Let me share our experience with the excellent senior healthcare in Medellin & our Bi-Lingual Doctor!
As seniors traveling & thinking about spending some time in Colombia, there was a concern on our minds “what will senior healthcare in Medellin be like should we need it”? Would we encounter communication or language barriers?
I want to tell you that the above questions and concerns were quickly and confidently answered, as we experienced truly excellent medical care in Medellin! We should not have been surprised as healthcare in Latin America has continued to amaze us since we started traveling South of the Border – first in Merida, Mexico & now in Medellin, Colombia!
Medellin has Excellent Bi-Lingual Doctors!
Not feeling well & not sure who to call? I am not fluent in Spanish, yet, & although I was not ill, it was past time for a physical & the top criteria for a doctor visit South of the Border was a bi-lingual doctor. After all, when it comes to discussions about health, that is the last place you want to have a language barrier.
In looking at F/B I found reference to an English speaking doctor & searched online. I found her! Dr. Luz Naranjo! Both The Big Guy & I went to her for our yearly physicals. She is not your average doctor from the U.S. Yes, she did receive some training there but a visit to her office is an experience – applied for appointment thru Whats App on her website, received quick response & appointment for us within a day.
Dr. Naranjo does all the paperwork, referrals & physical herself, taking the time to sit & discuss your medical history & issues at hand. She referred me to where I needed to go for mammogram & blood work. In & out of her office in less than a hour & no waiting extended period of time in waiting room. The U.S. currently has not authorized Medicare to be used outside in Mexico and Latin America, so be prepared to pay cash/credit card for a very affordable complete physical. The Big Guy was skeptical and didn’t make an appointment for a complete physical examine, however after he observed the thoroughness of the physical examine he couldn’t wait to make an appointment!
BioReferencia Laboratory Clinic
When the doctor completed my physical she gave me a referral for blood tests at BioReferencia Lab. Again, at the time of writing this article Medicare does not cover the costs of medical care or lab work outside the states. The price of all my blood work was comparable to a co-pay in the U.S. (Tip: There is a cash discount for paying in cash [pesos] instead of credit card.) I’m smiling as I type this because this was one of the most complete physicals I have ever received & everyone made it a really enjoyable experience.
The two young ladies pictured above did the paperwork, all I did was present the referral from Dr. Naranjo & my passport for id. Although there was a language barrier, these two young ladies were super friendly & very good at their job!
They took me back into the lab room & promptly drew blood for the test Dr. Naranjo had ordered for me. When I think about the hassle in the states to have lab work done, this was a breeze. I had the results in my email before the end of the day. I forwarded the results to Dr. Naranjo & that night she had left me a voice message clearly outlining the results of each blood tests. I sent my lab results to my primary care physician in the states, as of this date they have only told me they would add the lab work to my file, but did not provide any feedback regarding the lab tests.
Mammogram Anyone?
Dr. Naranjo was amazed that I had not had a mammogram for a few years. She said at my age I should have it done every year? Anyway, she referred me to the Escano Clinic & again, I made appointment using Whats App & had the appointment set a few days later. Now, I admit I had to travel a minute to get to this office but once there, they were pretty quick getting me in & out. I had to wait a week for the results to be sent to me, at which time I forwarded to Dr. Naranjo for review.
Let me say we paid one price to the Doctor at the initial consult & there were no additional charges for reading any of the results. I was pleasantly surprised by cost of mammogram considering how many x-rays they took.
Nutritionist
Since we are Seniors & traveling from country to country, we may not always eat what is good for us. Health is very important & Dr. Naranjo gave us a referral to see a nutritionist. In our quest to be healthy seniors traveling, I made an appointment with nutritionist Paula. Upon arrival at her office, she was a one woman show. She discussed our health concerns & took measurements of both of us. She took notes of what we normally eat & asked us for a list of foods we liked or disliked. A few days later we received a complete nutrition plan. It was pretty easy to follow.
Senior Healthcare in Medellin?
Although I have an active health insurance policy in the U.S., it does not cover my medical expenses during international travel, so we purchased a separate travel insurance health insurance, which has emergency health & hospitalization coverage. Since international medical care is so affordable this is not a huge drawback for us BUT truly the cost of EXCELLENT health care South of the Border has been nothing short of outstanding & affordable for these senior travelers.