I recently worked with “Banadzev” production company on a story related to corruption. I was presented there as a “young blogger” who “condemns” corruption – which I surely do.
Somehow it happened, that on the days when the program was broadcast I fell badly sick. Went to a hospital with diagnosis: “Hepatitis A”. An ugly illness, I tell you. Because this is an infection desease, it is covered by Armenia’s free health care system.
I went to the hospital and the nurses there said: “Hey, your face looks familiar”. The other one recalled: “oh, you were on Public TV, speaking in that program about corruption.” “Yes”, I confessed, too sick to add anything more.
I was locked in the hospital for a couple of weeks and was cured more or less. The doctor came to me in the end. “Your illness is covered by the state,” she said. So you don’t have to pay for the cure, for the medication, “But you have to pay 20,000 AMD for the hospital staff.”
So I paid it. I didn’t get any receipt. So I understood – it was something you could describe with the word “corruption”. Still, I was too happy to be cured, to object.
In the end the doctor said: “I saw you on TV the other day speaking about corruption. Well done! You’re quite right! Corruption should be eliminated!”
Below are the two pieces of the program where I speek about corruption. I guess whatever I was saying there didn’t impress my doctor and nurses much?
Part 1
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YAs3K2C60&feature=player_profilepage”]
Part 2:
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFgVP7h2U98&feature=player_profilepage”]
Artur Papyan
Journalist, blogger, digital security and media consultant
3 Comments
Comments are closed.
They didn’t make you pay for medication?! WOW! I ended up paying for absolutely EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, including every single piece of medication and every single supply (cotton, needle, syringe.. you name it), even though it was supposed to be covered by the state. I mean EVERYTHING.
My TV appearance must have worked just a little bit… these doctors!!!
Thanks for the story, Ditord, and glad you are better. I think it may be an interesting distinction in the minds of various fields of work, what IS corruption, since it doesn’t seem that those doctors and nurses weren’t necessarily against corruption, but think of it as something different than what they were doing… Is it paying when you’re not supposed to have to, period? Do some individuals consider corruption to be only applicable to government, police, army, etc?
I have heard some doctors in Armenia say that they are payed so little by the state that they cannot live on that alone… If this is the case, then maybe those doctors and nurses do not consider taking money corruption if they are not living extravagantly because of it… maybe other fields have similar distinctions… and justifications.
I sure as heck don’t know, but just an idea…