Categories: merida-blog

Private Healthcare System in Mérida: A Quick Overview

Mérida offers world-class medical services because of its superior infrastructure of facilities and professionals. Hospitals and clinics in Mérida provide a range of specialties comparable to Europe and North America. In Mérida, you’ll find affordable doctors, consultants, highly trained staff, surgery facilities, recovery rooms, and clinical analysis laboratories. There are also many dedicated treatment facilities compared to many other countries. Here’s a quick overview to the Private Healthcare System in Mérida.

Private Healthcare System in Mérida – Levels of Hospitals

First-level Hospitals in Mérida

First-level hospitals provide care for patients without serious injury. They usually have testing equipment, monitoring equipment and provide first aid. After being seen at a first-level hospital, you might be referred to a second- or third-level hospital for further treatment. This hospital is typically a teaching hospital as well.

Second-level Hospitals in Mérida

Second-level hospitals are health institutions with hospitalization in basic services and provide exams and basic diagnoses corresponding to this level. Outpatient care for specialties such as neurology, trauma, cardiology, etc. is also located at a second-level hospital.

Third-level Hospitals Mérida

Third-level hospitals include health institutions equipped with a high complexity for health problems. Notablyl, those requiring more technology and state of the art equipment. These institutions have hospitalization rooms, surgery rooms, internal clinics, and specific surgical specialties including traumatology, neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery, and others.

Unlike in the USA, you do not have to go to a hospital for surgery. At the current time in Mérida, you’ll find close to twenty different clinics that also provide surgical and recovery services.

Like second-level hospitals, clinics provide the same services but only for one specialty. You’ll also have different prices based on hospitals levels vs. clinics. Usually, your doctor is associated with hospitals and clinics where they practice and recommend the best location for your procedure as part of the private healthcare system in Mérida.

Private Healthcare System in Mérida – General Medical Costs

Here are a few medical and pharmaceutical costs for comparison in pesos (and U.S. $) based on conversion rate of $20 pesos to $1:

Second-level hospital emergency room visit at a : $300 to $400 ($15 to $20 US)
Third-level hospital emergency room visit at a : $400 to $600 ($20 to $30 US)
Consultation, general doctor: $500 ($25 US)
Housecall, general doctor: $700 to $800 ($35 to 40 US)
Consultation, specialist such as a gynecologist or dermatologist: $800 ($40 US)
Housecall, specialist house call: $1,500 ($75 US)
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses): $140 ($7.00)
Insulin (10ml): $600 ($30.00)
Prozac (28 tablets): $1,300 ($65.00)
Tabcin (Cold medication – 12 capsules): $54 ($2.70)
Tafil (Xanax – 90 .5mg tablets): $1,100 ($55.00)
Viagra (1 – 100mg tablet): $350 ($17.50)

In regards to the doctors who make house calls, they give you their personal phone number, and check on you from time to time. They are never in a rush to not give you proper service and attention when it comes to your healthcare needs.

Additionally, I’ve also found many locations like Salud Digna who focus on providing affordable services such as labwork, MRI’s and other medical testing at extremely reasonable costs. Surprisingly, results from testing or scans are given directly to you so that you are in charge of taking them to your doctor.

Unfortunately, there is not a centralized system to keep track of your medical records. Therefore, you are responsible for your prescriptions and test results.

Notably, the things I love most about the private healthcare system in Mérida: