Travel to Costa Rica with IBD
By Joe Richards - 2008-01-03
Find more articles like this in our Disability travel category.
Traveling internationally with IBD can be a challenge. Costa Rica is a great place to travel to with IBD, and this article provides 5 reasons to prove it.
Traveling internationally with IBD can be a challenge. Costa Rica is a great place to travel to with IBD, and this article provides 5 reasons to prove it.
Gastritis: Costa Rica is has a high rate of what they call "gastritis", inflammation of the intestine. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and regular people are very familiar with gastrointestinal inflammation
Excellent: health care Doctor who work for private clinics are required to also work in public facilities to ensure there isn't a gap in care quality.
Health care is cheap: Emergency care is free at hospitals, and if you do have to pay for anything ever, it's a few hundred dollars or less.
Medications widely available: Every town has a pharmacy, and they're one of the few places open late!
Hassle free medications: Pharmacists have the authority and training to sell medications without a prescription.
White-faced monkey in Costa Rica | |
My story - I was hospitalized once with a flare-up in Costa Rica and it was my best treatment experience ever. Fast, cheap, and good. I was in a small, isolated rural beach town and had a flare-up. I had two choices: go to a private clinic in a one-horse town a half hour away, or go about 4 hours to the closest hospital (not far in distance, but required waiting for a ferry to take us across the peninsula). I was skeptical of the private clinic, imagining high costs and inadequate care. I was wrong.
I arrived to the clinic where a nurse doubling welcomed us and called the doctor to come in (he comes in when there are patients). Five minutes later, I was in an air conditioned room with a well-trained doctor and nurse there to treat me, and only me. They quickly got me hooked up to an IV and got some pain medication in me. The doctor, who spoke English, asked me what my symptoms were and what treatment is usually effective.
It wasn't that he didn't know what he was doing. In Costa Rica, and in many other countries, doctors understand that people know their bodies and how their bodies respond to certain treatments. I know when I'm having a flare-up. I've had about 2 a year for the last 10 years. Every time I go to the hospital they do about $10,000 worth of tests, but ultimately only give me prednisone, pain medication, and IV fluids.
I quickly felt better, and an hour later I paid about $100 for the service and medications. No HMO or surprise bills. The pharmacy was right next door and I immediately got my prescriptions. Another bonus--If I needed to be seen again regarding the same problem, the private clinic would see me free of charge at any of its locations throughout Costa Rica.
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