Galeno Heath Insurance :-(

[Davidglen77]

I have GALENO plata for my obra social. Monday afternoon I started feeling really awful so yesterday I decided to go to the guardia. NOT a good experience. The clinic is "Sanatorio de la Trinidad" on B. MItre 2553, close to Larrea, in Balvanera. While the building is modern enough, the place looked like a bad public hospital, the guardia was really crowded, not enough seats!! And many of the seats that were there were broken and bent!! People sitting on the floor or standing for hours, I asked for a cup of water and they said they had no cups, and sent me to buy water at the confitería. I just started opening every door to every office until I found a water dispenser. I had to wait almost 3 hours to see a doctor, then the results of my bloodwork took another 2 hours to analyze, the doctor was really nice and very professional, but the rest of the experience sucked. Thank goodness I haven't had any medical issues here, they suspect I had food poisioning and gave me an injection of something and some buscapina for stomach discomfort and recommended a day's bedrest. This obra social costs almost $2000 pesos per month!

 

[Supercharged]

David

My friends changed from GALENO to OSDE and they are from BA. I have OSDE and I did not have one bad experience so far.

 

[Montauk_Project]

I have Hospital Britanico, which is much cheaper. I went to the guardia and I was only one of two people waiting, and was seen within 5 minutes. I also had to be picked up in an ambulance once and they came quickly.
My husband only uses public hospitals and he never had to wait as long as you (you can always go to a public hospital even if you have insurance).

 

[DontMindMe]

I'm so sorry to hear that, David. Going to the guardia sucks--I've done it twice here, once alone (alone was when I got the swine flu, so much fun). But your experience sounds particularly bad. I've also been once in the U.S., and while I had the fortune of being in nice facilities for all of these experiences, there were never enough seats.

I hope you're feeling better! There are definitely better much facilities in the city (they're not all in rich neighborhoods either), so even though you are leaving soon it may well be worth it to switch plans.

 

[estebandepraga]

Hi David!
sorry to hear that I have Galeno and I havent had such bad experiences but I agree 100% with you
when I think that I pay approx $50usd in the Czech Republic and here paying almost what you pay UNA VERGUENZA!

glad you're better nice to meet you last Sunday
abrazo
Esteban

 

[Davidglen77]

Thanks to all for your kind words and helpful suggestions....I am staying home today, feeling much better, but being super careful as to what I eat. I had food poisoning 2 times before, but never in Argentina. The first was from shrimp scampi at a fancy restaurant in New York City, I started halucinating and I was rushed to the hospital and had my stomach pumped....the second time was from potato salad..which I still get the shivers when I look at it to this very day, at a company picnic. Anyway thank goodness this episode wasn't very serious and although GALENO sucks, I got taken care of.

 

[Redpossum]

Thanks to all for your kind words and helpful suggestions....I am staying home today, feeling much better, but being super careful as to what I eat. I had food poisoning 2 times before, but never in Argentina. The first was from shrimp scampi at a fancy restaurant in New York City, I started halucinating and I was rushed to the hospital and had my stomach pumped....the second time was from potato salad..which I still get the shivers when I look at it to this very day, at a company picnic. Anyway thank goodness this episode wasn't very serious and although GALENO sucks, I got taken care of.

If you don't mind, what made you get sick, and where did you eat it?

I had salmonella once, and it was wretched, but nothing as bad as amoebic dysentery, that was the worst of my life...

 

[Davidglen77]

If you don't mind, what made you get sick, and where did you eat it?
I had salmonella once, and it was wretched, but nothing as bad as amoebic dysentery, that was the worst of my life...

I can't exactly pinpoint what it is that made me sick. About 2 hours prior to feeling queasy on Monday afternoon, I had lunch which consisted of beef stew, rice and a salad. It was really good and from a company cafeteria that is extremely clean and I eat there often. Nobody else I was with became ill so I can't say it was that for sure.

 

[NoVegetables]

I'm pretty new to the healthcare system here, but when you guys say 'go the guardia', you mean go to the emergency room of any sanatoria in your health plan right?

 

[Alicia karr]

can't imagine anything worse than waiting anywhere for several hours with food poisoning. Poor you! My OSDE 310 gives me a number to call when I feel too sick to go out and see a doctor. I just call the number, and after a few questions to decide what kind of doctor to send, I receive a HOUSE CALL from a doctor within two hours. This has been the best part of OSDE ownership.
I've had both amoebic dysentery (and here's something we totally agree on Redpossum!) it's the worse, you don't go further than the toilet with that. Food poisoning, from what I was told.takes 12-24 hours to develop. So it wasn't what you had at lunch, more likely what you had had the day before. Don't know if it was a coincidence, but I got really sick to my stomach Sunday after having had a little food at both Magdelenas and the cafe we went to after. I was suspicious of the cream in my cafe con Crema. But def wouldn't say it was anything near food poisening. Thankfully. Soo glad you're on the mend. Strongly reccomend a prepago that includes home visits.