HEALTH CARE IN PANAMA
Whether simply traveling, or seriously looking to settle down in Panama, health care is something you are sure to be concerned about. You dont need to worry. Quality, advanced health and dental care are definitely to be found within Panama. Best of all, you get superior patient care and technologically advanced facilities at a fraction of the cost of most other countries.
Lower Prices
 InternationalLiving.com writes that health care in Panama is “much less expensive than in the United States because 1 doctors fees and hospital visits are much cheaper 2 malpractice insurance is very low, because the laws do not allow for frivolous lawsuits and 3 the median income is around $300 a month, so health care cannot be expensive or no one would use it.”
It s true. The lower cost of living brings prices right down. It s been said Panama is non-litigious , which translates to the doctors and hospitals not having the exorbitant insurance premiums of other countries. Medications are also cheaper. Just today an American friend visiting with her Panamanian husband told me about a special cream she d been prescribed in the U.S. at a hefty $220 dollars a tube. True, she could get it for $90 from Canada, but seeing a specialist in Panama City $25 she got a prescription and found
the same cream for $20! Where does all that mark-up come from, anyway?
Health Insurance Plans and Panama
Speaking of high U.S. prices, let s turn our attention now to health insurance. Several U.S.-based health insurance providers have approved hospitals in Panama. Some more famous names are: Blue Cross Blue Shield, IHI, and World Wide Medical.
If you don t have a current plan, or would like to switch, several solid plans are available in Panama. Prices tend to range from $60-$170 per month, depending on age, deductible, and which specific hospitals are within their net.
Panama Doctors, the Patient Care
So what types of medical services are available? You name it. Most hospitals list upwards of forty specialties. Panama rightly boasts state-of-the-art technology including Virtual Doctor and Computer on Wheels capabilities. Also: top-notch medical care, popular medications, and bilingual doctors. Many doctors are U.S.- trained or accredited. In fact, several directories exist where you can peruse a doctor s photo, contact details and entire list of qualifications. Talk about online shopping!
Focus Panama states when seeking medical care outside their home country, patients “feel that they are treated with respect and that doctors are genuinely interested in them as individuals instead of making them feel like a number.” Imagine, a doctor that actually has and takes the time to speak with you. Many doctors will call you at home to check up on you, even giving
their home or cell phone number. I m not sure if it s the slower pace of life in Panama, or just the culture. Whatever the reason, you re sure to appreciate the result – great patient care.
Don t think that only
conventional medicine is to be found in Panama. Quite the opposite. Being an open-minded society, and having a rich mix of cultures, seems to have led to a curious selection of alternative or complementary medicines. You ll find old favorites - such as acupuncture and reflexology - as well as more new age methods such as Reiki healing and art therapy.
Panama Hospitals
It s true, every current, mainstream treatment is available in the Panama. Don’t let the incredibly low prices deceive you – Panama offers an array of hospitals and clinics affiliated with well-known American medical institutions.
Hospital Punta Pacifica
In Panama City you will find the two-year-old Hospital Punta Pacifica, which is the only hospital in Latin America and the Caribbean affiliated with the stellar Johns Hopkins Medicine International. The Johns Hopkins Global Health website states:
“The first digital hospital in the region, Hospital Punta Pacifica provides quality medical care and has such advantages as Virtual doctor intranet services which allow doctor to view and analyze crystal-clear digital versions of their patients’ X-Rays, MRIs, CT scans and other studies , mobile videoconferencing technology, and mobile computing wireless laptops to be used by nursing staff ...the medical campus includes affiliated physician offices occupied by more than 350 experienced specialists.”
Johns Hopkins Medicine International has even appointed a full-time Hopkins faculty member to serve as a Medical Director to the PPH project who is “charged with monitoring clinical and medical quality, assisting with patient safety protocols development and update, and providing medical consultation on various medical issues.”
Truly the most advanced hospital in the region, the most discerning of patient will obtain world-class standards of medical and dental care here – yet still at prices that will surprise and please.
