| | |  Health & Beauty | April 2009 
Puerto Vallarta Hospital Basics
 Pamela Thompson - PVNN
| | For more information, please contact Pamela Thompson at (322) 222-9638, 044-322-107-7007, Nextel 145-6912 or send an email to pamela(at)healthcareresourcespv.com. | |
I hope that you don't ever need to be admitted to a hospital here in Puerto Vallarta, but it happens all the time to locals and tourists alike, so it's best if you are prepared and know the basics "up front," rather than waiting until you are quite ill and in the Emergency Room.
If there is time, the first thing to do is to contact your personal physician (everyone should have one!) so that he or she can direct you to the hospital of their choice and advise the hospital of your arrival.
I recommend that in your purse or wallet, you carry 1) List of your medications, 2) Name of your private physician, 3) List of any allergies. Give these to the receptionist at the hospital. You could even carry two copies, so that you can just give one to the hospital to keep upon your admission. That way, it will be on your record.
If you have contacted your personal physician (or if you want him/her contacted) it is important to tell the hospital staff at this time. Upon arrival and admission, you (or a family member) will be required to fill out hospital forms (some will be in English and some will be in Spanish.) These will need to be as complete as possible, including an emergency contact with phone number.
If you do not wish to receive blood or blood products, this needs to be signed and noted at the time of admission. If you have insurance, please provide your insurance card. Note that this does not automatically mean the hospital and/or physicians will accept your insurance! The process to accept the insurance normally takes up to 24 hours and a guarantee of payment must be received by the hospital in order for them to accept insurance. You will be responsible for any deductibles or co-payments.
A deposit will be required for all admissions. The amount varies from (normally) $10,000 pesos up to $50,000 pesos. "Regular admissions" would be a minimum of $10,000 pesos. A surgery would be $15,000 to $20,000 pesos and an admission to the Intensive Care Unit would be $50,000 pesos in most cases. These deposits may be paid with a credit card (all major credit cards are accepted except Discovery Cards.)
If this is an emergency admission, you will be evaluated in the Emergency Room of the hospital. The physicians in the private hospitals here in Puerto Vallarta speak English. It is important to be as clear with them as possible as to your illness, chief complaints.
You will be changed from your street clothes to the infamous and very fashionable hospital gown. Any personal items such as jewelry, purse, clothing, etc. should be given to a family member to take home.
Your consulate (either American or Canadian) should be contacted by the hospital admissions department to advise them you are there. Once this is done, you will receive a phone call from the consulate's office to see if you need any type of assistance in contacting friends or family at "home" or answer any questions you might have.
Next, you will be transferred to a patient room (all rooms at private hospitals in Puerto Vallarta are private rooms.) You will need to sign for a remote control for the T.V. (all have satellite TV with channels in English) and sometimes for the air conditioner remote.
In the rooms, there are sofas, or large chairs, where one family member can stay with you 24 hours if you wish. The nursing staff will show you where the "call button" is and place it in a close, convenient place for you.
All of the hospital rooms have telephones but remember, there is a charge to make any outgoing phone calls. You may use your own cell phone if you wish. The majority of the nurses in the area do not speak much English. A good idea is a small pocket dictionary and some hand signs!
The private hospitals here are not too strict with visiting hours (although I think they should be!) so best if your visitors are kept to a minimum and have them visit between 10 am and 8 pm (general visiting.) Intensive Care Units are very strict with their rules and they are normally only a set time (about 1 hour) in the mornings and again in the afternoons.
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 Pamela Thompson is a registered nurse who has lived in Puerto Vallarta for over 17 years, 10 of them in health care. Pamela now leads HealthCare Resources Puerto Vallarta, a local healthcare resource network. Her years of experience and expertise are available to you by emailing your questions to pamela(at)healthcareresourcespv.com or by visiting HealthCareResourcesPV.com.
Click HERE to learn more about the health and well-being services offered by HealthCare Resources Puerto Vallarta. |
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