[deepaksurti]

>> In Japan I have had mixed experiences:

Replace ‘Japan’ with ‘metro cities in India’ and its almost the same. I can’t still fathom why there would be no walk in facilities for ailments like cold.

I still remember my shock when in US I realised from a colleague that for my cold I need to wait because I can’t walk in and need to take an appointment.

[greggman2]

I noticed recently in the USA places like Walgreens you can see a doctor for colds. That seems like a great idea to me. I guess that's similar in Thailand and maybe Malaysia.

[desas]

What does a doctor do for a cold? In the UK and I wouldn't dream of going to the doctor's for a cold. You just wait it out don't you?

[kelnos]

I don't get this either. If I have a cold, I just take acetaminophen a couple times a day to suppress the symptoms until it goes away. Sure, if you're elderly or have an autoimmune deficiency, you may want to see a doc for everything, but that's not that common.

(Amusingly, I was in London a few years ago and came down with a cold. One of my local colleagues told me about this amazing thing called paracetamol that was just magic and would make me feel better. I was astounded that we didn't have it back home in the US... until I looked it up and realized it's just acetaminophen under a different name.)

[jacobush]

YES?! What the hell? Especially considering, the kind of sinus clearing pills which are forbidden (classed as a narcotic) in Sweden, they handed out in jars like candy at the US office.

[beefalo]

Walk in facilities do exist in the US, but wait times can be 2+ hours because the supply is so constrained.

[broknbottle]

There's no reason to visit a doctor for the common cold. Stay home and get some rest.. Do you take your car to the dealer or local mechanic to put air and washer fluid in your car?

[g4omingron]

>There's no reason to visit a doctor for the common cold.

That's such an american thing to say. A flu can be swine flu and fever can be Malaria or Dangue and one day delay can mean losing your life, so people in many parts of the world take fever and flu seriously.

[dagw]

A common cold and a flu are two different things.