Having SURGERY in Panama- My Experiences with Health Care Part 2 of 2!

My surgery at the Panama Clinic is DONE and I'm in recovery mode! In Part 2 of our 2 part series on my experiences with the medical care in Panama, I'll walk you through the entire process of having surgery at the Panama Clinic, what I thought of the facilities (with a tour of the hospital room!), what I thought of the staff, dealing with the language barrier, and the most important part for many of you....what the entire surgery cost out of pocket with no medical insurance!
View Part 1 of my Panama medical journey here: • Medical Care in Panama...
Have questions about this video or anything else related to Panama? All of your questions about moving to Panama, retiring in Panama, living in Panama, or simply vacationing in Panama as a tourist can be asked on our I Go Panama facebook group! See you there! / igopanama
We have OVER 100 fun & educational videos on Panama! View them all here: kzbin.infovideos

[@mjmarkie7031]

My Orthopedic Surgeon gave me the choice of hospital for my surgery - he is required to work at several - private and social - The Surgery could be done in a Private hospital with him as surgeon - 2 nights- 3 days - all medications, food, anesesthia etc etc. $ 25K ..OR all same surgery, coverage - amenities etc. at a Social hospital with him also as Surgeon - for $ 250.00 . No question. I chose Social hospital - -next day surgery - at Penonome Hospital - it was wonderful experience. . Actual bill when I left was $ 235.00. cash .

[@RDBean]

I hear ya! Live out LaPintada way, but prefer Auguadulce hospital. Building new hospital in edge of Penonome. Med care here is a fraction of states & have good Drs here too

[@coolmg7482]

Yes I am living in Panama and the dr and system is perfect I love it ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@VickyVicky-bs1cw]

Good to see you again Mary ❤️ also thank you brave Brian for all the inside info. Wishing you all the best ! My husband and I both survived cancer during covid and now I have only one dream! Go to Panama 🇵🇦

[@drewforest]

Very glad to hear you are doing better! Happy to hear you received good medical treatment. Sorry you had to go through this difficult experience.

[@ddaniel727]

Glad your experience was so positive. We are new here in Panamá and trying to decide how we will handle hospital expenses etcetera should they become a factor. Hoping to get our Pensionados next week! Thank you for allowing us to share your experiences in such a direct and candid way! Continue to heal and God’s speed!

[@ray7288]

So glad you made it through OK. Back in Britain you occasionally see news reports where they shock British people by telling them how much US medical procedures and medicines cost - or shock US visitors by saying how little (or nil) the same procedures and medication costs in the UK. The problems in Britain chiefly involve getting to see your GP in the first rate (due to shortages of doctors), then delays - sometime very long delays - in getting to see specialists and have treatment or surgery. Where we lived the standards were much above the national NHS standards, but we had the same problems. We have used both private and public health services here, including a public clinic in Panama City, Santo Tomas public hospital and even a local doctor's surgery for routine stuff (just around the corner, so very convenient!), and found all gave good service. Obviously the private places (we've been to both Pacific Clinic and Pacific Salud, and the centre in Costa del Este - and that is amazing, with even a self-playing grand piano in the lobby...) have better facilities, but the care and attention is always really good. Anyway, glad to see you recovered so well and so quickly. All the best.

[@IngeHBorg]

Glad you are going to be feeling great again, Mary, and that your hospital experience was so positive (under the circumstances). Thank you for sharing this. Best wishes for your total recovery.

[@cl2385]

WOW! That hospital looks amazing and so modern. Glad your recovery went well and you look so happy too! That anesthesia effect of vomiting is pretty miserable. Zofran seems to work the best and if you ever get the stomach flu and can't hold your "cookies" down, get Zofran! 😊😊

[@tammiepulley7167]

I really appreciate you sharing your story.

[@normagertz9055]

Excellent video. Glad to see you doing so well. Wishing you and Brian all the best. Happy Holidays!

[@alkubbo1291]

We (wifey and I) are very happy and relieved that your hospital and surgery experience was so awesome. We were praying for your quick recovery and quite thankful that the Lord heard our prayers. We are now both 'permanent pensionado residents' of Panama (with cedulas) and chose to stay in the area of Panama City because we wanted to be close to the medical services, restaurants and the awesome facilities available in this gem of a city. We do not own a car nor do we need one. (we 'uber' ourselves everywhere) We are easy to spot as the couple sporting the Panama hats while 'shlepping' through the shopping plazas or the Riba Smith/Rey markets. Keep safe and healthy - look forward to your next videos.

[@donzimmerman5829]

So happy for both of you and that you are well on your road to recovery.

[@laskajonesyard6546]

I'm glad to know that all went well! Thank you for all the information.

[@ldhardy1961]

Thank you for the video and sharing of information. You are looking great! Here's wishing you the best, continued recovery, and God speed. Cuidate!

[@anne-mariesweeney7781]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you’re healing well.

[@patriciaking4230]

Happy to hear that you had such a good experience and that everything went so smoothly for you. 😊🌹❤️

[@lindagm9332]

Thanks for this most imformative video. It's good to see you are doing better.

[@amazing-osky2052]

That is awesome! I am glad all went well. BTW that view is amazing and better than my view at Georgetown Hospital in Washington, DC. I didn't event get a private room after all the money I paid for and paid post surgery.

[@garybearman8771]

I was diagnosed with bradycardia in David. It was a good diagnosis, BUT they quoted me over $28,000 for a pacemaker. I went to Bucaramanga and paid $6500!

