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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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What are your plans for a medical emergency in Baja?
How does the medical system work in Baja?
Do you have Mexican medical insurance? How does that work?
Do you have US medical insurance and how does that work in Mexico?
Who is authorized to advocate for you in the Mexican medical system if you are not conscious? Is there a Mexican Medical Power of Attorney for Medical
and Economic issues if you are incapacitated?
What is the best clinic in your area? What do they treat, what can't they treat? What equipment do they have there? Xray, MRI, CAT? Where do they send
you if your needs are greater than they can provide?
What is the best hospital in your area given your medical insurance/ability to pay?
Where would you go for a heart attack, stroke? How would you get there?
How would an Emergency Room or Hospital know what medications you currently take?
What other medical questions are not included here and need to be considered when in Mexico? If you work in the Mexican Medical System, what should we
know that most of us don't know?
What would a Medical Action Plan for Nomads living/visiting Baja look like? Where would you keep it so it will be of use?
Iflyfish
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5938
Registered: 7-18-2011
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I'll be honest - I have no plan! If close to the border, try to get to the US. If not - go to a Mexican hospital.
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nbacc
Senior Nomad
Posts: 770
Registered: 12-27-2008
Location: Northern California
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there are different medical evac policies. Call your insurance agent in the states and find out, Pretty cheap really and they fly you to the
nearest hospital that can treat you. Depends where you are in Mexico and if you live there or are visiting long term. There are many people on this
board who know these other answers so wait and watch the board. Nancy
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El Vergel
Nomad
Posts: 197
Registered: 8-27-2003
Location: San Felipe - Puertecitos Rd., Km. 35 and Santa Mon
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Excellent question
I'm lookin' forward to more input from Nomadland on this topic. I have begun to put my plans together. I do know this from experience: seldom, if
ever, should one venture into the magic of the Baja alone. Bad scenes unravel far too fast for any one person to handle. Always best to have a
co-pilot or at least a plan on file with a home base. Thanks for the "road map", and best regards to all!
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Two recent incidents reported on this board raised this issue for me.
One was a heart attack that necessitated transportation to the USofA and the other two severe beatings and their treatment in two different hospitals.
It is my hope that from a general discussion of this topic we can generate a summary that can be used in making plans for medical emergencies in the
various circumstances Nomads find themselves in.
The medical system in Mexico is different than in the USofA and it is complex. There are various levels of care and varying medical resources
available depending upon location. Private vs Public, different levels of insurance Private vs Public etc. and different ways to address the issue of
medical advocacy. Transportation is one of the issues.
Your input, experience, knowledge is appreciated.
Iflyfish
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SkyMedBarbara
Junior Nomad
Posts: 77
Registered: 9-17-2007
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy
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SkyMed. We have many, many members in Mexico, Canada, and USA. A professional team that "gets you home" incase of a medical emergency, critical
injury. For more information e-mail me at Skymedloreto@gmail.com.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by ateo
I'll be honest - I have no plan! If close to the border, try to get to the US. If not - go to a Mexican hospital. |
Thanks ateo,
There are different kinds of hospitals in Baja, some public, some private, some better than others. Some private better than public, some public
better than private. There are also Clinics in different areas that provide different levels of care. It would be useful to identify which resources
in your area provide what services and identify some way to assure that if you are incapacitated that you will receive the best care you can from the
best facilities.
There are indeed evacuation services that operate in Baja. The recent incident in Asuncion called upon a VERY BRAVE and resourceful Nomad to sort out
an arrangement for a downed US Citizen and she had to do it on the fly. If you are close to the border then how can you cross the border if you are
unconscious? Who will advocate for you so that your wishes can be met? These are some of the questions that I hope this discussion will address.
Thanks again, I think your response is what most Nomads would provide at this time and you can see some of the difficulties involved. Stay tuned and
lets see if we can get clearer on how you could do what you want to do in case of a medical emergency.
Iflyfish
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by nbacc
there are different medical evac policies. Call your insurance agent in the states and find out, Pretty cheap really and they fly you to the
nearest hospital that can treat you. Depends where you are in Mexico and if you live there or are visiting long term. There are many people on this
board who know these other answers so wait and watch the board. Nancy |
Thanks Nancy
There are also evacuation plans available in Baja, I have purchased one through a fellow Nomad. The devil of course is in the details of these plans,
availability of airports, planes, etc. There are places where medevac is not possible. Many Xpats use local facilities, clinics, hospitals etc. and
have Mexican Health Insurance, both Public and Private plans are available.
Thanks again and we look forward to having more information from fellow Nomads.
