Healthcare In Ba

[beepokerking]

Hi i am living here in BA but only on a tourist visa so do not have healthcare provided by a company or anything like that. I was wondering what do most people in my position do when they want to see a doctor?

I know there are places where I can just turn up and pay but are there any other options? I see lots of swiss medical buildings around, can I pay a yearly fee and go somewhere like that as much as I like and have "my doctor"?

What about in an emergency?

Thanks

 

[thorsten]

In general, healthcare here is incredibly cheap compared to Europe or the US. I went twice to the hospital aleman for check-ups (blood tests, ECG,...) and just paid in cash without even submitting the bill to the insurance company as the hassle would be to big for the few bucks. That being said, you definitely should get an international insurance for emergencies. I'd imagine if you get seriously sick/injured and need intensive care, it won't be just a few bucks...

 

[Montauk_Project]

If you are healthy you can rely on the public hospital system (it is free for foreigners) and pay out of pocket for a check up at a private clinic.
If you are looking for less expensive plans, check out Hospital Britanico.
There are others that are more expensive.
Keep in mind that there is a lot of difference in price, but paying more does not always mean you get better doctors, rather nicer hospitals. (The best doctors treat at public hospitals in the morning and go to private practice in the afternoon).
Personally, I use Hospital Britanico for everything like check ups, blood work, dentist, etc
But if I needed a big operation (open heart surgery?) I would consider a public hospital.

 

[beepokerking]

Ok thanks. How can i easily find a private practise close to me? Im not too worried about the money, dont want to stumble into the most expensive doctors in BA but i always find seeing a doctor in a foreign country a bit unnerving so kinda happy to pay some money for a nice environment

Also i assume all the doctors will speak english but would i be wrong to assume the secretarys wont? Guess that could make getting an appointment a little harder, or in most of the places can I just turn up and wait?

 

[thorsten]

I can only speak from my experience for Hospital Aleman: I made an appointment there and it seems the other people did too. As far as I got the system: doctors rent a room there e.g. from 10:00-14:00 and you make an appointment to get a slot. Payment is handled by the cashier and the doc checks you and determines whether additional things are needed (e.g. blood tests, ecgs, ...). If so, he gives you a sheet with the things that have to be done, which takes place in other areas in the hospital, for instance to get your blood taken.
Then you make another appointment with the same doctor to discuss the results. This obviously only applies if additional things are needed... My doctors could speak a bit of english, but I always went with my girlfriend as they often can't speak fluently (and as a non-native speaker, I might have problems with medical terms, too). I would not assume that the administrative staff speaks english.
Btw: is your nickname your profession?

 

[Ceviche]

Hospital Aleman used to be awesome but it is kind of overloaded now. Too many patients. Too long a waiting time to see a doctor and then the doctors are in a super hurry.

You get what you pay for!

 

[beepokerking]

Ok thanks ill have a look at what is out there.
Yes my nickname is my profession