Expat Community > Ecuador

Silverwater
Joined 2008
Posts: 1039

Free Health Care...Something to Think About

14 years ago

I´ve noticed quite a few people have expressed interest in moving here for the opportunity to receive free health care. Recently a casual friend of mine...a guard I chat with at the local grocery store became ill. His brother called me to see if I would come. (not unusual...as a gringa who works with several foundations, I get calls like these a lot.) Anyway, he had gone to the social security (IESS) clinic with terrible stomach pain. After waiting for hours in pain, he was finally seen, diagnosed with "fatty liver" and sent so a clinic (hospital). I went to the clinic in downtown Guayaquil to see him after his brother called. When I got there, he was in a curtained cubicle about 5 by 7 feet. It was painted bright red with suspicious looking stains on the outside wall. He was on the 6th floor (no elevator) writhing on the bed in his underwear...no hospital pajamas or hospital gowns. There was no air conditioning and no fan. On the sixth floor in Guayaquil, you can imagine how hot it was. I asked if they had given him anything for pain. He said a doctor had written a prescription, but someone would have to go to a pharmacy to fill it. Of course they didnt have the money, so of course I went and got it. An hour or so after taking the medicine he was more comfortable, and I asked how they came up with the "fatty liver" diagnosis. He is 28 years old) He said someone had felt his stomach, taken his vitals and made the diagnosis. No x-ray or other diagnostic tools were used. While I was there, the person on the other side of the curtain vomited on the floor. When I left several hours later the vomit was still on the floor. I think that anyone looking for free medical care should keep in mind that this what you might get. In addition, unless your spanish is very good, it might make an already bad situation that much worse.

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