Ever been out on Saturday night (or any night if you are
in paradise on holiday!) and felt particularly good about
your self, and decided to add to that “feel good”
mood by having a couple of drinks? You’re on such a
high that you feel the world is your oyster, and just at that
moment you notice a really good looker a few tables away,
and guess what? He / she is looking right back at you! A few
more drinks gives you the courage to strike up a conversation,
and guess what? You get along really well and you seem to
have a lot in common! As the night progresses you realize
that you were made for each other: hands touch, arms touch,
cheeks touch, hips touch, and guess what? Before long you’re
taking each other home. The doors of the bedroom close and
the rest is history, at least ‘til the next morning.
You rustle up some breakfast together, and as you sip on coffee
in the afterglow of romance and lust, you start to sense that
this feeling that you are experiencing could be a one way
call. Your new found friend hastily dresses, checking what
seems to be a multitude of messages on the mobile phone, addressing
his/her calendar to see where and when they are supposed to
be. Where-ever they are supposed to be is not with you. A
quick kiss on the cheek followed by “hey, I really enjoyed
last night. We should get together again sometime. I’ll
give you a call”, and they are gone. The call will never
come; they don’t even have your number! So you sit in
the aftermath of “the one night stand”.
I see a “dumped” one-night-stander about twice
a week. They come to my office and the very first words they
say are “I can’t believe I was so stupid”.
Well I can. We are all slaves to our own need to be loved
and wanted at some time in our lives, so don’t be too
hard on yourself. Having said that, if you think you might
end up finding comfort in the wrong place with the wrong body,
carry a couple of condoms with you. They cost about Rp 20,000
a pack and you can get them pretty much anywhere these days.
(Circle K has them and they are on every corner). The next
thing they say to me is “test me for everything!”
That’s when I turn around and say “Can you afford
it?” The complete “one night stand” package
can cost as much as 2 million rupiah (USD $200.00), and many
health insurance companies do not cover for sexually transmitted
diseases. That’s right, ouch! The breakdown goes something
like this: (note that these are estimations and each clinic
/ lab may have different prices)
• HIV test Rp 275,000
• Culture of vaginal discharge Rp 265,000
• Routine Hematology Rp 68,000
• Chlamydia Rp 382,000
• Hepatitis B (Anti HBsAg) Rp 105,000
• Hepatitis B (Anti HBs) Rp 105,000
• Hepatitis C Rp 275,000
• Syphillis Rp 42,000
• Herpes II Rp 140,000
• Gonorrhea Rp 40,000
• Trichomonas Rp 30,000
Add to this the doctor’s fee and the cost of any necessary
treatment. Some of the above tests may have to be repeated
in several months time or if any symptoms become apparent.
And what about pregnancy ladies? Oops, did that slip your
mind? If you were in the fertile time of your month and you
are not taking any contraception you’d better have an
IUD (spiral) inserted straight away (this will prevent implantation
of the embryo) or take the morning after pill. These are available
here, although not always easy to find. I usually keep a good
supply at my office, so you can give me a call! If you suspect
that a pregnancy could occur, don’t wait until you miss
a period. Abortion is difficult to get in this country. And
for the gentlemen that think pregnancy is of no concern to
them think again. Unless you have had a vasectomy you are
a likely candidate to get noosed by an opportunistic lady-of-the-night
who may try to pin a pregnancy on you. I have seen more than
several well-meaning blokes that have decided to do the right
thing and support a child which they believe to be theirs,
when actually they are not the father at all. So there you
have it folks, sorry to be a wet blanket on your big night
out but from where I sit that little rubber fifty cent rain-coat
is looking pretty good.
“Kim Patra is a qualified Registered Nurse and Midwife
that has been living and working in Bali for almost twenty
years. She now runs her own private practice and medical referral
service from her Kuta office. Kim is happy to discuss any
health concerns with you and she may be contacted via e-mail
at info@chcbali.com”.
