Doctors, hospitals and pharmacies

We have been quite pleased with the quality of health care we have encountered here in Cuenca.  As we mentioned before, there are three major private hospitals, Santa Ines, Monte Sinai, and Hospital Del Rio (a new teaching hospital run by a US conglomerate).  The hospitals are clean, have modern equipment and are staffed by unusually caring personnel (something we seldom encountered in the US).  Next to the hospitals are the Consultorios, or office buildings where the doctors have offices and see patients. Many speak English and, if you have an English speaking doctor, he or she will often take you to a Spanish speaking referral and translate for you. It is also not unusual for a doctor to make a house call. How many of us can remember that happening? There are a number of public hospitals where military families, Social Security patients or anyone with a cedula can be treated at little or no cost. They are a lot less desirable as they are not especially clean and are extremely crowded. A patient must go to the hospital at four in the morning to get an appointment to see a doctor or be admitted except in an emergency.  Almost all the expats we know use private hospitals and have been quite pleased with the quality of service. Health care is inexpensive compared to the US and Europe and, we have heard, compares favorably with Canadian costs. Health care plans are expensive and are notorious in not paying claims. Most expats choose to self-insure and use a pay-as-you-go system. Pharmacies are all over town with a few chains like Fybeca, the largest. Many of the over the counter prescriptions and brands of cosmetics, dental, shaving, and other items you are accustomed to are available. But there are a few that are limited. Cold medications are few and far between possibly because we seldom get colds. The steady weather conditions rather than the changing seasons up North, may be why. There are vitamins but only a few like C, Ginko and other herbal types but, unusually, not B12 complex or minerals. Aspirin only comes in 500 and 100 mg sizes. Most medications other than narcotics can be obtained at the pharmacies without a prescription. The pharmacists are excellent in advising what to take if you describe your symptoms. There is usually a generic available if they do not have your exact medication. Bring an empty bottle so they can see the exact ingredients. Magazines for sale in the pharmacies are all sealed in plastic possibly to prevent you from reading them and not buying.  The pharmacies are small compared to CVS or Walgreens but are adequate in most departments. Dental care is inexpensive compared with North America and often up to US standards. When you sum it all up, the quality of health care, the cost and ready accessibility of medical help in the city of Cuenca, plus the availability of an enormous variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, makes good health something to look forward to here in the mountains of Ecuador.