Travel Tip: I’m a Tourist Traveling  to Costa Rica.  Can I Get My Medication There?

If you are a tourist traveling to Costa Rica and  you are on certain medications.  Of course you are going to take your medicines with you.  But, it case you loose them, what can you do?

Pharmacies are located in all the tows  in Costa Rica, and usually more than one pharmacy.  A pharmacist is on duty at the pharmacy and you ask for a pharmacist consultation.  You don’t need a prescription from a doctor to get your medication, unless it is a narcotic.  The pharmacist will sell you the medication, which is  less expensive in Costa Rica than in the US.

If you feel strongly that you want to actually get a doctor to write you a prescription, all small town have a clinic and you need only to inquire with the locals.  In Escazu there is the large Hospital called Cima Hospital.  American who live in Costa Rica use this hospital as well as Clinica Biblica located downtown San Jose.  Here the doctors speak English.

Medical care in Costa Rica is very good and it is easy to get an appointment with a  private doctor.

I can tell you about my experiences.  My doctor’s office is located at the doctor’s building at Cima Hospital.  He is an internist and speaks perfect English.   Usually I  get around 30 minutes of his time.  He sits at his desk and is not running in and out of several rooms seeing multiple patients at one time like here in US.  He types on his own computer what we discuss, and then we go to the exam room where he takes a lot of time listening to my symptoms and exams me without getting in a hurry.   There are no nurses or other medical personnel involved here, just me and my doctor.   The visit cost me around $60.

Now, what its like to see my doctor here in the US.  I’m put in a room where a nurses aid comes and takes my B/P and body temperature, asks me why I’m here and writes on the chart.  After around 10 -15 minutes the doctor comes in and spends 10 minutes, quickly asking me my symptoms etc.  I don’t get a an examination,  just verbally tell me what is bothering me.  The doctor seems to be in a hurry , guess a dozen other patients are waiting.  This cost me around $45.

So there is a big difference in the time a doctor spends with a patient here in US vs. the time a doctor spends with  a patient  in Costa Rica.

We at costaricalearn offer travel tips which will help you have a more pleasant vacation in Costa Rica.  Questions please click on no comments at end of this article and you can  reply.