Hi Ocean,

Interestingly enough I was told at the clinic that in China some of the cheaper and effective medicines that the doctors in the clinic recommend (medicines that they use in the US etc) are not available in China. It seems that the Chinese pharmaceutical industry has a very strong influence in what medicines are available here.

The clinic doctors let you know what is available in China and what is not.

So going to the clinic can give you other options (albeit by getting medicine sent from overseas) than just visiting a local hospital.

I never questioned the quality of the healthcare.

But why are you praising these places for not refusing treatment based on religion? That's exactly my point. Clinics should have absolutely ZERO to do with religion in the FIRST place. If they weren't set up by religious organizations, you wouldn't have to trip all over yourself being apologetic for being atheistic just to get care - which you're PAYING for anyway. With MONEY. The only REAL religion that makes the world go round. Or are you paying for the medical care with Hail Marys?

Access to medical care is every human being's basic fundamental RIGHT. You're considering yourself 'fortunate' to be admitted to a clinic when you're paying for services? How silly is that?

And people are not refused care, rich or poor in the US? That's not what I've read.

You people seem to all assume that it's some kind of charitable service they're offering and they're not making profit. How do you know that? Do you work in the accounting department?

@Magnifico, What i have read so far is people do not care if this is a christian based clinic, but in fact are just happy to have a good option for healthcare available to them. If i am in pain or sick and they can help me i am not going to debate with myself whether their affiliation goes against my beliefs. If you would re-read my previous post i said before the big health care organizations took over health care in the usa people never had to worry about getting good care regardless of financial considerations. People in usa are now often refused treatment because they cannot afford care or insurance companies refuse to pay.

Actually, some people have expressed that the DO care about the Christian part. So some posters have jumped in to defend the clinic. And I'm just challenging some of the arguments that are being made.

1 - They give to charity DOES NOT MEAN they're not making profit. Plenty of organizations that give to charity make more profit than you can ever dream of.

2 - Ok, maybe once upon a time in good ol' USA people didn't pay in these clinics. But does THIS clinic accept non-paying customers? I don't think so.

3 - They're gracious enough to accept non-believers. First of all, you're paying. Second of all, it would truly be a scary world if you had to show your religious beliefs to your doctor to get medical care if your spleen was about to explode. And that's why it's arguably unethical for religion to be mixed with medical care.

@Magnifico, My own posts here have simply been aimed at reassuring people that, in my experience, the only overtly "christian" thing about the clinic is their written ethos which explains why they make a charge to those that can afford it, despite being a charity themselves. "Gracious enough to accept non-believers" is totally your phrase. "Totally non-discriminatory" would be mine. I would be happy to be treated by Wiccans or Muslims or whomever if the treatment was helpful and the service was pleasant. At the end of the day, these are volunteer professionals offering a useful service to any and all people that want it (the poor and the better off), with no strings attached. How can that be a bad thing?

What do you mean volunteer? Charge only those who can afford it?

According to their literature, and as mentioned above, "The doctors in the clinic offer their services voluntarily" to the clinic. The clinic's charges help them in "providing and subsidizing medical care for the poor".

Many NGOs have well-intentioned people working for nothing, but it doesn't mean no one is lining their pockets and that most of the money is getting to where it claims to be going.

If you're going to the clinic at least partly on the premise that it's involved in charity work, then maybe you can do some research beyond the brochure to see if they have a good track record.

And if you're really daring, do some research into their particular belief systems and see if that's something you want to be supporting. Because basically, that's what you're doing, even though it's not in the brochure.

And if you're ...

...really sick, you can go there and get treatment. Without fear of being offered medicine, treatment, overnight observation, or an operation you don't need.

oh, i remember something happened in my last life. when i was near drowning, i ran a full research on the background of the person who came to my aid, and the great whirlpool somehow got me first. It was a great relief to me that that person is a criminal and a murderer. :-)))))))))