When our youngest son Simon visited us for three weeks last month, we did a bit of medical tourism. He had a sebaceous cyst on his eyelid (which had been growing for about a year and a half). Our mission (Reach Beyond) has a hospital, Hospital Vozandes Quito; he saw a dermatologist and had an ultrasound on a Tuesday afternoon, had the cyst removed by a plastic surgeon Wednesday morning, and had the (3) stitches taken out in the emergency room on Sunday afternoon (he was leaving Quito early Monday morning). Total cost $186:
- $18 Dermatologist (we got a 10% missionary discount)
- $33 Ultrasound
- $129 Surgery by plastic surgeon
- $6 Stitches removed in the ER
Had we gone to one of the more modern hospitals we would have paid more. Jody sat next to a lady on a long bus ride who happens to go to the same glaucomologist at Hospital Metropolitano. Her doctor recommended that she have her cataract surgery at Hospital Vozandes for $2,000 rather than at Hospital Metropolitano for $4,000.
Here is a random collection of our medical expenses:
- Jody’s eye expenses
- $60 Appointment with glaucomologist
- $40 Field of vision test
- $35 Month’s supply of Krytan-tek, glaucoma eye drops
- $35 Month’s supply of Travatan Bak-free, glaucoma eye drops
- Jody’s annual physical
- $17 Initial doctor appointment (at Reach Beyond clinic, with an English-speaking doctor)
- $44 Blood tests
- $22 Bone scans (densitometria osea 2 puntos)
- $79 Mammogram
- $9 Ear Wax removal by nurse
- $17 Followup visit with doctor
- $311 Boniva, 12 monthly doses (with $105 discount for buying a year’s supply)
- Vaccinations (at Reach Beyond clinic)
- $25/dose Rabies (first, second, and third dose) (Verorab)
- $75 & $21 Pneumonia vaccine (1st dose: Prevenar 13V X 1 JER PRE X0.5ml); (2nd dose: Imovax pneumo 23 Vacuna)
- $8 DT vaccine (Imovax DT)
- $22 Typhoid (Typhim)
- $12 & 26 Hepatitis A (first dose: Havrix Adulto 1440; second dose: Avaxim Adulto)
- Scott’s orthopedic care (at Hospital Vozandes (for foot he broke in Costa Rica))
- $18 Orthopedist appointment
- $28 X-ray of foot
- $30 Initial physical therapy session with evaluation
- $11 Subsequent physical therapy sessions
For our friends living in other Latin American countries, how do these health care costs compare with your experience?