emergency medical care

[sholo]

First off - thank you Russ for being such a fountain of info to everyone in the forum.  Im wondering what sort of emergency medical care can be found in CR.  I'll be in the hills outside of Dominical with my 5 month old daughter who is starting to put everything in her mouth.  I know basic CPR but I started wondering what I would do if something serious came up in the middle of the night.  Thanks again - Shoni

[Russ]

Happy to help,

In my opinion everyone living in Costa Rica should sign up for voluntary coverage at the public hospitals.  You just tell them how much you make each month - no proof of income is required - and you pay about 10% of that which covers the whole family.  Then in case of emergency or sickness you may go to the public hospitals and clinics.  These are all over Costa Rica - even in the smallest towns there are local clinics called EBAIS. I am certain that there is one of these in Dominical or nearby. 

At the EBAIS they will handle minor emergencies, probably snake bites, and also minor illnesses.  For more involved care there is a large hospital in Perez Zeledon and also Golfito. 

Most foreigners use the excellent private doctors for regular checkups and treatments that are not too costly, but I believe that the public health insurance is a good backup health plan.  The tedious part is waiting to see the doctor or get medicine, but the doctors and nurses are generally competent and caring.