“You’d better find a surgeon”. But how exactly do I go about finding a surgeon? And how can any physician send off a patient with that cold, brusque advice? I go to my office and get on the phone. I talk to Giuseppe, a doctor friend of mine. He says I should call the Gemelli hospital, one of Rome’s best, and make a ‘semi-private’ appointment with a surgeon. He explains that it works like this: if you need an operation, first you pay for a private appointment. Then, after the surgeon examines you, you get put on the waiting list of the public system, so…
