Spot on Steve- it is totally the womans right to choose- unfortunately here that is not the case ! Tracey xxx
Undoubtedly there is more data available, but this paper makes the point that the c-section rates in Mexico are the highest at private hospitals in urban areas, as I would expect. http://ecommons.txstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1126&context=honorprog
Here's a pretty recent article about cesareans in Mexico, with a rate of 50%, it's one of the highest in the entire world.... Mexico
In this study, conducted at IMSS, Aguascalientes, the c-section rate was 28%, lower than the overall rate in the U.S., at 32%. [Demographic impact of cesarean section] [Ginecol Obstet Mex. 2009] - PubMed result It wouldn't make sense for a government sponsored, comprehensive health program, following WHO Guidelines, to run a higher rate than private hospitals do, and the statistics seem to indicate they do not. _______________________ I've always thought it made sense to try to stay within your means and Isa, if you haven't yet visited the IMSS OB/GYN Hospital, I'd be happy to pay them a visit with you and see if they'd let us have a little look around, and meet the head of the department and some of the staff doctors there. Maybe they'll surprise us. How's your Spanish?
thanx V. I have already started receiving care at IMSS in el centro as you must go to the center that you zoned for. I have my first appointment at IMSS/OBGYN this week so i will keep u posted. My spanish is pretty good however when it comes to medical terms ect. i am at a loss so my husband has been attending all the appointments with me. I guess the fact that i have no idea what i am doing in general is just compounded by the mexican medical system. just the couple of visit we have had have shown me how different things are here. One of my main fears is that what if something goes wrong when i am in the hospital and i dont understand what they are trying to tell me? if my husband is no where to be found will they even bother to find someone to translate?
Good luck with everything. You can help prepare yourself for your doctor visits by going online to get some medical terms you know will come up. You can find online medical dictionaries and, I'm sure, websites that would talk you through pregnancy and childbirth, written in Spanish, which you could read to familiarize yourself with things that might come up in the hospital, and how to express yourself about them, in Spanish. This could be the most important Spanish Language studies you're done so far! I doubt if 1/10 doctors in IMSS speak English reasonably well, and the nurses even less. (This is based on my experience working with them.) Friends are allowed to visit, but there will be treatment areas to which no one is admitted other than patients, and the staff, as you can imagine, and those expressions you can learn now could come in handy.
Dr. Medellin The best OBGYN in Cancun is Dr. Medellin. I too am 3 months pregnant and after interviewing 5 doctors here, I decided Medellin was the way to go. He is, however, the most expensive OBGYN in Cancun. He speaks perfect English, has state of the art equipment, one of the lowest c-section rates in Cancun, and a clean and comfortable office. Also, the labs are in the same building so you don't have to pick up and drop off results like some other doctors. My husband's brother's both chose Medellin for their 5 children. I resisted a little because I wanted a female doctor but in the end I decided quality was more important. It sounds like your concerns are value and cost, but in Cancun you will have to sacrifice one for the other. There are plenty of women that have healthy babies through IMSS every year. Unfortunately, you will have to deal with the language barrier and questionable ethics.
Isa, do you have an update for us, with your impressions gained from your visit to the IMSS GYN-OB Hospital, corner Lopez Portillo and Kabah?
Of course, "best" is pretty subjective, unless you've personally tried them all Certainly I (and more importantly my wife) would recommend Dra Angelica Falcon Isunza at Galenia. On a related baby note we are having a torrid time using IMSS for vaccinations. We decided to go the IMSS route thinking we might as well get the vaccinations for free since they are the same wherever plus some vaccinations are not often available through private paedatricians due to the small number of babies available to 'consume' them before the vaccines outlive their shelf life. Despite the TV campaign advertising that vaccinations are a birth right and free for all, this doesnt seem to be the case. We've been denied the pneumococcal vaccine 3 times now at 3 different IMSS hospitals. Each time with poor customer service, enduring dirty conditions and long waits. The pneumococcal vaccine is an expensive one (1200 pesos privately). From speaking with various people in the know it seems the supply of vaccine given to public hospitals is being misappropriated and resold to private practitioners resulting in shortages. As a result they'll only administer the vaccine to babies with 'insurance' which excludes a huge chunk of the population. It's OK for us we'll go private, but what about the thousands of parents that cant afford 1200 Pesos to immunize their kids? Makes me sick to think someone is profiteering from this.
Yip I agree. The Best in Cancun?? Kinda a personal choice. Medellin is popular, I agree. Doesn't make him the best though. We switched from him during a pregnancy a few years back and are happier with our current. And the cost of kids vaccines in any of the private Hospitals are horrendous. That's not too surprising though as the cost of most things here in general are way over what they should be. Now if I could just figure out how to claim family allowance - that would help ease the burden!
