Healthcare Utila Style

  Utila, Honduras
Wednesday, July 23, 2008

scary shark horn

The life aquatic eludes me still, i have not been able to equalize my ears and doing so is an essential part of going deep (beyond 8 feet).  Kirstin's been thinking that its psychosomatic, being generated by my "fear" of deep water and my survivalist instinct not to be breathing below the watery surface.  Anyway...there is a story here...I've been trying to get in and see Dr. John (10am-12pm weekdays) but he is remarkably unavailable and history tells us he is somewhere recovering from his weekend coke infused bender.  My dive instructor (Marion) suggest that i  try out the local health clinic. These two establishments make up the entirety of Utila's health care community.  So the dive shop was kind enough to call and confirm that the clinic was open.  I walked the 1/2 hour (1 mile uphill both ways in the sweltering heat) to get there and the receptionist wouldn't let me see the doctor without the "proper paperwork" from the dive shop. 

i didnt inhale

So, with no fax (their phone was "broken" and would not make outgoing calls)So I walked back to the dive shop (www.ecomarineutila.com) and got some kind of medical form to appease the receptionist Nazi and returned, this time with Kirstin in tow as my translator.  So we got there after normal office house as i set up earlier with the receptionist.  I got in to see the Dr. right away, his exam takes about 10 minutes, he tells me that i have a throat infection despite my feeling fine, it will affect my ears and therefore diving.  He tells me the cost is 150 Limperia ($7.50) payable now to him.  I pay him, he writes me a perscription which is filled on site for no additional money and they send us on our way.  $7.50 for a Dr. exam and medication (1 week antibiotics) - now thats a health care program that i can get behind!!