I called friends who live abroad to find out whether it is customary to thank doctors with some gifts. Bashny.Net

Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. Every last habit. Many Ukrainian IDPs are faced with a dilemma: whether it is necessary to drag a foreign doctor a huge bag with pestilence, or a word of gratitude for help will be enough. Let's deal with it. "Site".



It so happened that me and my two best friends were scattered around the world after February 2022. I settled in Italy, Larissa in Germany, and Svetlana in Poland. We haven't lost touch. We often call on the Internet, share news and experience of immersion in a new society.

At one time, each of us had to deal with local medicine. And the ensuing issues. How to thank the doctor for the work done? Is that even worth doing?

I shoveled a lot of forums and public pages of “ours in Italy”, talked with Ukrainian neighbors. And here's what I learned.



How to thank a doctor in Italy? Opinions in the forums are expected to be divided. One young lady, who married an Italian 2 years ago, was inexorable: in Italy it is not customary to thank specialists financially. Here, no one puts envelopes in the offices of officials, does not carry flowers for the first of September and does not puzzle about what to give teachers.

This rule applies to doctors as well. If the doctor does a little more than his duties, it is called humanity. Giving gifts on holidays and Christmas is accepted only to those doctors with whom you have become friends.



The gift should be symbolic, inexpensive. You can present a Ukrainian souvenir: candy in thematic gift packages, traditional tincture kalganovka or ceramic statuette. Italians also appreciate handmade. Everything else is corruption, which our compatriots bring with them from their homeland.

Words of gratitude for the help: what to give Italian doctors Here opinions are divided. Most Ukrainian women in Italy stood up for material gratitude. According to them, many Italian doctors rejoice in the attention and appreciation of their work.



If you want to say “thank you” not only in words, buy a portioned sweet cookie in the pastichery (Italian confectionery). Fruit or candy will do. The doctor will be able to share the treat with colleagues or nurses.

The most responsible doctor will be pleased to get a good vintage wine, prosciutto, hard Manchego cheese. My neighbor told me that the ritual of gifting is as developed among Italians as ours. Gifted people show gratitude and do not judge anyone. Therefore, in hospitals you will not surprise anyone with crates of vegetables and fruits or a couple of liters of homemade wine.



If a person with low incomes can not afford to make an expensive gift, he can simply give the attending physician a pack of good coffee and sugar.

The biggest prohibition is money! Please, no cash envelopes. It might offend your doctor to the core. The best way to do this is to write a thank you book. You can ask for it at the registry.

In these countries, the situation is about the same. Presentations to doctors in Poland are not particularly in use. It is better to leave a good review about the doctor - on social networks or a book of compliments. You can also write a thank you letter to the doctor and pass it to the head of the medical institution.

In Germany, it is customary to give a doctor baskets with sweets and delicacies (good coffee or tea, buns from expensive bakeries, sausages and meat slices from a good butcher).



Unlike in Italy, you won’t be convicted of a thank-you card or a small sum of money. On them, the medical staff buys coffee, tea, cream and cookies for joint breakfasts. Also, the general cash register is divided for all or spent on joint rest.

My friend from Germany has a German friend. After her 6-year-old daughter was successfully operated on, she asked the child to draw a picture for the doctors and write "Danke". Such drawings, as well as photos of happy healthy children after discharge with words of gratitude, doctors happily hang in the corridor or in their reception room. To the next patients' delight.



If you find it difficult to get rid of the desire to reward a foreign doctor in addition to paying for the service, remember: words of gratitude for help are the best reward. No one will be offended if you don't bring a gift. That's normal.

Did you have to choose a gift for doctors abroad? Do you support the idea of financial gratitude for the work of the doctor? Share your story in the comments.