Expats Talk about Health Insurance and Healthcare in Cotacachi, Ecuador

"One important point to make that might make a difference: My Spanish is fluent so all of my conversations with doctors are in their native language, not mine. I never even ask if they speak English, and I don't know how many there are that do and to what degree. Another interesting point is more of a cultural difference. My wife accompanies me to all my doctor's visits and I to hers. We both address the issues with the doctors and are privy to their explanations. I find that very comforting. And there are times when I can't understand the doctor because of regional dialects and the ever-present masks and my wife, who speaks no English, doesn't translate, but rather paraphrases into language I can understand. Between the three of us clear communication usually results," mentioned one expat in Cotacachi.

"For anything serious we go to Ibarra or Quito, Cotacachi is a small village without a lot of health resources except for minor things," commented one expat living in Cotacachi, Ecuador.

"We do most of our doctor's visits in Otavalo, or Ibarra depending on the availability of specialists. The system for booking appointments needs work but it's getting better. I've been seen by probably ten different general practitioners and both my wife and I have settled on a couple that we feel very confident with. With a bit of luck and an occasional wait we manage to book appointments with doctors of our choice, though the others would certainly be fine in a pinch. Appointments are usually within a few days of the date when I first did the search. They are very proactive with profalactics, booking a full blood, urine and feces panel twice a year. A yearly EKG. I had a lung issue during the pandemic and had three different chest x-rays with no wait. An ongoing uncomfortable but not disabling knee issue led to an x-ray and a visit to the orthopod within a week or so. My wife gets annual pap smears and mammograms and is regularly seen by her gynecologist, who also a doctor we both feel very sure of. I do have northern=transplant friends who have had major surgeries and they all feel they got excellent care," mentioned one expat in Cotacachi.

"I'm a Canadian transplant and I've been in the north of Ecuador (near Cotacachi) for nearly five years, married to an Ecuadorian and affiliated with EISS, the Ecuadorian version of medicare. I'm nearly 74, with no serious health problems other than blood pressure, which has been well controlled for more than ten years. All of our basic meds are covered and only occasionally do we have to go to a pharmacy to get something the doctors have prescribed. The cost to me for the two of us is $95/month.. Coming from almost fify years in the Canadian healthcare system I would give the IESS system pretty high marks. Access to the necessary care might be easier here," wrote an expat living in Cotacachi.

"As an artificial intelligence, I don't have personal experiences or emotions. However, I can provide information based on available data. The healthcare system in Cotacachi, like many places worldwide, has been under significant strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There have been reports of overwhelmed hospitals, lack of medical supplies, and a need for more healthcare professionals. Despite these challenges, local health workers have been praised for their dedication and resilience. The government has also implemented measures such as lockdowns and vaccination campaigns to control the spread of the virus," said one expat.

"As I mentioned before, the level of care for non-covid problems has been negatively impacted by the overload on the system treating Covid-19 cases," remarked one expat in Cotacachi.