Last week I decided that it was time to do something about the chest pains I have been having for several months.
I chose a private medical clinic in Boquete, "Clínica Especializada Boquete S.A." because there was an empty parking space in front of it.
Within five minutes I was speaking with Dr. Josimar Gómez. He speaks fluent English and spent some time discussing my symptoms before measuring my blood pressure and strongly recommending that I do something about it immediately.
A routine consultation costs $15. If you show up in the middle of the night it will be $40.
He prescribed blood pressure medication immediately and told me to get blood and urine tests and a chest x-ray.
I went to a medical laboratory around the corner where it took about 15 minutes to provide specimens. The results were available by email before the end of the day. Cost: $45.00.
I had to go to Hospital Chiriquí in David for the x-ray. Again, no appointment necessary, but I did have to wait over an hour, possibly because they forgot about me. Cost: $25.50 and results were available by email the next day.
After a week on the blood pressure medication I returned to Dr. Gomez, he found that my blood pressure was down to 140/80, I was no longer experiencing chest pains, and the tests did not show any serious problems.
I will continue with the blood pressure medication and talk to him again in two months.
Total cost: just over $100.
In the US I'm quite sure that the first doctor would have sent me to the hospital emergency room and the total bill would have run into thousands of dollars. They would have prescribed the most expensive tests they could think of, possibly including invasive procedures that are painful and risky, and I expect that I would still be waiting for a diagnosis.
I chose a private medical clinic in Boquete, "Clínica Especializada Boquete S.A." because there was an empty parking space in front of it.
Within five minutes I was speaking with Dr. Josimar Gómez. He speaks fluent English and spent some time discussing my symptoms before measuring my blood pressure and strongly recommending that I do something about it immediately.
A routine consultation costs $15. If you show up in the middle of the night it will be $40.
He prescribed blood pressure medication immediately and told me to get blood and urine tests and a chest x-ray.
I went to a medical laboratory around the corner where it took about 15 minutes to provide specimens. The results were available by email before the end of the day. Cost: $45.00.
I had to go to Hospital Chiriquí in David for the x-ray. Again, no appointment necessary, but I did have to wait over an hour, possibly because they forgot about me. Cost: $25.50 and results were available by email the next day.
After a week on the blood pressure medication I returned to Dr. Gomez, he found that my blood pressure was down to 140/80, I was no longer experiencing chest pains, and the tests did not show any serious problems.
I will continue with the blood pressure medication and talk to him again in two months.
Total cost: just over $100.
In the US I'm quite sure that the first doctor would have sent me to the hospital emergency room and the total bill would have run into thousands of dollars. They would have prescribed the most expensive tests they could think of, possibly including invasive procedures that are painful and risky, and I expect that I would still be waiting for a diagnosis.
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