He refused to pay any bribes. As a result he was delayed, refused his "credits" for community service he had done, had his papers "lost", given the runaround (lied to) at several levels, and generally given hell. Even once he was finally given approval, he had to fight with them for the better part of a year, because his passport middle name differed from that of his college degrees, that only listed the initial. As far as I know he didn't make any "mistakes" other than not doing it "the Mexican way" (ie:$$$). (assuming we're talking about the same person)
Part of the process of getting permission to work in a medical field in Mexico requires that you offer your services at government approved clinics and hospitals. If you try to operate anything outside of that approval, you'll run into problems. You'll also have to deal with local practitioners who will try to run you out if they feel that you are costing them money by taking potential "business" away that they would charge for. Volunteering without INM approval is technically illegal in Mexico for foreigners.
Sounds about right, except that by law they are required to provide "basic" eye exams without cost regardless of if you purchase anything. I had my exam done at the little store in Wal-mart and it seemed like much the same process as I had in the States, except FREE.. and I got a pair of glasses for less than $30!!!! also did the exam for contacts.. and it was free as well. For more "advanced" exams there is a cost, but the basic, look into the machine and then read the chart with the adjustable glasses thing is totally free. They didn't include any sort of disease screening or drops in that "exam" as its basically just for getting your prescription, and less about eye health.
All useful information..from many people, too.!!! I had been told the story about the person wanting to practice in Mexico...HE WAS A DENTIST...!!! There are only two schools of optometry in all of Mexico...!!! and each graduates about 25 optometrists each year.....!!! The practice of optometry in Mexico (a country of 80 million people!) is NEITHER regulated NOR a licensed "profession" as it is viewed as a trade - like carpentry or auto repair...!!! (?) The students are taught by volunteers after graduating high school....NO PRE-REQUESIT OF A COLLEGE DEGREE as here in the USA. Even the two colleges admit that optometry in Mexico is at least 50 years behind optometry, as taught and practiced, in the USA....!!! Optometrists, here in the USA, have a pre-med degree from a 4 year college or university - and then four more years of intensive training. Optometrists, here in the USA are Primary eye care providers..treating not only vision problems but utilizing diagnostic drugs as well as therapeutic medications. Treating eye infections, glaucoma, removing foreign bodies and doing post-operative care.. We are the primary entrypoint into the eye health care system... Something I have been doing for 35 + years now....
I have no idea about what the story is on optometry, but I doubt that Mexico views it as simply a "trade", especially when a foreigner wants to do it. Perhaps the simple opticians, who do nothing but figure out what prescriptions a person needs, is informal, but I would think that any of the more involved eye issues and certainly anything surgical are done by a certified medical/eye doctors who has to be licensed. If you've already looked into it, and think that it will be something that would be easy to get into, than by all means. But I expect that you will find out that there is plenty of red-tape to get though just like our friend the "dentist" had to deal with.... let us know what happens. :icon_lol: and FYI he's actually a endodontic specialist which is a few notches above "dentist".... :icon_wink:
Hi, Ken and welcome to the Cancuncare.com Board! As I mentioned you will find lots of information, experience and help here. For the others: Optometria Mexico Optometry is not regulated in Mexico. That does not mean it will be easy to start up as mentioned but easier than something that is. Optometria México And even Facebook! OptometrÃa en México | Facebook
It seems to me a lot depends on how long you plan to stay in Mexico. A lot can be done without the legal formalities being observed, but you risk running into problems down the road if you do, and thereby complicating your stay in Mexico. Volunteering with a charity that already has permission to perform medical services- for example, in the villages, where medical services are few- will offer you legal cover. Eye disease/chronic eye infections are a problem here, among the elderly, as they are everywhere that medical attention is not readily available. If you want to work here, independently, whether with or without compensation, full compliance- jumping through all the legal hoops- while more burdensome, is the most reliable way to avoid the area in which bribes become an issue, as you aren't then asking for any privilege the law doesn't provide. [There was an instance in Playa del Carmen, as I recall, of a woman teaching English- for free, for something to do- to the kids in her neighborhood, who was fined for not having obtained permission to work. Working without compensation theoretically involves a displacement of a Mexican citizen from a work opportunity, hence you need permission to "work", even voluntarily, as suggested by Life.] More information about the issues involved, and the possible ways to organize yourself, can be found at- http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/liv...01-another-question-about-working-cancun.html
Life - Yes, I'm pretty sure this is the same person. And I understand there was a violation at one point when he was found to be working without permission. Violations of that nature make the rest of your app process more difficult. But in the end he did get permission and he's a great guy and Mexico needs many more people as competent as he. My point in bringing his case up is to show that getting properly licensed to practice some form of medicine in Mexico is difficult, even when you have great training, money and the best of intentions. Ken - Mexico invented paperwork and bureaucracy. Don't say we didn't warn you. Before setting your heart on doing this I would talk to Mauricio Mendoza about the viability of your plan. I would also run your ideas by the director at City of Joy (she is a personal friend and I can provide direct contact info if you Private Message me). Knowing what I know of City of Joy and of INM I think that your FASTEST route to providing the services you want to provide to people who really need them would be to hitch your wagon to an established and reputable charity. City of Joy recently won a National award as one of the best charities in all of Mexico, so you will not be slouching to get involved with them. And a good charity will be well-connected and able to wade through paperwork for you. Life is correct, foreigners even need permission from INM to collect money for Red Cross during the annual fund drive. We need permission from them to do almost anything here. Just because optometry isn't tightly regulated here does not mean there won't be prohibitive amounts of paperwork and waiting involved in getting your project moving. To insure long-term success I would think you would HAVE to set up a legally recognized charity. That paperwork alone can take up to two years from what I personally have witnessed; I think the fast-track for it, if you do everything perfectly, is 6 months to 1 year. And it would be wise at this stage to investigate the viability of importing your equipment. Nothing would slow your plans as much as having all your equipment seized, or held indefinitely, at the border. I recommend a land border crossing rather than a water one, as there is far less inspection going on at land crossings into Mexico (yes, this is why the mafia can easily import so many weapons). As I understand it when you float stuff in you have a near 100% chance that Customs will inspect your contents, but when you cross by land your chances of thorough inspection drop to 5 to 10%. Even if what you are crossing is 100% allowed by Customs you still don't want the headache of having them go through every box one by one. So find out what you can legally bring and then do all paperwork properly (you will need a Customs broker) and then cross by land. If a charity were to import said equipment it may make it easier than for you as an individual to do so, just something to explore. Hope that helps.
It's irrelevant now that he has his license, but the story I got some time ago was that another area dentist who operates nearby to his office, was basically calling INM every time he saw a car out front, hoping to get rid of the competition. He may have also filed some complaints elsewhere to slow things down, but I'm not sure. He even went so far as to cut out a picture that was in the local newspaper showing our friend doing charity dental work on children, and presented it as "proof that he was working illegally". When the INM showed up to question our friend about it, he produced the entire newspaper article with attached story that explained what he was doing. At some point INM started to ignore the complaints, its just a shame that they don't charge people who file complaints for their own selfish purposes. This might have added to the delays, but was certainly not the only issue. Also, I don't think that our friend Dr. Myers would mind us talking about him... so....shameless plug.... Clinica American Smile. US: 1-516-892-1276 MX: 998-204-0072
City of Joy - Mexican paperwork - Etc..... Dear RiverGirl.... I had already been information about City of Joy...by "Jim in Cancun"....and have read about their wonderful works.... Regarding speaking with Mauricio....I would look forward to that very much... I will contact you by PRIVATE MESSAGE.. Ken in Massachusetts (soon to be "V8eyedoc of Cancun" )
