In the morning, I spent a long time googling what a foreigner should do in a case like mine, especially without insurance. Because of my shyness and anxiety, I always have a problem when there's no ready-made recipe for how to act in a given situation. I found a universal short number for non-emergency medical help in Scotland — 111. It turned out that socialist ideas are traditionally stronger in Scotland than in other parts of the United Kingdom. (Which, by the way, influenced the work of Banks, whom I mentioned earlier). So, this number is supported by the state, rather than private clinics and organizations like in other parts of the UK. As a result, it is reliably accessible at any off-hour anywhere in Scotland, at least in theory.
Alas, I couldn't get through to it from my Latvian number. Try as I might, I couldn't dig up a long number or a website. So much for socialism. Free and universal, but efficiency and forethought are down the drain. In the end, I said screw it, and just decided to go to the nearest hospital in the morning, called the Royal Infirmary, since it was relatively close, albeit by bus.
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