There may come a time when you need to see a doctor in a hurry. In Mexico, one excellent option is the in-house doctor at a local pharmacy.
This will sound like an alien concept to many expats, especially Americans, who are accustomed to heading to an emergency room for urgent care. But I have good news for you — in Mexico, there are more and better options.
Now, if you’re bleeding profusely, have a broken bone, or are dealing with something else of equal severity, you still ought to head straight to an emergency room. Preferably one at a private hospital even if you’re covered by IMSS (Mexico’s public health system) because you’ll be seen more quickly and in all likelihood get better care. And it won’t cost you a princely sum.
But that’s not the experience I want to share here.
Last week I saw a walk-in doctor at my local Mexican pharmacy to deal with the aftermath of a dog bite. You see, I’d been caring for a rescue dog recently along with our family dog and two cats.
As a treat, I’d given each dog a bone from the neighborhood carniceria (meat shop), albeit separately to avoid conflict. Unfortunately, I forgot to store these bones after they’d enjoyed them for a few hours.
Early the next morning on our way outside for a walk, both dogs lunged for the same bone in our garage – and started fighting over it.
Recalling some sage advice about being your dogs’ pack leader from an episode of The Dog Whisperer with César Millán (and not wanting these nitwits to tear each other apart), I lunged in to break up the scrum. In the process, the rescue dog bit my thumb.
The bite started bleeding profusely, but after cleaning and bandaging it — the wound seemed pretty minor. That is until 36 hours later when I began feeling increased pain around the wound and noticed swelling and redness that hadn’t been there before.
Fearing an infection, I knew I had to see a doctor pronto for some antibiotics (which aren’t available over the counter in Mexico). So I walked down the hill to the closest Farmacia Guadalajara from my house—as walking can be the faster option in our frequently traffic-choked city.
At the pharmacy counter, I asked if there was a doctor available. The lady said yes. Then she asked if I wanted a consult for $35 pesos. (less than $2 USD)
“Absolutely,” I said while simultaneously thinking … $35 pesos is all it costs to see a medical doctor?!
Next, the lady told me to head around the side of the building to the clinic entrance and show my receipt.
First off, “clinic” is a generous term for what it is. The waiting room to see the doctor was the size of a broom closet. And somehow they’d jammed 4 chairs in there – where I found two people already waiting.
While passing the time, I read the “terms of service” posted on the door.
The sign explained that the physician “in this establishment does not dress wounds, apply sutures, or conduct gynecological or urological exams.”
No problem, I thought.
I waited 45 minutes to see the doctor. When it was finally my turn I entered the consultation “room,” which was just another broom closet with a sliding door for privacy.
A medical consult at a Mexican pharmacy amounts to a discussion with a doctor at a desk, with the added benefit of the pharmaceuticals being available on-site for immediate purchase/consumption.
The doctor (who looked no more than 30) took about 15 minutes to listen to my explanation of what happened and ask questions. We spoke in Spanish, though the doctor knew a bit of English.
He examined my wound and the swelling and was not initially inclined to give me antibiotics. After some protest on my part about the risk of not treating an infection early, he consented to prescribe me amoxicillin as a preventive measure, plus a pain killer/anti-inflammatory combination.
I filled the Rx at the on-site pharmacy a few minutes later. The cost of my medications came to $146 pesos after a discount of $206 pesos was applied.
I’d qualified for a nearly 60% discount on the drugs just for seeing Farmacia Guadalajara’s in-house doctor. That brought the total cost of my visit (completed in about an hour) to less than $9 USD.
And while telemedicine is also now a “thing” in Mexico, I appreciated having a doctor look at my wound in person to assess my condition. Call me old school if you like.
My hand is doing fine now. I even played in a tennis tournament a few days after starting the medications, with no adverse effects.
So my advice to other expats who desire prompt medical attention for a non-urgent medical issue is … head over to the nearest large pharmacy and ask if the doctor is in.