Team-BHP - Emigrating to a Foreign Land!

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Originally Posted by sunilch (Post 4743425)

CA/AU/UK - Public healthcare there is simply overburdened and you face issues with appointments and quality of diagnosis at elementary level. Doctors are great in terms of skill and knowledge but as you have already read - they are high in demand and hence long appointment wait times.

From my experience of living in Australia for three years, I would beg to differ. The basic medical treatment is available without much hassle but specialist appointments and non life threatening procedures are a bit of problem. But that is applicable only if you go through public health care system.

If you have a private insurance, we can skip all waiting and choose our own hospital and doctors etc.

I would say the treatment system is vastly different in two countries. I am not sure it is good or bad. Just mentioning few observations.

Had been to doctors for kids regular cough and colds. I don't remember Dr prescribing an antibiotic for them. Similarly had seen multiple child births in our circle. There has not been any cesarean cases. We all know how common is cesarean in India.

There is absolutely no doubt that if you can pay healthcare in India can surpass even USA in some cases. Even with a high tier health insurance getting hold of a specialist is a bit difficult in USA unless it is an emergency. Better than UK.

However, in India if you can pay, you will get very good care. And if you are really in that coveted bracket where you have doctors in your close family, its no big deal walking into a specialists clinic after it closes, getting yourself checked up. If its a small child the "family friend" will come to your home.
This is also true for countries like Thailand and Malaysia. If you can pay, care surpasses the west.

That is why medical tourism exists. Most of the people who do medical tourism arent those too poor to afford healthcare in USA, but those who have an insurance, but due to high deductibles, a big dental job or a heart surgery will cost a lot there with average care, and for same or lesser than can get 5 star care.
As a results of this, we personally get the free annual wellness checkup here in USA, but if there is some other annoyance, lets say an ankle pain after some hard physical regime, and an India trip is lined up, well the super specialist is just a dinner away ;)

As a counter argument, people who can afford world class healthcare are often in top 0.5 % income bracket in India (income above 20L/annum pre tax). Well if you were 0.5% in california (2 million approx a year), even you would be able to afford world class care

So from that perspective, its not where you live, but what you are where you live.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Nobody (Post 4743434)

My first post here. Does it make sense to think to go live outside India now that i'm already 30 and unmarried? I don't earn much here so the only lure is a better salary. Can we find jobs for outside India like in Dubai here in India itself ? I work as a Digital Marketing Manager right now.

Yes, you can find very high paying jobs in India, but in very niche STEM domains like AI, chip design, Data science(some).

For marketing, etc., you have to be something like VP of marketing to get that.
Now coming to better salary, you can choose to go out, spend 5-6 years and then come back to India with a good saving kitty as you are unmarried.

Moves get more tricky after marriage, and even trickier if you have kids, and infinitely more trickier if those kids are going to school

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Originally Posted by xcentrk (Post 4742825)

I'm not bothered about interaction with people but their interference in our life decisions. So as long as they don't handhold me to my life path I will be fine. Thanks for clearing that up!

If you embed yourself deep within a social system comprising fellow Indians and people from the same state you hail from, then expect to be lectured on how you should live your life and so on. Basic nature wouldn't change just because people live in a different country.

One thing I can assure is that other people are usually too busy leading their own lives to bother interfering in yours. Most people maintain good personal fences and it should be easy to maintain yours too. Atleast that seems to have worked well for us. Open up to those you would like to, else maintain your personal space.

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Originally Posted by xcentrk (Post 4742825)

I always wanted to work/move in english speaking country, especially Canada/Australia. Even tried to do my MS there, but things didn't work out back then(around 2004-2005). Since then I tried to get into companies which will provide onsite opportunities but no luck. In fact, even in 2018, I was attending interviews and Europe region and even got an offer but my first kid's medical condition made me stay back.

But now, without even trying, I was welcomed with an opportunity which I always wanted. Couple that with things happening to me, I felt this will be a great decision. I'm a person who always wanted to lead a decent life and give better life for my family. This is why I'm deciding to move and I can understand the kind of stress it would put for the first few months. I had a hard time when I first started working in Malaysia for a year. But this time it's different. Why? Because I plan to move with my wife and daughter, as soon as I settle in. Except couple of known issues, I don't see any major problems with this move.

I know this is not an overnight process and it may very well take 6-9 months. And I hope I can convince my family about this and if things work out, it will not be me who want to settle but my wife & kid. Let's see how things turn out.

Your story sounds a lot like mine. To sum up my experience, the hardest part of settling in a new place is if you do not have a decent job when you start, which is not an issue in your case with this opportunity. Else, involve yourself with learning, experiencing and adapting to a new environment, where your previous life history doesn't determine your status, and keep an open mind. You will enjoy your new life. :thumbs up

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Originally Posted by benbsb29 (Post 4743466)

Noted and agreed. Looks like some things never change!

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Thanks a lot for embracing words. I am now in process of discussing with my wife and convince her before I make any move. Fingers crossed!

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Originally Posted by pedrolourenco (Post 4744089)

I had posted this in 2015. Subsequently I gave up the idea. But now I'm thinking again. Problem is most of the jobs I can get are in Singapore. Not too keen on that as salaries are not that great compared to the cost of living. I'm looking for openings in Europe as settling there is quite easy for me.

