Tag Archives: doctor

UK Medical Student Talks About Health Care in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca

Edd Morris grew up in the United Kingdom (UK) on the Wales-England border.  He just finished medical school in London, England, and decided to return to a Spanish-speaking country to volunteer in a community service project before going on to a two-year hospital residency back home.  He has a passion for people and community health.  When he contacted us about coming to Oaxaca, we helped place him in the Teotitlan del Valle public health clinic. Here is his story.

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“I’ve always wanted be a General Practitioner (that’s what we call Family Doctors in the UK) and so I thought it would be an incredible opportunity to volunteer in a community clinic in rural Mexico.

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[Photo above left: Doctora Elizabet, clinic director, with Edd Morris.  Photo above right: Edd with patient and Dr. Jonas.}

I’ve been here for a month, working alongside the doctors and nurses of the Teotitlan de Valle Centro de Salud. I’ve observed consultations and undertaken my own, too.  I’ve accompanied the nurses on a community vaccination drive, And, I’ve dressed a lot of wounds and ulcers!

One programme here really caught my imagination. It’s called Oportunidades, and it’s a national social support system offered by the Mexican state.

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[Photo above, left to right: Ms. Mayra, administrative manager, Dra. Elizabet, Edd Morris, Dra. Guadalupe]

Through Oportunidades, disadvantaged families can receive financial support from the Mexican Government, as long as they fully participate according to the plan.

There are different strands to the programme — the children in the family must attend school and the head of the household is required to go to seminars about healthy living, for example.

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[Photo above left: Edd with village community service in-take volunteer, and above right, with nursing staff.]

Healthcare is a crucial aspect. Everybody who participates in Oportunidades  must attend a six-month health check with a doctor, and children must be up-to-date with all their vaccines. Doctors should bring up relevant issues at every health check-up.  For example, it is important to discuss pregnancy prevention with adolescents.

In Teotitlan, Oportunidaes participants are also asked to take part in group exercise. I went running with the men’s group last Thursday, then we played a 60-minute soccer match (it was exhausting — I was the one who almost needed medical help when the game ended!)

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[Photo above left, Edd with Dr. Pablo, and right, with Norma Hawthorne]

Families who demonstrate their engagement with the Oportunidades programme then receive financial support from the government. The money is paid directly to the bank account of head of the household – effectively wiping out any diversion of funds.

What’s even more impressive is that the role of head-of-household is always delegated to a woman. Mexican research has shown that when a woman receives the money, she’s much more likely to spend it on her family and children – exactly those the programme is meant to support.

Oportunidades is a really impressive programme and the doctors tell me that it’s been successful at breaking the cycle of poverty. Like any large-scale initiative, it’s not perfect or infallible, but it’s one of the things which really impressed me with healthcare in Mexico.”

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[Public health messages throughout the town help educate people about health prevention, including dental care, diabetes, heart and respiratory illness, and more.]

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Edd Morris leaves Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, on June 18, 2014.  When he returns to London, he will begin work at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London  which serves a diverse, low-income population.  He receives his official medical degree from St. Georges, University of London (www.sgul.ac.uk) in two weeks. Edd remarked about what a rich, meaningful and culturally diverse experience this has been to have a direct connection with the local population.  What he learned will help prepare him for the next step in his profession. From all accounts, everyone he has come in contact with has enjoyed knowing, working with and hosting him here.  When are you coming back? was a question I heard all day.

We are accepting applications for volunteers to serve in the public health clinic for 2014 and 2015.  You must be a student in a baccalaureate or masters degree program in the following fields: nursing, medicine, physician assistant, and be a Spanish speaker with at least one-year of university level language skills.  If you are interested, please contact us.

 

Best Medical Care in Mexico City and Oaxaca

Where to get the best medical care in Mexico and in Oaxaca, has been foremost on my mind for the last month. Here are recommendations.

We are still reeling from Suzie’s accident on February 20, when the guide/driver of the car she was riding in hit a concrete barricade on the way to Teotihuacan. The UNESCO World Heritage site in the Estado de Mexico, is about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City. On impact, Suzie suffered a traumatic head injury and went into a coma.  The ambulance took her to an public emergency clinic (not hospital) in Coacalco de Berriozobal, located between the pyramids and the city. They were poorly equipped to handle this type of trauma and it took us hours to get her moved to receive proper care.

Best Hospitals in Mexico City

  1. ABC Hospital Observatorio Campus. Telephone for Emergencies, 55-5230 8161. American British Cowdray Hospital is known to have the best medical facilities in the entire country. It is accredited by the Joint Commission International. Doctors and staff are bilingual. Emergency medicine is top-notch. This is where you want to be to get attention you deserve as a human being.
  2. Angeles Hospital, Agrarismo 208, Col. Escandon, Mexico City, Del Miguel Hidalgo C.P. 11800, Tel. 5516 9900. Elena Hanna says she got great treatment here for an emergency and doctors/staff speak English.

Best Medical Care in Oaxaca City, Mexico 

After the accident and in preparation for upcoming workshops, I am now requiring that all Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC workshop participants have health/accident/emergency evacuation insurance coverage. I recommend the same for you.

Then, because it is essential to know, I researched the best emergency and general medical care available in Oaxaca City, asking Oaxaqueños and long-time ex-pat residents. Here is what I found out to share with you.

Best Hospitals in Oaxaca City

  1. Hospital del Valle, Eucaliptos 401, Colonia Reforma, Oaxaca, Oaxaca.  (951) 515-2563

  2. Hospital Reforma, Calle Reforma 613 near Humboldt,, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, (951) 516-0989

  3. Clinica Hospital Carmen, Abasolo 215, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, (951) 516-0027
  4. Clinica Las Rosas for ophthalmology, Las Rosas 308, Colonia Reforma, Oaxaca, (951)513-9030

Best Doctors in Oaxaca City

  1. Javier Guzman, M.D.,  Sabinos 204, Colonia Reforma, Cell: 044 (951) 548-1245, general surgery, diagnostics
  2. Alberto Zamacona, M.D., Libres 604, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, (951) 513-6422 and (951) 130-8730, general practitioner, bilingual
  3. Ramon Mondragon, M.D., on Pino Suarez, (951) 514-2306, (951) 515-7259 and (951) 547-0054, cardiology

Best Dentists in Oaxaca City

  1. Dr. Rafael Medina, Cielo 203, Lomas del Creston, Oaxaca, phone: 52 951 513 9520. His partner is Dr. Edgar Barroso who specializes in crowns and root canals, recommended by Leslie Larson.
  2. Dr. Angel Gomez, recommended by Tom Holloway.
  3. Dr. Daniel Tenorio, Abasolo, recommended by Jo Ann and Tom Feher.

 

Please contribute to this list by adding  a comment about “the best” from your experience!

I want to add these BESTS: neurosurgeon, dentist, oncologist, dermatologist, and any other fields you think would help people seeking high quality health care and emergency treatment in Oaxaca.  Thank you.

Travelers Note: It may be worthwhile to consider making your own list of best emergency medical facilities and doctors wherever you are traveling to next. Accidents happen and you don’t want to be caught by surprise or without enough time to respond quickly. When I go to Barcelona and Fes next autumn, I intend to do just this!

Suzie Update: Her brother tells me she is being moved to a long-term care facility that helps people with her kind of injury. She is opening her eyes and moving her feet and remains in a semi-coma. Suzie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker employed at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student health services where she worked with students. Talented and loved.