Costa Rica Real Estate Magazine

When we travel, we usually consider details, such as where to stay, which airline, the time of the year to determine clothing needed, etc. However, what we are going to do in case a medical emergency arises is not on the list. Most people do not think about it or if they do, they think they can deal with it if it happens. Very few people travel prepared, but for these the surprise factor is controllable and resolved in a better way.

S o, what happens when we travel to another country and we are not prepared to face an emergency? A medical situation, which often does not threaten life, but can mean a high monetary cost, becomes a family emer gency, where you not only have to see how to solve the medical part, but also the economic part that can become un manageable. This scenario is presented more times than I would like to tell. As a doctor in a touristy area of great growth, I have witnessed and interacted more than once with patients in this situation. They come to our country for a visit or to live looking for other life experiences; and surprisingly while enjoying their new destination they have an accident, pre sent a medical emergency, and are not prepared. I clearly remember the case of a patient who while enjoying time on the beach, suffered a fall and ended up with a very complicated fracture. We received the call and reached the site, treated the patient on the scene prop erly, preparing him to be transferred by ambulance to our central clinic. Once in the clinic, after performing diagnos tic and confirmatory exams, we deter mined the need for surgery to repair the fracture. A procedure that cannot be performed in our medical center, requir ing a transfer to a high-resolution trau ma center quickly because of the type of injury and its possible complications. Being in an area more than 4 hours by land from the specialized center, the medical recommendation was an air transfer to the corresponding medical center in order to timely manage the medical condition and reduce the risk of complications. It is at this time that I am explaining to the patient and his relatives what is happening and how it should be resolved, when they tell me that the patient does not have medi cal insurance of any kind, nor does he have the money available to deal with the medical expenses and due to time differences between our country and

if it can be used as a payment method. It should be noted that the acceptance of medical insurance as a form of pay ment is established independently by each medical center, there are some health centers that only accept medical insurance by reimbursement and not as a form of direct payment, however, they are in the minority. It is important to consider when trave ling, also know well your medical his tory. If you suffer from any disease and take treatment for it, know the name of the medication, its dose and frequency. Consider if you are allergic to any medi cation, if you have had surgeries or if you have recently been hospitalized for any condition. If you suffer from any chronic medical condition that you manage with the use of medications, you must travel with them in sufficient quantity for the duration of the trip. A chronic condition for which daily medications are used, at the time the person stops taking them the risk of decompensation is high, de pending on the medical condition. It is worth noting that when traveling, the person can take with them the amount of medication necessary to control their illnesses during their trip, in order to try to avoid the possible complications of a decompensation. It is very important, in addition to the previous recommendations, to do your homework, to know what medical ser vices are available in the area where you are going to travel, what response capacity they have, and where they are located. Having the phone number to communicate with them (medical center) is indispensable. Try to find out if a transfer should be made, to where it would be and with what hospital, and if possible, know if they accept your medical expenses insurance as a form of payment. I hope this information is helpful to plan and schedule your next trip, and that you like Costa Rica so much, that you want to come and live here in our area.

theirs, they cannot contact the bank to access more funds than those they car ry. They tell me that they never thought they needed more money than the budgeted to travel, and never thought about acquiring medical insurance with international coverage or travel medical insurance. The patient ended up con tacting relatives in their country of origin and managed to resolve the situation, allowing the aeromedical transfer to a hospital in the capital, and their cor responding surgery. Fortunately, the procedure was a complete success, full recovery, and the return home without problems, but difficult and distress ing moments were endured. The ideal preparation is to have the financial funds available for the care of an emer gency, but difficult to predict the cost of medical care during an emergency without it happening, or to acquire a medical expenses insurance plan ei ther within your local insurance plan in your country with international cov erage, and / or purchase travel insur ance, which covers medical expenses incurred during your trip usually in the form of reimbursement. The above is limited to the economic coverage ca pacity of each insurance plan, if you have deductible expenses, co-insur ance or co-payments, all situations that your insurance company should inform in advance. It is best to have access to your local insurance in your home country with international coverage, in addition to secondary travel insurance. This guarantees coverage in case of an emergency. In order to use your medi cal expenses insurance, either from your local plan or traveler’s insurance, you must always present your insurer’s information, insurance identification with information regarding the policy (policy number, insured number) in ad dition to your passport and a second personal identification. These data are the basic ones to be presented in any private medical center in any country to be able to check its coverage and define

COSTA RICA REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE 79