Cost of Medical Treatment

I Don't know about The Capital.......However

2dlight said:

I hope to get some firsthand information from anyone familiar with the cost of medical treatment in Santo Domingo. My dad was taken to a clinic in SD for a supposed heart attack. Three days later he had "major" emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. His wife tells me that the clinic wants US$20,000 for the 5 days of intensive care. I am not familiar with the cost nor quality of treatment there. Does that figure sound "ballpark" to anyone? Thanks in advance for any relevant reply(ies).

Carlos

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My friend being a Cuban and living here in Puerto Plata, Went into Clinic Brugal complaning of severe stomach pain.
The Doctor told him he had a severe ruptured appendix attack, he then told the Doctor to give him some pain meds and he would take the first flight back to miami.
The Doctor informed him that he would not survive the trip and needed emergency surgery!
He had the surgery in Pto.Pta. and after four days was released with a bill of RD.$55.000 Pesos $ 1900 US.
He thought he was ripped off with this bill of 55.000 Pesos.

Gringo

I think it is high

But without the detailed billing papers there is no way to tell for sure.

Santo Domingo has a lot of MDs that run around in new cars and keep a couple of women....BUT

$20,000 = RD$560,000. A friend of mine paid RD$360,000 a few years back (at 15 or 17 to 1 dollar) for major surgery of the intentinal track (four days, in the hospital) But then the sutures broke and he had to be med evac'd to Miami.

Eventually, his magnificent insurance company ended up paying over $1.2 mill for his 17 months of recovery......

I wonder what similar treatment in the US would have cost?


HB ?

My Op

My op costs in SD were under RD$400K and I do know that the imported bits they fitted inside actually cost US$9,000, therefore the operation itself was only around RD$150K. That's a a lot less than your Dad's costs but what with inflation perhaps US$20K is a good deal for operation and 5 days intensive care?

They Are Taking MORE than His Appendix

We do a complete Gastric Bypass for less than 350,000!
Check to see what the surgeon and anesthetist charged;"honerario".It may be the "Doctors",and not the hospital that "stuck" you.In any event,you have now paid,and will have to live with it.It costs more to "Sue" in the DR than you have already "lost"!cc

PS,A medical studen did a check on the pathology of all the "So called" inflamed,and "ruptured" appendix' at several hospitals in Santo Domingo a while back.Over 75% had "Normal" pathology!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's true, most apendixes removed are of normal pathology, but it is good surgical practice to perform an apendectomy on an "acute abdomen", by acute I mean positive rebound (press in...hurts more when I let go of the belly) and positive psoas/obturator signs or guarding in general. It is better to be wrong and remove a "clean" apendix, than to have it rupture and have full blown peritonitis. Just because it turns out to not be apendicitis does not mean the MD ripped you off.

Criss Colon said:

We do a complete Gastric Bypass for less than 350,000!
Check to see what the surgeon and anesthetist charged;"honerario".It may be the "Doctors",and not the hospital that "stuck" you.In any event,you have now paid,and will have to live with it.It costs more to "Sue" in the DR than you have already "lost"!cc

PS,A medical studen did a check on the pathology of all the "So called" inflamed,and "ruptured" appendix' at several hospitals in Santo Domingo a while back.Over 75% had "Normal" pathology!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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