March 2nd, 2009
Medical Tourism
CMA Hospital, One of Many Modern Hospitals in Merida
Bruce’s mother, Margaret accompanied them on the flight back to Mérida after the holidays, for a two week visit. Her orders of business were: escape the Minnesota winter, enjoy the Mexican sunshine, see the sights, and take care of a bad tooth.
It’s Friday, January 9th and we just got into Mérida yesterday. Mom needs a crown and her dentist back in Minnesota charged her around $850 for the last one a few years ago so she figures it’s over $900 by now. She asked if I would look into it for her.
In our Living in Mérida book we listed a dentist by the name of Ana Morales. I know her sister Julieta who is a very vivacious insurance agent and having grown up in CA her English is perfect. She had told me that Ana’s English is even better, which must mean Ana does Shakespeare on the side, because Julieta doesn’t even have an accent.
I call the office and Ana answers the phone. We chat and there is no problem getting the work done in our time frame and the cost is 2000 Pesos about $150US at today’s exchange rate. I have a sore tooth, too, so I make an appointment for the both of us for Monday morning at 9.
Monday, mom and I are out the door at 8 and we flag a Taximetro (a metered taxi, many are not) and he whisks us the 1 ½ miles to the office. The fare is 20P and I give him a 5P tip for what amounts to a $1.70US cab ride.
We’re early but no matter, they’ve just opened up and there are no patients scheduled before us. Ana is a slightly older version of the very attractive Julieta and she does speak flawless English. She is very charming if not as outgoing as Julieta.
Mom’s work goes smoothly and quickly. She is the lucky one, her molar’s nerve has died a quiet death, mine is still quite alive. Ana tells me it is strange that the cavity in my troublesome tooth was filled with composite, which Mary tells me later is usually reserved for front teeth for cosmetic purposes. Usually the much more durable amalgam is used for molars. Ana takes me to the adjacent room where her partner Jesus takes an x-ray of the tooth; there are no assistants in this clinic. I sit in a simple office chair and he doesn’t use a bitewing, he simply holds the film in place in my mouth while he pushes the button to take the picture. There is no shield for my lap, which is okay, I’m done with kids. But I wonder about his.
Ana and Jesus have an animated debate about the x-ray results. Evidently the x-ray doesn’t tell them what they need to know so Ana gets the drill out to see what she can see. First she applies the Novocain so gently that I don’t even feel a prick. Then she starts drilling and what she doesn’t know is that this filling goes down to the center of the earth. She nears my jawbone, I suspect and she doesn’t dare go any deeper so she fills it in with the proper amalgam and gives me the bad news that she is going to make an appointment for me with an orthodontist for a root canal and possibly a post. “How much?” I ask. She says between 1500P and 1700P, about $105 to $120.
Ana is off for the day and generously offers us a ride home. As we’re cruising down Paseo we pass the Casa de La Cultura, one of the many art galleries in Mérida, the cultural capital of the Yucatan. Ana tells me her eco group, Crias y Niños, Creatures and Children, is displaying and selling artwork in the gallery, and she has several works among the paintings. That is the one thing that amazes me about this culture. In addition to his or her day job it seems nearly every citizen is an artist or musician.
I’m not sure what magic Ana has worked but the next day my tooth’s sensitivity has diminished considerably. That plus my basic miserliness has probably dulled the pain as well. I call Ana on her cell and she says check back with her in a couple weeks and then I call to cancel the orthodontist appointment.
Ana calls on Thursday to tell us the crown is done and she makes an appointment for Monday, again, for mom’s crown and I ask for a long overdue teeth cleaning for me.
Come Monday morning, mom is in the chair again and the crown is a perfect fit. She is done in literally 10 minutes. She settles up, in cash, and now it is my turn.
Ana is done for the day again and Jesus takes over to clean my teeth. Jesus speaks adequate English but he is a quiet man and the meticulous cleaning goes on in silence. It takes Jesus nearly 45 minutes to perform the best cleaning and polishing my teeth have ever seen. I ask him the damages and he says 300P, about $21US. I ask him if that includes the x-ray he took last Monday. He had forgotten that, so that is an additional 50P, about $3.50.
Bottom line, mom saved about $750US on her high quality dental work. Her round trip airfare into Cancun and bus rides to and from Mérida cost about $450 and with no hotel expense other than a budget hotel in Cancun on getaway day, she nearly paid for her vacation with her savings. Spread the word everyone, that’s “Medical Tourism”.
Thanks for visiting gentle reader. Everyone hears about, it but until you have these high quality health care experiences, down here in México, it is simply hard to believe the savings. It makes you wonder if the system is out of control, up north. What do you think? Bruce would love to hear from you and if you’d like more details on Mexican health care, simply comment. Hasta pronto!
The Big Bounce movie download
