Since arriving in Honduras, we have had to go to the doctor several times. So much so that I am comfortably familiar with the first two floors of the hospital/clinic located not even a block from where we live. All we have to do is walk straight over and we will arrive in less than five minutes. What a convenience and blessing!
Going to the doctor here in Honduras is nothing like going to the doctor in the United States. It is way less complicated. Depending on where you live in the U.S., you might have to wait a month before being able to see your primary care physician. Here in Honduras, the experience we have had is we walk in, talk to the nurse about why we are there, and then we wait our turn for the doctor. An important note about our experience, locals have expressed they have had different experiences, such as having to wait about four days before seeing a doctor. So not everyone has the opportunity to walk-in like we have had. Depending on where you go, a consultation can be 250 Lempiras ($10 U.S.) to about 600 Lempiras (~$24 U.S.). Thus, seeing a doctor in Honduras is very affordable.
Unfortunately the price starts kicking in when you have to get lab work done. Additionally, the pharmacies can cost a bit as well. Lab Work can range anywhere from about 500 Lempiras to around 1,200 Lempiras (1000 Lempiras = $40 U.S.), depending on what the doctor orders for you to get (also, depending on which lab you go to). If one cannot pay for the lab work, it won’t get done. That is what surprised me the first time I had to get lab work; I had to walk over to the lab and pay out of pocket right then and there. It felt so different to me. I am used to it now, but the first time was so odd.
I think it's important to mention that blood work can be ordered for someone who has a cough and a cold. This surprised me when I took our son to the pediatrician for a cough and cold. She sent us to get a blood draw which was no fun because Santi being not three years old does not understand “don’t move” when the big ugly needle is about to poke him. While it was the strangest thing for me to be told to go get his blood drawn because of a cold with a cough, it made sense because they wanted to see if he had an infection. That is a huge difference that I have noticed here in Honduras; if you go to the doctor, the chances of getting your blood drawn are very high even for issues that in the U.S. would not require such a procedure.
Another medical practice very common here in Honduras is getting a shot when you are having abdominal pains or you’re sick to your stomach. I went to the doctor because I was having stomach problems, and I got a shot in my buttock (I always remember the Forest Gump scene where he tells the U.S. President he got “shot in the buttocks”). Never in the U.S. have I gotten a shot for diarrhea, but here you almost always do. Just like in the U.S. Ibuprofen is almost always prescribed for pain and fever, shots are given in Honduras when your stomach is acting up. Thankfully, those shots are not painful, at least not for me.
-Nancy
