In a more flattering way of commenting on the Federals, one could say that their lives and work were very orderly.
They planned everything in advance, from what they would do between nine and ten on Monday morning, to what they would do between ten-oh-five and ten-fifteen...all the way down to the last second before quitting time.
It was not just a day's schedule. It might be a schedule stretching over an entire week or even longer.
But from another perspective, this was rigid and inflexible.
The same went for the Federal medical system.
Even if you were on the verge of dying, as long as you were not dead yet, a regular hospital would require you to first find your private doctor and obtain a preliminary diagnosis, then call the relevant hospital department to make an appointment for an in-person consultation.
The department would arrange for you to receive diagnosis and treatment at the earliest available time. If you were lucky, it might be tomorrow. If you were unlucky, it might be a week later.
As for whether you were about to die, your word did not count. You needed a diagnosis from your private doctor!
Only when he believed you were about to die were you actually about to die! What? Couldn't wait?
You could go to the emergency room. Of course, many medicines and treatment devices there were non-covered drugs and medical services, so they were slightly more expensive...
Federal government agencies were the same. No matter what you wanted to do, you had to make an appointment first.
This had already become a code of conduct in Federal society. From top to bottom, almost everything worked this way.
Even selling smuggled alcoholic beverages required an appointment!
If you wanted to cut in line, you not only