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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Good topic!
We are still looking for a reasonably priced evacuation insurance that will land on a dirt strip.
As you know, our town only has that very small hospital with very little to offer----not even an x-ray machine. And any major emergency that would
require a trip to Guerrero Negro would be in an ambulance with untrained people----no EMTS, no Paramedics, etc.,
Friend whose daughter who suffered a head trauma first had to go to Santa Rosalia for x-rays and then to Ensenada to see a specialist and for more
tests. Family transported her --- fortunately, she only had a minor fracture and minor swelling that did not require surgery or cause permanent
damage.
Other friends have died from heart attacks and/or strokes and we have wondered if emergency trauma care had been available, if they might have
survived, but who knows.
A major heart attack or stroke would not be a good thing---so we live with the fact that if that happens to one of us while we are in BA, we probably
will end up buried there.
But I do hope someone can suggest an evac insurance that would service a rural area. So far, the only ones we have found would only fly into
Guerrero Negro and that is a long ways away.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by SkyMedBarbara
SkyMed. We have many, many members in Mexico, Canada, and USA. A professional team that "gets you home" incase of a medical emergency, critical
injury. For more information e-mail me at Skymedloreto@gmail.com. |
Thanks SkyMedBarbara, this is a valuable service. There are issues related to where these services are available, how one initiates the service, who
contacts the service if you are incapacitated etc. I hope that over time we can put together a summary of options for Nomads of varied economic and
geographical circumstances including what sort of care is available in country.
Thanks again.
Iflyfish
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Phil S
Super Nomad
Posts: 1205
Registered: 10-28-2003
Member Is Offline
Mood: After 34 years. Still in love w/ my wife
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Our plan if in Cabo if not life threatening is to use the local area's hospitals or clinics. If life threatening, try to get an airlift to the
states. Probably San Diego. We do not carry flight insurance. Mainly because in both our families there are no history of heart problems. If in
LaPaz, I trust the LaPaz medical community. If in Loreto, I'll ask for Dr. Fernando to take care of me. North of there, we will drive ourselves back
to the states for treatment. If it is an auto accident, we have no plans. We live under Gods guidance, and we trust he will do what's right for us.
If it is his plan to call us home, so be it!!! And no we are not religious nuts!!! Everyone has a high power that you have to have "faith" in.
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Skeet/Loreto
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4709
Registered: 9-2-2003
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First: Learn to speak as much Spanish as Possible.
Second: Take a First Aid Course :
Third: Get a Good First Aid Kit;
Fourth; If in Loreto, constitutio, or La Paz go to the very Good General Hospitals.
Fifth: Do not depend on Air Vac as you may have to wait for many Hours when you could be already in the Hospital under Care.
Sixth: There is Good Care in Baja Sur, good Doctors, they just do not have as many of the Fancy Machines as the States.
Dr. Gustavo Moraila and the doctors at the General Hospital in Constitution saved my Wife"s Life when she only had about 4 hours to live. 1992
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O.G.
Nomad
Posts: 109
Registered: 5-7-2010
Location: Ensenada
Member Is Offline
Mood: waiting for the green flash
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
Good topic!
A major heart attack or stroke would not be a good thing---so we live with the fact that if that happens to one of us while we are in BA, we probably
will end up buried there. |
Where would one be buried if one dies in Mexico? Can a Gringo be buried in MX if that was their wish?
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Mulegena
Super Nomad
Posts: 2412
Registered: 11-7-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
Good topic!
... Other friends have died from heart attacks and/or strokes and we have wondered if emergency trauma care had been available, if they might have
survived, but who knows.
A major heart attack or stroke would not be a good thing--- |
This brings up tough points of reality and opens the floor for each of us to consider our personal philosophies and choices in how live.
As a 20-year Emergency Medical Technician in a rural mountain clinic I learned that time and Advanced Life Support are the two most important factors
in survival. That, and plain luck and destiny.
Most heart attacks in the rural area I lived were picked up by an ambulance with life support equipment and transported less than an hour to a waiting
Critical Care Team. I don't know the survival rate of those people. I know that not all lived, even with the finest of emergent care available to
them.
Additionally, I saw many cardiac incidences come through the doors of the clinic, either brought in by family or as a last-ditch effort by the
ambulance. Of these, only one patient survived and it was because of his presence of mind and good decision-making immediately prior. He came in
complaining of "just not feeling right". I was in his room when he suddenly "coded", i.e. had a full-on heart attack. The doctor was called in
immediately, he was stabilized and sent out by ambulance.
