Emigrating for health care

Damon:

In your situation your cost of living and medicines would be much cheaper in Ecuador.  Come on down!

I just sent a message to GringoVisas to start the process, so it is in the works. My wife keeps telling me to get down there soon so she can take care of me! I might go down early after my visa enters processing on a tourist visa, but we'll see what happens...

Damon.

Hello Dagretto and Dottore Luke,

Please note that a new thread has been started on the Ecuador forum with your posts so that you can talk about this topic.

Thanks,

Diksha
Team Expat.com

Expats choosing Ecuador would do well to relocate to one of the larger cities if having top medical facilities around is important.

Quito has Hospital Metropolitano, rated one of the best of all the clinics and hospitals in South America. 

For some Expats who have COPD or other respiratory issues, living in Quito or Cuenca -- the top Expat places among the large cities -- can be problematic due to altitude.  Many of us thrive at 8- or 9-thousand feet elevation, although walking uphill can be a challenge.

When I leave my Quito condo and go the five blocks down Garcia Moreno to the Plaza de la Independencia or the nearby hotels, banks, food places and shops, I usually walk down the slope.  Coming back up, especially at night, I may save my breath and take a taxi ($2).

In a big city such as Quito, Expats who are only somewhat challenged by elevation should consider choosing a neighborhood that is more level than my hilly vecindario in Centro Histórico.

cccmedia

The Pacific Coast of Ecuador has some smaller cities and fishing villages.

The knock for years was that coastal healthcare was lagging behind that of the Andean cities.

The situation was apparently starting to change for the better, although this forum doesn't seem to get much news about the state of health care on the coast.

This thread welcomes posts from any coastal folks who are up to date about healthcare and facilities in their parts of Ecuador.

cccmedia

It's hit or miss outside a major hospital such as Metropolitano whether an Expat who encounters a doctor will be able to communicate in English.

My GP in Quito has communicated with me in Spanish for years.  He always compliments me on my facility in the language, possibly to encourage me to keep talking in español.

My primary dentist in Quito also is Spanish-only.  In my travels, I have had dental work done in Armenia, Colombia, and Lima, Peru.  The four dentists I encountered in these places spoke to me in Spanish only. The only dentist I have visited in South America who spoke English to me was in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

cccmedia

cccmedia wrote:

The situation was apparently starting to change for the better, although this forum doesn't seem to get much news about the state of health care on the coast.

I'm going to be relocating to Manta when my visa is approved, so if I have any experiences to share, I will post them. My only encounters with Ecuadorian healthcare is with my wife's couisn & uncle, both doctors, & her mother, a retired nurse. I also took the antigeno rapido test in Omni hospital in Guayaquil. My impression is that it was a thoroughly modern hospital.

Damon.

Dagretto wrote:

I also took the antigeno rapido test in Omni hospital in Guayaquil. My impression is that it was a thoroughly modern hospital.

Let's keep in mind that Guayaquil is not on the Pacific coast.  It's 45 minutes away at the closest point .. and more than an hour away from most coastal towns.

In a medical emergency involving an older Expat, rushing from the true coast to the Big G may not be the right answer.

cccmedia

Relocating to Guayaquil is also not the answer for 99 percent of Expats if medical care is primary.

GYE is hot weather-wise and the most dangerous of the bigger Ecuadorian cities.

It's rare that we get posts from the largest city in Ecuador on this forum (larger than Quito by population).  That's because few Expats live in Guayaquil.

cccmedia

Moving to Ecuador because

healthcare in the USA is terribly broken.

Ecuadorious is a new Expat.com member who

has a blog about his new country.

He made a noteworthy post at ecuadorious.com

about why he decided to leave his home country

in favor of a life in Cuenca, Ecuador...

"Health care in America is entirely broken.

I don't think even doctors would argue this point.

It's entirely run by the insurance companies,

who have no business in medicine essentially

not deciding what treatment is necessary

and which isn't, and how much all that is

going to cost you in the end. It is very common

for a single medical event to force someone to go

into bankruptcy -- even with monthly payments

for health insurance coverage, which can be

very expensive.

"This is a system I've paid into my entire life,

and now that I need it the most, it's the worst

it has ever been."

Source... ecuadorious.com