Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
So, after being prompted by Yayow to share more, I do remember an incident of interest from my last trip:
I had spent much of the day with my "date". We went to the Rio (a river where the locals like to go swimming and day camping. I never found out the exact name). It was near the Santiago turnoff on the way from Puerto Plata to Sosua. The weather wasn't kind and we were not only rained out, but we motoconcho'd through quite a bit of rain too. So...I invited my date and her kids back to my condo for a swim in the pool. A very rare treat for them, and one I will not repeat often. But it was an even greater hit when DominicanBilly cooked the little rascals (and me) some hot dogs.
While there, my date was sitting on a railing. She noticed one of her boys misbehaving and made a quick turn, skidding her butt across the pine railing. To make a long story short, a couple of inches of pine splinter was quickly embedded into her posterior, right through her jeans.
She asked me to help remove it, but as tempting as the offer was, the splinter was deep, and it had broken off about 1/2 inch deep into her buttocks. After some deliberation we decided that it had to be removed, and that we couldn't do it.
We called a motoconcho and rode to the public hospital on Avenida Circunvacion Sur (the main highway through Puerto Plata). The poor girl was one-cheeking it all the way...a real trooper. Entering Emergencia, we were directed to the trauma unit. There were three triage persons, three surgeons, and three interns? I really couldn't tell for sure. But it was like a MASH unit from the TV show, but in a cinder block building, not a tent. There were two young men on tables being operated upon, in plain view, and in obvious pain. I suspect they were victims of motorcycle accidents. I didn't (and couldn't, given my lack of Spanish) ask.
A triage person talked to my date and directed us to a table where she unceremoniously pulled down her pants to show her injury. They were insistent to know what type of wood...caoba or pino? I replied pino. I don't know what the significance was, but I am Canadian. I can recognize pine when I see it. An obviously senior doctor inspected the wound and directed the intern?. Then, he left and we were in the younger person's hands. He injected some freezing into the wound, withdrew his scalpel and proceeded to cut. I held onto my date's hands while she cringed. She was very brave but in pain...the freezing hadn't yet set.
After a few slices and much blood, he withdrew nearly an inch of wood and proceeded to stitch her up. Four stitches later we were presented with a piece of pine, a piece of paper and were invited to leave.
The paper was a prescription and we filled it at the pharmacy attached to the public hospital. The cost for 8 days antibiotics and some painkillers was 60 pesos. I only had a 100 peso bill. They didn't have the correct change. So...in a very unexpected turn of events, they gave me 50 pesos change. I guess they're not used to gouging Gringos there.
We took another motoconcho back...had to retrieve the kids.
The total time elapsed, including motoconcho rides...less than an hour. The total cost...150 pesos. 100 pesos for the two motoconcho rides, and 50 pesos for the medicine. The emergency medical treatment, while not fancy, was clean, efficient and FREE!!! No bureacracy, no paperwork. Just triage, repair, and release.
So here I sit, back in Canada. I remember last year when I sliced my thumb open fixing a furnace flue. I spent four hours in emergency just to get three stitches. And the deductible on my health insurance was about 20 dollars. I know we're only talking emergency trauma medicine here, but I really have to rethink what value our expensive Canadian health system brings. There was nothing fancy about the public hospital in Puerto Plata, but it was clean, efficient, and effective.
As a side note, this same lady's youngest child was ill with a fever and dehydration a few days later. She took him to a clinic, not the hospital. The hospital was good enough for her, but not for her children. That cost me 500 pesos...still cheap by Canadian standards. And no, it was not a ruse...I paid the clinic bill myself. I did not give the money to the lady.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Interesting story. I am glad it turned out well but I have heard only bad things of that hospital. I am surprised Billy did not recommend you go to one of the two private clinics in Puerto Plata. One is Bournigal, cannot remember the name of the other. Would cost you ten times as much but less chance of acquiring an infection. Maybe you got priority treatment because it was working on a chica's buttock? If it had been your sad old ass you would have been at the back of a two hour queue.
It won't happen again because after my regular's two little monsters stayed at Harbor View Billy is banning kids from the pool.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Actually I have heard a few good stories regarding medical services in POP. I for one consider myself lucky been here almost 2 yrs steady and haven't had to go to one, knock on wood.
Erik S. had a story a few months back from one of his trip reports when he assisted taking a friend of his novia to one of the clinics in POP and the service was excellent as well.
Plus one of my buddies from NY fell badly in Sosua, while being a drunken fool and was taken to I guess one of the clinics in POP, again the service was excellent, the work was superb based on what his doctor told him when he returned to NY. Plus his insurance reimbursed him what he had to pay out of pocket when he returned back home.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
But what about the hack job they do on all these sometimes unnecessary Cesarean sections they perform? All precedures don't call for the quick patch up job!!
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
psriches
But what about the hack job they do on all these sometimes unnecessary Cesarean sections they perform? All precedures don't call for the quick patch up job!!
I read somewhere recently (probably DR1?) that the DR has the highest rate of Caesarean births in the world (around 45%).
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Yeah I have noticed many of the amputees as well. I guess they save their best work for the gringos and the chcias that arrive with gringos. As far as their poor countrymen they just get patched up.
As with most things I guess money talks although Terrierist's account wasn't expensive by any stretch.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
weyland
Interesting story. I am glad it turned out well but I have heard only bad things of that hospital. I am surprised Billy did not recommend you go to one of the two private clinics in Puerto Plata. One is Bournigal, cannot remember the name of the other. Would cost you ten times as much but less chance of acquiring an infection. Maybe you got priority treatment because it was working on a chica's buttock? If it had been your sad old ass you would have been at the back of a two hour queue.
It won't happen again because after my regular's two little monsters stayed at Harbor View Billy is banning kids from the pool.
From what I observed, they followed very good sterile procedures. Their protocols regarding masks, gloves, etc. was exemplary. The instruments were sterile and covered until use, and the wound was properly cleaned. About the only thing that would be different there than anywhere else would be airborne infections...it was not very private.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
It's time for you guys to check out Dario Contreras in Santo Domingo. I had a friend who died there, after getting stabbed in the leg to steal his motorbike.
He died from infection, a month later. Watching him go wasn't pretty.
That's where they take the majority of the accident victims. The emergency room looks like a butcher shop.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MrHappy
That's where they take the majority of the accident victims. The emergency room looks like a butcher shop.
I have an acquaintance who is a stalwart on DR1 and a local "do-gooder" in Puerto Plata. She visits the public hospital fairly often and said it is more like a slaughterhouse.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
weyland
I have an acquaintance who is a stalwart on DR1 and a local "do-gooder" in Puerto Plata. She visits the public hospital fairly often and said it is more like a slaughterhouse.
I also knew a german girl who worked at the Puerto Plata hospital for one summer.
She had some very scary stories about girls being informed that they have aids, and their responses.
What was scarier is how many there were. It was very sobering listening to her.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
There are some well stocked hospitals in Puerto Plata and Santiago.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MrHappy
I also knew a german girl who worked at the Puerto Plata hospital for one summer.
She had some very scary stories about girls being informed that they have aids, and their responses.
What was scarier is how many there were. It was very sobering listening to her.
What were the responses???
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Corrado
What were the responses???
In a nutshell, most didn't want to accept the fact. Others were afraid their spouse would be told. Some pretty much lost it and would run out screaming and crying. One tried to kill her other half.
Most are not interested in follow up treatment options, mainly because they know they can't afford it.
Her comment was that very few of them were interested in educating themselves on how to deal with the disease. (Mi amor, I'm sorry, I think you should use a condon from now on.. I have an "infection")
One girl I knew from Cabrera caught it from a tourist, and went to Semana, to fuck as many guys as she could without protection, to "get back" at men for getting her sick.
Her family finally tracked her down, and dragged her home. From the initial diagnosis to her death was only around 7 months. She went fast.
Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
terrierist
......... We went to the Rio (a river where the locals like to go swimming and day camping. I never found out the exact name). It was near the Santiago turnoff on the way from Puerto Plata to Sosua..........
I believe I have been there. Swimming in the river is a lot of fun. :iconTU:
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Re: Public Medical Experience in Puerto Plata
Quote:
Originally Posted by
yayow
....................................
Erik S. had a story a few months back from one of his trip reports when he assisted taking a friend of his novia to one of the clinics in POP and the service was excellent as well. ...............
Yep (Yayow has an excellent memory!).
It was "Clinical Bournigal" only a few blocks north (towards the Malecon) from the municipal hospital in Puerto Plata.
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While it is classified as a clinica, IMHO it was more like a regular hospital. They had a 24 hour Emergency room, and I was impresed with the care there.
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We did have to pay cash, but by USA standards it was very reasonable. If I remember correctly, the total bill was about 6,000 DR pesos (less than $200 US) for EVERYTHING. ER cost, Doctor bill, xrays, supplies, IV's, medicine, and drugs to take home.
