What is the medical support in Mexico?
Mexico is a popular travel destination for tourists from around the world, thanks to its rich history, vibrant culture and beautiful beaches. But when planning a trip, it is important to consider the medical aspect. There are many misconceptions about the medical aspect of Mexico, such as that it is bad. This is FALSE, there are good doctors, good care and excellent hospitals.
How does the health care system work in Mexico?
Mexico has a public and private health care system. The public system is mainly reserved for Mexican citizens, while foreigners can access private health care. Private hospitals and clinics provide higher quality care at a higher cost.
Private clinics in Mexico offer top quality health care with modern facilities and experienced doctors. They are mainly located in major tourist cities, such as Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City. Most private clinics accept travel insurance, which covers the costs of emergency medical care.
The costs of medical care may vary depending on the city and the clinic. They can be quite high, but they are still much lower than the costs in the US and Europe. It is important to note that costs can also vary depending on the type of treatment, the severity of the disease and the length of stay.
Mexico has qualified physicians and specialists in all branches of medicine, including cardiology, ophthalmology, dermatology, neurology, orthopedics, and pediatrics. Most doctors and specialists are fluent in English and educated at top medical schools in the country.
The public healthcare system in Mexico is primarily for Mexican citizens and is not recommended for foreigners. Public hospitals can be overcrowded and have limited resources and health care cannot be top quality. Foreigners are advised to give preference to private clinics for health care.
How to get treatment in Mexico?
When you go on a trip to a foreign country, it is advisable to take out travel insurance. Activities in Mexico can be risky like ATV biking, jungle buggy, scuba diving and even in amusement parks or on a paradise beach with coconut trees on an excursion or not!
The insurance can cover the costs of emergency medical care, emergency repatriation to your country, hospitalization costs and other health care costs.
It is important to check the details of the insurance cover before leaving to avoid surprises.
Mexique Aventure advises you to look at the affordable and complete offer offered by Chapka on their site by clicking here.
Depending on the credit card you pay for the trip with, you may also have travel or refund insurance.
Check with your bank before your trip to find out the conditions.
In Mexico there are doctors who are available 24 hours a day and who can be contacted directly on Whatsapp. For English-speaking generalist support, we recommend Doctor Villanueva if you are staying near Playa del Carmen.
In case of small problems, we invite you to consult an emergency doctor at the nearest pharmacy or to go to the Red Cross. Consultations are quick and not expansive. You will get an invoice and of course a prescription with access to medication.
We recently accompanied two of our clients in this direction, with the first subject to a major urinary tract infection and the other with second-degree sunburn. As for a third client, we were able to get him an appointment with a dentist the day before for the next day to fix the crown he had lost during his flight to Mexico.
Without emergencies, there are also free consultations with doctors at certain pharmacies where you decide to leave what you want.
Pharmacies like those in France with real pharmacists are the “Farmacias del ahorro” or in second choice the “Farmacias similares”. All the other pharmacies you see will basically be shops selling non-prescription drugs alongside other products where the prices there are higher.
For hospitals on the Riviera Maya side, you have them mainly in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen: Amerimed Hospital Cancun, Hospital Galenia, Playamed Group, Hospiten and CostaMed.
Here is a testimonial from a Mexique Aventure client based on a recent medical experience in Mexico:
True testimony from a Canadian client who had an unprecedented experience in Mexico with her daughter in March 2023. Her daughter fell ill in the Xel Ha amusement park before being transported to the hospital where she remained there for a few days following severe dehydration. She decided to share her experience with you:
“During a trip, we cannot predict whether our health will follow us throughout. The different countries do not always function as in our country of origin.
It is very important to have good insurance and to have gathered some information beforehand.
My daughter and I had planned a mother/daughter trip to Mexico! We had planned, with Mexique Aventure, each day carefully to be able to fully enjoy our stay. As I speak French, it was also my contact in my language. Everything seemed perfect for a dream 12 days!
The first 8 days were extraordinary! Until the day my daughter lost consciousness in an amusement park…
That’s when I entered an area that I did not know!
I hadn’t planned a Mexican hospital stay. Also, I don’t speak Spanish or English. All of a sudden, I have to understand the paramedics in Mexico! SOLUTION found: GOOGLE TRANSLATE helped me a lot! These wonderful cell phones these days allow us to be able to understand each other in any language.
But from the moment we are in the ambulance, the nurse asks me in Spanish “your insurance asks you to go to which hospital?”
At that moment, I said to myself “I don’t know, I would have to call!!”
But the problem is that I am not able to call Canada and I am not able to answer him to direct us to the right hospital. The nurse insists on knowing but in view of my ignorance, suggests that I go to my hotel and find out. And then, to go to the hospital as soon as I have the information. Except that my daughter was not well and I was in a foreign country in the unknown.
The nurse was very kind and guided me on my daughter’s condition so that I could take care of her and join the insurance. Two things to know:
1. Have with you the regional code of your country (this was the element that was missing for me to join my insurance).
2. Find out from your insurance which hospital to go to if something happens.
Luckily, YES we had insurance! If you find it expensive $1800 to open a file, normally a week in the hospital is around $50,000 so my trip without insurance would have gone from a dream trip to a nightmare trip!
I want to say that in Mexico, when you need medical attention, we are really welcomed! The entrance to the emergency room is done very quickly, you feel respected, listened to and above all well cared for!! Even if you don’t speak the language and you gab in English, they are accommodating and patient!
This experience of 8 days in total in the hospital took away my fear of seeking treatment abroad and made me aware of the importance of having insurance when you go on a trip!
We come out of it grown, my daughter treated and one less fear for our future trips!
Thank you Google translation, insurance (essential otherwise the story would not be the same), the hospital and its staff!
Also, many thanks to Mexique Aventure for the support. It’s more than just activities sold, it’s also a human service through the experience you live.”
Medical support in Mexico may vary by region, city and hospital. It is important to find out in advance what healthcare is available and to take out travel insurance to cover unexpected medical expenses.
Whether you plan to vacation on the beach, visit historical sites, go ATV biking through the jungle and even scuba diving, be sure to take care of yourself and take the necessary precautions to stay healthy. good health.
You do not know what to take in your suitcase as medicine? Check out our blog post on “What to Pack When Coming to Mexico“.
For more information, our travel coaches are there to help you at every moment of your trip, you can contact them here.
See the reviews of those who have placed their trust in us on Trip Advisor, Google, Le Petit Futé and Facebook.