David Nebel, A German Traveler Praises India’s Government Healthcare System (Image Source: Internet)
New Delhi: A German travel content creator has praised India’s government healthcare system after receiving free treatment at a public hospital in Surat, Gujarat. The traveller, David Nebel, shared his experience in a video that has now gone viral on Instagram.
Nebel, who has been travelling around the world for the past nine years, said he was bitten by a street dog and needed urgent medical care to prevent rabies infection. He decided to visit a government hospital in Surat for treatment.
In the video, Nebel expressed surprise at how smoothly his treatment went. “Last night I got bitten by a street dog. I have to take some precautions for rabies. So, I went to a government hospital here in India and I was quite surprised.
I got the treatment for free,” he said. He added that he was required to take multiple injections as part of the anti-rabies treatment but was impressed by the overall experience. “I need to get four injections, that’s a bit annoying. But still, I was really surprised how quick and clean the service was,” he said.
Nebel also pointed out that such treatment for foreigners in Germany would not be free. “Back home, foreigners would not get treated for free in a hospital. So that’s impressive,” he added, saying he was “positively surprised” by the care he received.
The video quickly gained attention online receiving over 3.3 lakh views and hundreds of comments. Many users appreciated India’s public healthcare system and shared their own thoughts. Some users advised caution about animal bites and stressed the importance of completing the full course of rabies injections.
“In India, if you are bitten or scratched by a cat, dog or monkey, always go to a government hospital,” one user commented. Another user wrote, “In the USA, your five years of savings would have been gone. Lol.” A third user highlighted the seriousness of rabies treatment, saying, “Don’t take it lightly and complete the doses.”
The clip also sparked comparisons with healthcare systems in other countries. One user mentioned long waiting times abroad, saying they even returned to India for surgery due to delays in Germany. The video continues to circulate widely on social media, drawing attention to India’s public healthcare services and how they are perceived by foreign visitors.
