Ecuadorian Doctors

No international trip is complete without a medical emergency. What better way to understand to socio economic fabric that defines a country? What better way to spend a Monday evening than searching for a medical specialist after hours?

On Monday afternoon Rog and I were walking home from class. Our walk is along a busy street filled with pedestrians, traffic, and construction. Midway in our walk something got in my right eye. I tried to remove it but assumed I wasn´t successful as it remained irritated throughout the day. By 6 PM I felt as if I had a dagger in my eye. If that wasn´t a clue to futher problems the swelling and puss were a sure sign. Luckily, our host family knew an opthamologist. They called him up and he met us at his office after hours. He quickly cleaned out my eye and diagnosed an infection. Three prescriptions later we were out of there and on our way to the pharmacy.

It was actually a very nice experience. Our host parents were very helpful and understanding. The doctor did everything a US doctor would have done. And best yet, the cost was $20 for the visit and $16 for the prescriptions.

I think I´ll write to Lonely Planet and suggest that they place ´Medical Attention´ under the ´Things to Do´ section.