to what my brother-in-law had to pay for my sister's heart surgery.

The surgery cost more than Rp 50 million which none of us could afford it. Again, thank God for the company.

Something struck me, though, what about the unfortunates?

One of my colleague who went to this top public university once told me that he was so poor that he could not afford a doctor. Instead, he went to the university's clinic and got medicine that actually made his fever worse. So, he borrowed some money to go to hospital.

As it turned out, the clinic gave the same medicine to him and his other friend who had diarrhea.

Oh my God.

And then, it struck me also, what about those people in remote areas? I could not even dare to imagine.

So, thank God for the company.

But wait a minute. What is this on my desk? Oh, it's the new office regulations.

I browse through it until I come to the chapter on medical expenses.

It says, the company only covers up to Rp 20,000 for the general practitioner (what??), Rp 40,000 for the dentist (WHAT??), Rp 40,000 for an obstetrician ... and so on.

The medicine is still reimbursed by 90 percent, though. But a colleague who had just had a car accident shouted because there was no mention of orthopedics.

Thank God for the company? Well, despite the decrease, I must say yes. At least we don't have to pay that much. And at least it makes me think twice before puffing another cigarette. -- H.D. Padmadisastra