I received the following from Dra. Ines at Optica Metro.
Optica Metro Sale
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Tag Archives: Healthcare
Dental Esthetic Special For Chiriqui Chatter Fans
I received the following announcement from my dentist Dra. Miriam Rodriguez.
Dental Esthetic is having a grand promotion only for fans of Chiriqui Chatter.
It will include periodontist dental cleaning and diagnosis of cavities and gum problems.
The special price is $20 dollars and will run from October 15 to November 15.
Dra. Miriam
More Panama Healthcare Experiences
Being a volunteer warden for the U.S. Embassy, here in David, allows me to have some experiences that others never have.
I think it is worthwhile sharing some of my experiences with you. It will show you some of the things that keep life exciting, if you are a retiree in Panama. Hopefully, knowledge I have gained may make future retirees in Panama come a little better prepared.
This post is going to cover experiences of two U.S. citizens that the Embassy have asked me to check on. I will state up front that I asked both patients if I could describe their situations as I felt their experiences would benefit others. The names are not important, but we can all learn from situations such as these.
I met the first individual in Hospital Chiriqui. I had been asked by the Embassy to obtain a Privacy Act Waver (PAW). This paperwork was needed by the Embassy so the Embassy could communicate with others on his behalf.
He was in need of back surgery and his current doctor would not do it because he didn’t have insurance. Another doctor had said he would do the surgery at the regional hospital and the patient was in the process of changing hospitals.
The next time I was contacted was was a couple weeks following the first meeting and surgery had not taken place. I was told that the doctor was wanting $30,000 up front before the surgery would be done. Since the individual was a veteran, it made sense to see if he could return to the US for the surgery, which would remove the costs. Continue reading
Healthcare Related Post on Boquete Guide
The following post should be of interest to anyone living in or planing on living in Chiriquí. http://www.boqueteguide.com/?p=8441
I Can See Clearly Now
Over the past few weeks I have noticed that my glasses needed replacing. I went back to Optica Metro. Dra. Ines Chang to the rescue.
She had done my last prescription when her optical center was Vision 20/20. Since that time, she has moved to her new location under the name of Optica Metro.
I can’t tell you how nice it is to have a professional doctor that you can trust. She had diagnosed my Macular Degeneration and had sent me to a good physician to have it checked out. You may remember my trip to Panama City for the examination.
She has a reassuring manner that gives you confidence and doesn’t make you feel pressured toward new technology for the sake of added income. I still use the old fashioned bifocals and not the newer progressive lenses.
She did show me some new lenses to consider for all the time I spend at the PC, but it was done as education and not as a sales promotion. The lenses are known as Interview. I will research the lenses and give them some consideration.
If you are in need of replacement glasses, I give my full recommendation to Dra. Ines Chang. If you drop in, tell her you heard about her on Chiriqui Chatter. I have received several personal emails of thanks from individuals that have gone due to previous posts. Google Map to Optica Metro.
The First Of Two
Today, Lilliam and I went to the Ministry of Health and took our flu shots. As you can see from the photo above, there is nothing to it. The cost is less painful. It is given for free. Who said you can’t get something for nothing.
There are two injections given. One in the left arm and one in the right. One is given for pneumonia and the other for influenza. With H1N1 in our midst, it is a wise precaution to take advantage of this free service.
I was told that they are receiving the medicine from France.
To get to the Ministry of Health, go East on the InterAmerican Highway and make a right on the street behind the Super Baru supermarket.
The first stop sign will be by Java Juice. Continue on in the same direction.
The second stop sign will be the one near the bus terminal. Continue in the same direction.
The next stop sign has Clinica Cattan on the right. Make a right turn at this corner. You will see a guard gate on your left a short distance from the corner. Enter onto the grounds of the Ministry of Health. Follow the road around to the back of the big building. The morgue will be on the right and where you want to go is on the left.
However, if you do not heed my warning and get this flu shot, the next time I see you might be in the building on the right. I don’t want that to happen. Go get your injections.
Boquete Hospice – Blood Donors
I received the following request to post.
Hi Don:
Would you please post this for all of us?
Read all about it! Register your blood type.
http:// boquetehospice. com/ blooddonors.htmlWe are not asking you to donate blood on a regular basis.
We are asking that you register your blood type for future use.
Blood donations are needed for persons who need blood on hand for surgery or in case of an accident.Rarer blood types are hard to find and it is especially important that you register if you have a rare blood type.
Register your blood type or if you need blood contact:
Mary Lynah, 6533-0967, mhlynah @ gmail.com, or Clair Edmonds 6887-6083.The registry is confidential, kept by Mary and Clair who are both retired RN’s living in Boquete.
We have 90 persons registered and need another 110 persons to register, bringing the total to 200.
We added 8 people last month.You will be asked to provide your name, telephone number, age, blood type, medications, medical conditions.
See complete qualifications at: boquete hospice.com. Click on blood donation.
Remember:
Hospital Chiriqui and Hospital Mae Lewis do not have blood blanks. If you go in for surgery they will ask you, with very short notice, to provide two pints of blood of the same type as your own.
Its That Time Again
In fact, it was a little past time for me to go see my dentist. As a result, I had a couple pockets that had formed and will have to return in a couple months to have them treated again.
I know I probably need to go in every 3 months or 4 at the most and this time I waited 6 months. Dra. Miriam took care of me with her usual skill and my mouth is once again kissably fresh.
Lilliam will be happy to hear that.
Another Healthcare Experience
For the past week I have been assisting a lady whose husband is in the Regional Hospital. He came to the Regional Hospital after spending time in the Mae Lewis hospital. I was told that the bill in Mae Lewis was $28,000 for two weeks.
The decision was made to enter the Regional Hospital to get costs under control. The plan is when the patient is stabilized to return to the U.S. for final treatment.
The lady, I am working with, is paying a private nurse $150 a week and the nurse is also acting as her Spanish/English translator. Continue reading
Clean Bill of Health
After my bout with kidney stones, I waited a while before getting tests run. I had Dr. Enrique Sanchez check the lab work. I ran a complete set of exams to see if some regimens I had been following were paying off.
All infections were gone as well as there was no blood in the urine. My sugar levels were down and within normal levels. In fact all levels were within normal levels. I got a complete clean bill of health. Looks like I will be around for some time to come.
On a side note, Dr. Sanchez and his wife had been by to visit with Lillim a couple weeks ago. I had passed on my suspicions that some doctors in Chiriqui Hospital were more interested in their income than in the health of their patients. I had told him that my feeling was that gringos were a potential target.
He offered to be a consultant for anyone needing medical attention. If he couldn’t treat a patient, he would recommend a doctor that would be highly capable and would be reasonably priced. I have made a note of that for future needs.
By the way, his English is fine.
Dr. Sanchez runs the San Cristobal Clinic and many of his patients are of minimal income. He practices for the benefit of others and not to fill his coffers. To get to the San Cristobal Clinic, turn on the road going toward Las Olas by the large church on Calle Brenes. You will eventually get to a fork that goes right for Las Olas and has an gas station on the right. On the left at that fork is the Clinic.
My office consultation was $5. His email address is dr.sanjou41959@hotmail.com and his phone numbers are 6945-2952 and 6957-4997. If you stop in, tell Dr. Sanchez that you heard about him on Chiriqui Chatter.