‘Moving abroad is not a bed of roses’: Doctor compares what healthcare is like in India & the UK

A late-night trip to a pharmacy gave an Indian doctor a fresh perspective on a convenience she says people in the country often take for granted: being able to get medicines when they are needed, even at 10 pm.

Dr Deepanjali Sharma shared the experience on Instagram after her husband, who is also a doctor, suddenly fell ill. He had developed a headache in the evening and then began vomiting repeatedly, prompting her to step out for medicines and IV injections.

"Right now it's 10:00 PM, and my husband, who is also a doctor, is sick right now," she said in the video. He had "a slight headache since the evening", she explained, before he "started vomiting back-to-back".

Watch the viral post here:

The doctor said she was heading out to get medicines and IV injections for him. The situation, she added, made her realise that "it is such a blessing to be in India".

Why she brought up healthcare abroad

The experience also prompted a comparison with healthcare access in the UK and other Western countries.

She said that if she were in the UK, being a doctor herself would not necessarily mean she could avoid waiting for medical help. "Because if I were in the UK right now, or in any Western country, irrespective of the fact that I'm a doctor, I would have had to wait in line," she said.

She also raised the possibility of longer waits at emergency departments, which she described as overloaded. According to her, "it's possible that in the emergency department—which stays so overloaded—my husband wouldn't have received immediate assistance right away."

Access to medicines was another difference she highlighted. Even as a doctor and certified clinical practitioner, she said, "you don't get over-the-counter medications there for me, being a doctor and certified clinical practitioner, to just pick up medicines for my husband."

In India, however, she was able to leave home late at night, buy the medicines and return to care for her husband.

The experience led her to push back against the idea that moving abroad automatically means a better or easier life. "So, to anyone who thinks that moving abroad is all hunky-dory and a bed of roses—it's not," she said, pointing out that there can be "many struggles" and that things taken for granted in India can become difficult elsewhere.

She also urged people not to automatically see living in India as a disadvantage, saying, "It just depends on how you use your situation, and yeah, that's about it."

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She acknowledged India's healthcare gaps

The post was not intended to suggest that India's healthcare system is perfect. In a follow-up clarification, the doctor acknowledged the problems that still exist in the country.

"It's always very easy to look at the not-so-good aspects of our own country, India, without realising how moving & living abroad is not a bed of roses either!" she wrote.

She added that there are "definitely loads of things that need improvement in our country", but said people should also remember that "no country offers a 100/100 best-case-scenario experience to us!"

The doctor further clarified that she was speaking about the advantages available to her personally and that the same level of access may not be available to everyone in India.

Her post has since sparked discussion around the small, everyday differences in healthcare and access to medicines that can become more noticeable when people compare life in India with living abroad.

One user wrote, "Good thing he got some viral infection and you are taking care of it right away! Just imagine he gets an MI, stroke or god forbid he gets in ever so common car accident! You will feel really really blessed being in India!!! Are you really a doctor??? There is a difference between convenience and acuity of medical problem!!"

Another user agreed with the point about accessibility, saying, "That's true. Accessibility for medicines and healthcare is the best in India. Especially for elective cases." The user also acknowledged that "there are multiple things wrong with Indian healthcare as well but not Accessibility", while pointing out that "work life balance is better for doctors in these western countries."