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Is it safe to go to
Mexico for treatment? What about all the warnings we hear on the news?
(updated June 2011)
Medical Care
Concerns
While we cannot
speak for the medical services of the entire country, it is safe to seek services in our area and in our hospital. We are a
Red Cross hospital - known in all
countries for their excellent quality of care.
From the
website of México Connect: What is the level of Health Care and
Medicine in Mexico?
"Mexico has had
its share of the US press exploiting some of the non traditional
treatments available "South of the Border". However
despite this image, the facts are that Mexico has an excellent
reputation for the quality of its Health Care system. As in every
country there are good and bad Physicians and better and worse
Hospitals. In general, the Physicians and Surgeons in Mexico are well
trained and have good diagnostic and treatment skills. Most have
received training in the US, Canada or Europe. The Hospitals (both
Private and Public) are usually easily accessible and well equipped.
In the major centers such as Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara,
the Hospitals often have leading edge equipment and techniques that
equal or exceed those available "North of the Border". Nearly all
local towns have medical care available."
Travel Safety
Concerns
Here are
some others who say it best - with a fresh and realistic view -
Mexico and the Mean World
Is it Safe or Unsafe for Americans to Visit
Mexico?
Mexico Still the Number One Vacation Destination
for Americans (May 2011)
We completely respect the concern many of our pending patients have
about staying safe when you travel and we agree that in some areas
violence is a serious problem (especially to the south and west of us) but
it is not crime or violence generally aimed at travelers or
tourists. We all need to know there are dangers and how to avoid
it for our own benefit, but Mexico should be looked at as a whole
country
rather than the media focus of just specific areas. The areas of
concern for tourists are (what's normally shown/ seen on tv) are across the country from us
appx 16-18 hours away. There are some patches of gangs that
attempt to move north into the smaller towns but we also have the
military who shut them down rather quickly. Rio Bravo is still a
safe and thriving community with exceptional people and safe and
secure medical services. We do encourage our patients who
travel to always be cautious no matter where you travel and heed the
warnings that are there for your benefit - but the truth is that 15
million Americans cross the border here every year, and more than a
million cross on a daily basis and never have
a single problem. They work here, shop here, vacation here, and
continue to recommend that others do the same.
So while we don’t want to downplay the fact that in some areas there is
violence to be concerned about - it is still very safe to travel to
Mexico in the vast majority of areas including Rio Bravo.
The one safety precaution we strongly recommend - use the shuttle.
The driving here can be hazardous if you are not used to it, and the
number 1 cause of death (in any country) for foreign travelers is
traffic related deaths.
We will not hesitate to tell our patients if and when there is a need
to worry about traveling here. Our greatest concern – in and out
of surgery -- is patient safety. Whatever affects our patients
affects us. Please consider
joining the forum, and speaking with other patients about their
personal experiences. It's the best source of information you
can find.
FORUM
"Should you
be concerned about the violence? Of course you should and you should
use precautions to make sure you do not present yourself as an
opportunity for a crime to happen - know where you are going, stick to
your itinerary, do not travel on the roads alone or at night, stick to
major highways,
do not flash large sums of money around, always let someone know where
you are. These are the rules that apply to any tourist going to
any foreign nation. Mexico is no different. If you 'do the
math' and look at the facts
- 15 million
Americans visit Mexico every year
- 1 million Americans cross the border in a day
- in the deadliest city in Mexico (Juarez) only 39 US citizens were
reported killed in 2010
- while it is almost impossible to find a good number anywhere
(because it is very small) it is roughly guesstimated that 200-300 US
citizens die in the whole of Mexico in a year and 98% of those were
involved in the drug trade - others were bystanders or traffic or other kind of accidents
you will see
that you are in no more danger of being killed on your trip to Mexico
than you are being killed in a robbery at your local bank or gas
station (both of which could happen on any given day). If the media
only reported the daily crime and every single incident from any one
state - like New York, California, or Florida - you would have mass
panic throughout the world, Wall Street would crumble and people from
every nation would be avoiding Disneyland like it was a death camp.
So be aware, be cautious, do your research and talk to people who
actually travel to Mexico before you make your decision. It is
not as a rule unsafe at all. God is still God and very much in control even
in Mexico - and He
will not take you to it unless He sees you through it."
(Keith J - frequent traveler).
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