[@papi7672]

It is cheap, I had a surgery in Georgia and there were two bills one from the Hospital and another one from the surgeon, it totaled $45,000 which thankfully my insurance covered most of it. I don't like to be critical but the service I received wasn't top notched. Hoping for a fast recovery.

[@RDBean]

You must have used Kennestone "hospital"

[@RDBean]

You must have used Kennestone "hospital"

[@lmor8202]

Again thank you so much for sharing your experience us... This so valuable to know.. I learned so much in these videos. Enjoy a higher quality of life now..Much Love

[@viral_videos257]

Glad all went well. Take good care of yourself.

[@richardmurphy3465]

Ok. Watched part 1&2. Congratulations! Very happy for you. Thank you for sharing your experience. Very well done. You can’t be to descriptive. Great job!

[@thereseramey7743]

Glad that you are doing well! Rest, rest, rest!

[@douglasmorgan5015]

Mary so glad that you are doing better. I’m looking for health insurance for my wife and I in Panamá. I’m 68 she’s 69. She has no pre-existing but I have one. We are in real good health. We’ve got Medicare A&B plus Advantage C.

[@charleshoots1306]

Glad to see you are doing better. Thanks for sharing your experience. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Your experience has got me thinking about whether or not to have needed surgery in the US or in Panama when I move there in 2024.

[@hazelblumberg-mckee4912]

I have had to have quite a bit of dental work here in the US. If, heaven forfend, I need more, I will come to Panama for it. I've had it with the insane costs of dental care here. Even with insurance that's supposed to be good, my husband and I had to suffer enormous, crushing bills. I'm done with that.

[@huacamaya119]

Yes, if you can afford it, the private medical system in Panama is topnotch. Unfortunately for most of the rest of the population there they have to rely on the Social Security government system. Terrible conditions. But so glad that everything went well. Praying for your speedy recovery❤

[@ewenker]

Hey Mary. Glad you’re better. I had a tummy tuck in march after losing 150 pounds and I was billed the same. I paid my dr and then I had to pay the surgery center and then I paid the anesthesiologist. So I had three bills. I was cash pay. When I had my weight loss surgery my insurance covered lol so I didn’t pay anything haha. ❤❤❤

[@elliotpruzan3505]

Glad you are recovering well and that you had such a positive experience under challenging circumstances. I was interested to know how much deposit the hospital expected and how they would expect payment. Good to know they accept credit cards, since I have heard horror stories about some private hospitals in PTY expecting very large cash payments in advance of treatment. If there is more that you can share about this aspect of your experience, it would be most appreciated. Thanks again for your informative post!

[@IGoPanama]

Just paid the $2200 deposit on credit card, then the additional money on credit card right before I left. Easy peasy!

[@jim459]

So glad everything went well overall for you! You are correct about the USA healthcare system. It used to be great, but sure has changed over the last 5 to 10 years. It took me a year to see a referral from my Primary Doc to see a Neurologist. Then was referred to another which took another 4 month. In the meantime I suffered with sciatica problems. Finally after almost 1 year I got cortisone shots in my back. Wonder if I would have had to wait that long in Panama...I doubt it.

[@Yesiyui]

In the private setting, it can be like a month because in Panama are only like ten neurologists but in the public setting, it can be a year. Panama government need to be better with the promotion of formation of physicians because the Ministy of Health open like two places to the formation of neurologist per year and here we need to be first an internal physician to enter to neurology residency.

[@spain1998]

Glad to hear everything went so well! That hospital looks awesome! I wonder how much the total cost would have been if yall had the typical health insurance gringo's talk about getting in Panama that runs something like $50-$150 per month. Also, love the skyline in Panama City! It rivals Chicago or Miami skylines for sure!!

[@Kwaddy79]

You look great Mary ♥️🤗

[@gregoriousgotti5115]

I'm Glad You Good..💯..

[@monetizepresentknowledge5621]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you're improving.

[@wuzzycuzzy6656]

And normally you're dehydrated because you have to fast for 10 or 12 hours so you're going to be a hard stick anyways

[@FreeInPanama]

You are doing great congratulations !!! Been here for last 9 years and know lots of people who went thru what you just went. The same experience. We also found no English language from the nurses nor registration. It seems 6-years mandatory English in Panama is not enough to put a sentence together. Makes to wonder if also other schooling was that efficient too :) But the thing I found controversial in your comments is that you did not include healthcare in your initial research about where to move from the States. Frankly, I do not know any expat here (we live in Coronado area) who would not consider proximity to health care facilities while deciding where to live. That may be the reason why you ended in Bocas, which the most of people scratch from the list as medical facilities are not available there. Long drive to the hospital in David or flying to Panama City and staying there in the hotels for appointments with the specialists, was the major obstacle which limited us and almost everyone we know from being located in Boquete, Bocas or other remote parts of the country. I know it is cheaper there, but health care is more and more important as we age, and here simply no one wanted to face the risk of relocating again just because they did not do proper homework about health care. Again, congrats about successful surgery.

[@IGoPanama]

Thank you! It's definitely NOT cheaper in Bocas....... But keep in mind that we were aware that there was a BRAND NEW hospital in Bocas when we moved there, so we thought everything was fine. We didn't realize the severe limitations of the care there. And when you aren't used to having any kind of health issue, it's just not something that's really on your radar. Knowing there was a new hospital was enough for us. Many expats are older retirees where it's a concern. We aren't.

[@ewenker]

Haha not remembering anything. That the good ol’ Versaid. They call it the truth serum haha. You won’t remember anything