Have you already moved ashore? Well if not, it could be a good idea to start up in Singapore and then slowly move to Europe.
For seafarers as I see it, there is only a starting trouble for getting a shore job. The attrition rates in Ship management companies are very high so within a couple of years of joining a company they normally change.
In India most well paying jobs will be in Mumbai. But getting an international exposure eases up chances to move to other countries. Singapore being Singapore, is still among the best places to be in Marine Industry.

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Originally Posted by centaur (Post 4743399)

In Canada, a friend of mine had a kid less than a year old. One fine day his ear started bleeding. Since the kid was a toddler,they immediately took him to the hospital at night around 8.30. They were asked to wait in the lounge and at 12.30 they were asked to go into one of the rooms. The doctor came at 1 in the night, just superficially looked at it and said she will refer them to an ENT as she is not an ENT and not qualified to diagnose. The ENT they were referred to, gave them an appointment after around 5-6 weeks. By then the kid had completely healed fortunately. When they asked the ENT on the delay for the appointment, he said that they got an early appointment infact because it was a kid. For adults, the appointment wait times run into months or at time years. There are many other such instances I have known from my friend and relatives in these two countries.

Will there be any problem if your spouse/relative works in a Govt hospital there? Will they get priority treatment?

(I'm asking this since 90% of immigrants from Kerala are in the medical profession in Canada)

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Originally Posted by MaxTorque (Post 4743460)

We all know how common is cesarean in India.

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Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 4743461)

And if you are really in that coveted bracket where you have doctors in your close family, its no big deal walking into a specialists clinic after it closes, getting yourself checked up.

This is THE absolute truth irrespective of which country and whatever income bracket you are in. A known, trusted doctor is the best thing you can have in your life for your health and your family's. I've had two personal experiences where I've first consulted doctors I didn't know after injuries because they were at big hospitals close to home and in both cases they advised surgeries immediately.

In each case I decided to wait a bit, ask around and go to doctors through some family/professional acquaintances and they advised against surgery.

And both times I recovered just fine! Goes to show the number of unnecessary surgeries that are being conducted.

I think I remember some Frederick Forsyth novel where he says something about every man needing to have his lawyer, his doctor and his banker among his close friends. I guess it still holds good in the case of doctors!

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Originally Posted by Mr. Nobody (Post 4743434)

Does it make sense to think to go live outside India now that i'm already 30 and unmarried? I don't earn much here so the only lure is a better salary.

I don't have any experience living outside India, but IMHO, with your flexible situation you should basically explore any option that takes your fancy in life! :)

You don't have dependents and neither do you have the 'golden chain' of a big salary/big expenses that prevents you from taking risks. So I'd say take the plunge, go explore another country, another culture! Obviously, you'll want to research carefully about the cost of living in the new country. A bigger salary on paper in city that's very expensive for expats may end up being worse value than staying at home.

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Originally Posted by MaxTorque (Post 4743460)

I will agree with this, based on my experience in Finland for the past 6+ years. I haven't opted for private insurance either.

Having been accustomed to the healthcare system in India, it might take some change it mindset to adjust to the healthcare system elsewhere. What I mean is that in India we are accustomed to seeing a doctor, usually even a specialist doctor, for almost anything. Here, specialist care is strictly on need-basis. Also, what we perceive as "emergency" may not be perceived as such based on "cold, hard medical facts" and this could lead to some kind of disillusionment with the healthcare system. For an immediate life-threatening situation, calling the emergency number will ensure quick response and possibly immediate specialist care if it is warranted.

I can give a few examples from my experience over the years.
1. A couple of years back, our son lost his balance while playing near the bed and hit his forehead on it. There was a small wound and he was bleeding. We were able to stop the bleeding within a couple of minutes and did not waste any time in taking him to the emergency room at the nearest hospital (we were there within probably 20-25 minutes of him getting injured). After waiting for a few minutes, we were able to see a doctor. But then, the doctor asked us, why did you have to come - the bleeding has stopped, your son did not lose consciousness at any point of time, he is able to walk/talk normally - so there was no need for you to come. He then proceeded to give us an information bulletin on how to deal with head injuries and in what situations should we seek immediate medical assistance. Only thing he asked us to do was to wake up our son during the night every 2-3 hours and speak to him to see if he is able to respond normally. Needless to say, we had a few sleepless nights.

2. Recently, my wife had swelling on her calf on one leg and we got a doctor's appointment after couple of weeks. The doctor ordered a blood test. The results were available on the same day and the doctor called in the evening to say that the result shows some infection and asked us to go to the emergency room in the hospital to get an ultrasound to check for clots. We were obviously concerned and did as he asked. At the hospital, they used a handheld doppler scanner to check the blood flow above the knee and concluded that "there is nothing life-threatening about the situation and hence they won't be doing the ultrasound examination of the calf as an emergency". They asked us to come back the next day for the ultrasound.

3. A few years back, a friend of ours was stung by some kind of insect at home and had an immediate allergic reaction. There was swelling on her face, neck and she was having breathing difficulties. Emergency number was called and they responded in under 10 minutes, giving first aid and then shifting her to the hospital. Needless to say, she got specialist care and was released from hospital after being under observation for a few hours.

In India, situations 1 and 2 above might see the doctor beaten up for negligent medical practices :Shockked:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Nobody (Post 4743434)

You are young & single - if not now, then when?! Go see the world if you can - if you don't like it, you can always come back without any issues that an older person / family would face.

Don't go for the money - you may be disappointed in developed countries (unless you live hand to mouth, sharing a room etc.), but go for the cultural experience and the skills you will get.