Hospital San Fernando
This hospital has had a strong presence in Panama for over 58 years and is affiliated with both Tulane University, and the Baptist Health International Center of Miami. Not to be outdone by other hospitals, San Fernando boasts no less than forty-four specialties, a team of internationally trained and bilingual doctors, and a top-notch laboratory. However, there are reports of dirty facilities and poor patient care. A direct quote, “I was hospitalized there and it was a nightmare. Room was filthy, hall smelled like urine, nursing staff was unresponsive and unpleasant. Someone I know, a TYPE A diabetic, was recently hospitalized there and they changed her insulin without even consulting ... she brought her own and they gave her something completely different. Not a good thing at all.”
Finally, Hospital San Fernando is also reported to be a difficult place to get to compared to other hospitals. There is a brand new San Fernando Hospital that s under construction further out of the city in Coronado. By all accounts this new hospital is going to have all the bells and whistles of the Punta Pacifica. I ll keep you posted!
Consultorios Medicos Paitilla
There are two sides to CMP - literally. On the left side of the one-way road are several private clinics for every kind of specialist you can think of. Collectively they are called Consultorios Medicos Paitilla. On the other side of the street is the hospital Centro Medico Paitilla. The combination becomes a well-known, upper-crust type of treatment facility with a great reputation. Actually, they have a fantastic reputation and though not the most technologically advanced, they are clean, efficient and affiliated with more than one international health insurance plan. One friend and expat tells me, “I can honestly say they have saved my life, and that of my elderly mother s on more than one occasion.” That s what you want to hear, isn t it? CMP has been said to leave a bit lacking in the ease-of-discharge and paying processes. But then bureaucracy is a small price to pay for leaving in better health, no? They are also affiliated with “The Cleveland Clinic”.
Hospital Nacional
Despite its name, this well-established hospital is not a public hospital. Starting as a small OB/GYN clinic in 1973, it now has a stellar reputation for cleanliness, good care, if somewhat basic in facilities. Hospital Nacional works with all major Panamanian insurance companies, and also has a special International Insurances Department dedicated to handling international insurance programs. One U.S. veteran s daughter always, but always takes her family to this hospital...even those not covered by TriCare. It s smaller than the other hospitals, but quality care seems to be a theme. After all, it s not size, but what you do with it.
Gorgas Hospital
The Gorgas hospital previously the US Base hospital has been renamed Instituto Oncological Nacional ION . The Director, Dr Ivan Lopez, is well known around the world for his cancer work. The scientific world of cancer research specifically holds the center as one of the worlds best. Lopez and his team of doctors are constantly on the move around the world keeping up to date. Thus, the center is cutting edge.
Vivian Torijos, Panama s First Lady, is a strong supporter of the ION and is crusading for breast cancer. The institute is a Panamanian treasure and is solidly steadfast in front-line control of cancer treatment in Panama.
Panama Medical Tourism
 “Medical tourism also called medical travel or health tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling to another country to obtain health care.
Such services typically include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement knee/hip , cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries. The provider and customer use informal channels of communication-connection-contract, with less regulatory or legal oversight to assure quality and less formal recourse to reimbursement or redress, if needed.
Leisure aspects typically associated with travel and tourism may be included on such medical travel trips.” -
Wikipedia.com
Links:
http://healthinsuranceinpanama.com/15
http://www.healthpanama.com
http://www.hospitalpuntapacifica.com/
http://www.hospitalsanfernando.com/sp/portada/index.htm
http://www.hospitalnacional.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism
http://www.internationalliving.com/countries/panama/health_care
http://research.hopkinsglobalhealth.org/GlobalProjectDetail.cfm?project_id=6977&country_code=PM
http://healthinsuranceinpanama.com/15
www.healthpanama.com
www.saludpanama.com
Pilgrims would travel from all around the Mediterranean to Epidauria, home of the healing God Asklepios. Sickly Europeans used to flee the cold winters and damp climates for warmer climes in the South, or even as far as the Colonies in the blue Caribbean waters. Even now, people are still looking abroad for medical solutions, but for very different reasons. The main factors, not surprisingly, are price and quality. As such, Panama is fast becoming a popular destination for medical tourism. And who wouldn t want to travel to paradise, knowing that even though they may feel lost on a desert island...a good doctor - that won t break the bank - is just down the road? It doesn t get any better than that, now does it.
THINK PANAMA!
For All your Panama Health care, Panama Lifestyle, Panama Travel or Panama Real Estate needs, contact
Douglas M. Choy at
ThinkPanama.com. He will be happy to provide any guidance and information you may need.
|
