The world is a much smaller place than it used to be thanks to instant communication via the Internet. Yet, as individuals living and working in different countries we tend to focus on our own problems where we work and live. We don’t do this in a vacuum but within the context of our individual cultures. Each culture has the same basic needs, but our thought process and how we meet those needs are different.
Often I am asked what is the Ukrainian medical system like, how does it function, how is it similar and different than our system. Recently there have been two articles published that accurately describe the Ukrainian medical system from what I have experienced after living in Ukraine for seven years. The links to the two articles are Ukraine’s Hybrid Healthcare System, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7484095.stm, and Healthcare Deteriorating, Physician Shortage likely to grow, http://alisterandsarah.blogspot.com/2008/06/more-on-medical-situation.html.
Therefore, as an Americian living in Ukraine, I tend to look at the Ukrainian medical system through a different set of cultural glasses. Native people often accept their culture and traditions as correct giving little thought to how the same task is accomplished in another country. But once exposed to a different culture, the question becomes which perspective is correct, maybe both are invalid. It is here that a belief in a God who is sovereign and the author of absolute truth is a blessing. Either God is the God of all cultures or He is not God. May we all look to God who knows all and His wisdom to answer how we should provide the best medical care drawing from all cultures he created.
