An ER room in the U.S. vs. a Costa Rican ER Room

I just spent three weeks in Washington State visiting my sister. A few days after I arrived I fell ill with an intestinal malady. I tried to treat the problem myself with Pepto Bismol, a lot of Gator Aid and a bland diet but my condition only got worse, so I made a trip to Saint Francis Hospital’s ER room. After a three hour wait I finally saw a doctor who gave my two ivs to rehydrate my body. The doctor joked with me saying, “People usually get these type of things when the travel south of the border and not when they come to the U.S.” Who knows whether I picked up the bug prior to coming to the States or I contracted it while visiting there? What I do know is that I spent over five hours in all being treated at the hospital’s ER room.

Anyway my condition did not improve and I returned to the ER room a few days later for additional treatment. I was the only one in the waiting room but nevertheless I still had to wait over two hours to be seen. I was given a strong antibiotic called Cipro (ciprofloxacin) and sent home. By the next day I felt much better and was free of any of the symptoms of whatever I had.

The main point of this article is not to bad mouth the treatment I received while in the U.S. but to comment about the length of time that I had to wait to see a doctor on both occasions. Don’t get me wrong! Saint Francis is an excellent private hospital with a competent medical staff. However, in Costa Rica I have visited the Clínica Biblical’s ER room at least a dozen times during the 38 years I have lived here and never had to wait more than one-half hour to see a doctor.

It is comforting to know that I can get faster medical care at one of Costa Rica’s private hospitals than I received in the United States which is another reason I feel blessed to live here.