Medical Shopping

I've been wrong all this while.  So used to having my medical bills charged to the office, and going to government hospitals or health clinics for 'chronic' matters, I've got to thinking that medical charges are within a standard range for a particular ailment/treatment.

We are planning on some foreign travel and had been advised to go for meningitis vaccination.  Initially we were told that government health clinics provide the treatment for free only to discover that the offer is only for Haj trips. The hubby took to calling a few private clinics.

The few things that we gather from the calls:

1.  The cost for the meningitis vaccination ranges from RM95 to RM180.  That's a big range spectrum!
2.  We have to place orders for the vaccine as clinics do not normally stock it.  They'll forward the vaccine orders from the pharmacy upon request.
3.  The vaccination comes with a WHO booklet, dully signed and stamped by the attending doctor.  The booklet is a must for the travel agent to make the visa arrangement.  The surprising part, a clinic is willing to dispense the booklet at a cost but with no vaccination without us asking for the possibility!  The reason being that they have customers/'patients' unwilling to pay for the vaccination cost.  Some people are corrupt to the core, cheating on themselves, and the clinic willingly playing along with it.  How low can one gets?

So indeed medical treatment (even non-treatment) is no longer giving treatment to the sick but more of a business dealing between willing supplier and customer.  Wondering whether medical practitioners still take that famed sacred medical oath.