In my opinion, we here in rural Baja have a very slim chance of survival given sudden cardiac arrest.
As for me, I too need to get my house in order, make my desires known and formally put in place some Advance Directives, written in Spanish and
English. Those I had in place in years past are no longer pertinent. After that, I'll continue to hold those I love dearly and get on with savoring
this beautiful, mysterious experience called life.
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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Woooosh
Banned
Posts: 5240
Registered: 1-28-2007
Location: Rosarito Beach
Member Is Offline
Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach
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| Quote: | Originally posted by O.G.
| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
Good topic!
A major heart attack or stroke would not be a good thing---so we live with the fact that if that happens to one of us while we are in BA, we probably
will end up buried there. |
Where would one be buried if one dies in Mexico? Can a Gringo be buried in MX if that was their wish? |
I'm hoping our Baja pet cremation service takes me. 
We are in Rosarito Beach. The plan we have is to get to the border asap, no local hospital, no red cross- just get there. If I lived further south
and had a heart problem- I would be looking into a hone defib unit- not all that expensive these days considering the alternative.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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Mengano
Banned
Posts: 1238
Registered: 9-26-2011
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Iflyfish
| Quote: | Originally posted by SkyMedBarbara
SkyMed. We have many, many members in Mexico, Canada, and USA. A professional team that "gets you home" incase of a medical emergency, critical
injury. For more information e-mail me at Skymedloreto@gmail.com. |
Thanks SkyMedBarbara, this is a valuable service. There are issues related to where these services are available... |
There are no night time evacuation flights out of Baja. All the airports close around 6PM-7PM. No control tower, no customs, no runway lighting. VFR
night flights are illegal.
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J.P.
Super Nomad
Posts: 1673
Registered: 7-8-2010
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
Mood: Easy Does It
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My situation was a little different, when learning she was terminal my wife chose to spend her end time in Baja at our home. The doctors drove from
Ensenada to administer shots daily until she needed to go to the hospital for stronger pain med's. when she died she was creamated at a local
facility.which the hospital arranged. the level of care and the cremation was very profesional. and handeled well
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dizzyspots
Senior Nomad
Posts: 603
Registered: 9-22-2008
Location: Mescal AZ
Member Is Offline
Mood: rather be on the beach at Gonzaga
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begin by ALWAYS leaving a detailed "Baja Trip Plan" with a reliable friend or relative..detailed with vehicle descriptions, names, contact
info...planned route of travel...expected date of return...what constitutes a "no-show"?...24hrs after expected border crossing time???
first aid training and supplies
pre-planning discussions for the "what if's"
SPOT and its med evac insurance
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Phil S
Our plan if in Cabo if not life threatening is to use the local area's hospitals or clinics. If in LaPaz, I trust the LaPaz medical community. If in
Loreto, I'll ask for Dr. Fernando to take care of me.
Thanks Phil,
This sort of specific information can be very useful. Which hospitals provide the best care in your community? Are there specific doctors you would
recommend, like Dr Fernando in Loreto? I hope that other Nomads will also chime in with specifics. There is a lot of knowledge out there.
I just got a U2U from a fellow Nomad allerting me to another similar discussion on another site:
http://www.talkbaja.com/showthread.php?t=356
Iflyfish |
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DianaT
Good topic!
As you know, our town only has that very small hospital with very little to offer----not even an x-ray machine. And any major emergency that would
require a trip to Guerrero Negro would be in an ambulance with untrained people----no EMTS, no Paramedics, etc.,
Friend whose daughter who suffered a head trauma first had to go to Santa Rosalia for x-rays and then to Ensenada to see a specialist and for more
tests. Family transported her --- fortunately, she only had a minor fracture and minor swelling that did not require surgery or cause permanent
damage.
Other friends have died from heart attacks and/or strokes and we have wondered if emergency trauma care had been available, if they might have
survived, but who knows.
A major heart attack or stroke would not be a good thing---so we live with the fact that if that happens to one of us while we are in BA, we probably
will end up buried there.
But I do hope someone can suggest an evac insurance that would service a rural area. So far, the only ones we have found would only fly into
Guerrero Negro and that is a long ways away. |
I appreciate the clarity and specificity of your post. This is the sort of information that I hope this thread will generate.
What does your local clinic treat? What equipment is there? Is there someone in your community who has a defib machine, they are available now to the
general public and are not that expensive. Is there someone who can be a repository for medical information and medical power of attorney in your
community? What if both of you are unconscious, who would carry out your wishes? These are the sort of questions that come to mind as I read your very
useful post.
Thanks Diane
Iflyfish
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