[nobullet]

Being a son of a physician from former USSR country I can say with the certain degree of certainty that this is not true in our times: you are lucky not to die in a line of 67 patients before you see a doctor in a state clinic. Not mentioning the MRI or X-Rays where patients wait up to 3-4 months in lines in order to get simple diagnosis. Money gives you the ability to go to private clinics and have these things done faster, often by more professional specialists. Doctors in state clinics are underpaid, often unprofessional and with lack of experience (graduated students).