They're gonna be just fine

The Scene:  My parents, having just returned from their summer sojourn in the diaspora, need to take care of some logistical issues with their health fund general practitioner... resulting in the following phone call yesterday evening:

General Practioner:  Hi, this is Dr. ________, I understand you left a message for me earlier today?

My Mother:  Yes, thanks for calling back.  We just got back from the U.S. last week.  While we were there, my doctor put me on a new drug called __________ .  However, he told me that I need to be monitored closely while I'm taking it.  He said that when I landed in Israel I had to make an appointment right away with a very good rheumatologist... can you help me with that?

General Practioner:  [~without missing a beat~] Oh darn, I'd wanted to set you up with a really bad rheumatologist.

[~pregnant pause~]

My Mother:  Um, I guess that was a silly thing for me to ask, wasn't it?

I must say, that aside from the obvious fact that my parent's GP seems to have a very nice sense of humor, I was pleased to see that mom & dad are having no trouble navigating the sometimes-frustrating socialized medical system here.