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Awhile ago there were postings criticizing hospitals in this area. A lot of negative comments about San Antonio and Riberas Hospitals.

I want to post my recent experience at San Antonio. Yesterday my husband fell and could not walk. I took him to San Antonio ER. Today I took my neighbor who was complaining of severe chest pain. On both occasions the ER care was very good and appropriate. Doctor Maria was very attentive and explained everything that was being done and why. A staff member was always available if needed.

Previously, I had one incidence with a " doctor" that caused me concern at SA

The bottom line here is that one experience or reading this board and adopting the negative attitude of some posters leads to misinformation and anxiety. 

It would be nice to see more positive postings so that is why I am posting this. BTW I have had 2  major surgeries at SA which were successful.

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Sorry, but after the experience with them when hubby was in RENAL FAILURE and they basically ignored him in the ER (and much worse, but it would take too much time and space to write about it here), I will never recommend or use them again. Personally, I honestly believe the quality of care depends on their perceived interpretation of your ability to pay. Not all of us dress up to strip down or stop bleeding long enough to change outfits if we've been working in the garden. Of course, that's just my opinion. YMMV.

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2 hours ago, Tingting said:

Sorry, but after the experience with them when hubby was in RENAL FAILURE and they basically ignored him in the ER (and much worse, but it would take too much time and space to write about it here), I will never recommend or use them again. Personally, I honestly believe the quality of care depends on their perceived interpretation of your ability to pay. Not all of us dress up to strip down or stop bleeding long enough to change outfits if we've been working in the garden. Of course, that's just my opinion. YMMV.

That sounds like a terrible experience.  Where you able to report this ? They use to have a person that dealt with care issues.

Unfortunately, the powers that be, at SA, do not read this web site.  Maybe a compilation of all the complaints submitted to them, hopefully might help.  

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1 hour ago, Maryanna said:

Unfortunately, the powers that be, at SA, do not read this web site.  Maybe a compilation of all the complaints submitted to them, hopefully might help.  

If the powers that be CARED, they would already have addressed the many issues plaguing that place.

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1 hour ago, Natasha said:

If the powers that be CARED, they would already have addressed the many issues plaguing that place.

What issues? Only 1 person has mentioned a personal bad experience and several first hand positive experiences. No he said, she said crap here. 

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2 hours ago, Jim Bowie said:

What issues? Only 1 person has mentioned a personal bad experience and several first hand positive experiences. No he said, she said crap here. 

Search this site for many other posts regarding the local hospitals. Many differing opinions.

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8 hours ago, Maryanna said:

That sounds like a terrible experience.  Where you able to report this ? They use to have a person that dealt with care issues.

Unfortunately, the powers that be, at SA, do not read this web site.  Maybe a compilation of all the complaints submitted to them, hopefully might help.  

I  went back to try to talk to the doc on a separate day. I called, spoke to several people and was given the runaround. They gave me his direct number, but he didn't bother to answer. I actually went in to try to set something up and was treated even worse, if that was possible. I was left standing there as staff just ignored me. I got fed up, left, and went to Hospital Ajijic.

For the happy ending: Dr. Rodriguez at Ajijic Hospital knew immediately what was happening...from the blood results done by HSA!  He arranged an ambulance, a renal specialist, and set things up at Hospital San Jose Villareal in Guad for emergency dialysis.  If I had trusted HSA, hubby probably would not be here today. Yeah, it's safe to say Hell will freeze over before I ever cross that threshhold again. 

BTW, the hospital in Guad was probably one of the best I've ever experienced. Quality care and rooms that were nicer than hotel suites. They really took the patient and his/her family's comfort into account when it was designed. 

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45 minutes ago, Tingting said:

I  went back to try to talk to the doc on a separate day. I called, spoke to several people and was given the runaround. They gave me his direct number, but he didn't bother to answer. I actually went in to try to set something up and was treated even worse, if that was possible. I was left standing there as staff just ignored me. I got fed up, left, and went to Hospital Ajijic.

For the happy ending: Dr. Rodriguez at Ajijic Hospital knew immediately what was happening...from the blood results done by HSA!  He arranged an ambulance, a renal specialist, and set things up at Hospital San Jose Villareal in Guad for emergency dialysis.  If I had trusted HSA, hubby probably would not be here today. Yeah, it's safe to say Hell will freeze over before I ever cross that threshhold again. 

BTW, the hospital in Guad was probably one of the best I've ever experienced. Quality care and rooms that were nicer than hotel suites. They really took the patient and his/her family's comfort into account when it was designed. 

Your story is frightening.  Everyone speaks highly of Dr. R @ Ajijic hospital.   Just curious, was your doctor a SA doctor or Quality Care?   So far I have never had any trouble contacting QC doctors.  Not saying there aren't one or two I wouldn't recommend.  

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The reality at both hospitals seems to be that after normal office hours there are no specialists available.  They are more like an urgent care place in the US where you can get a cut treated but no help for a serious heart or stroke emergency.  They have shown to be nice little clinics but slow to deal with real problems after hours.  Even to call a specialist for an opinion or to get an ambulance to a hospital in Guad where real help  might be available.  Best bet seems to be to call your own doctor and have them advise your best course of action.  They all give out 24 hr cell numbers and know your medical history and can arrange an ambulance and tell you what hospital to go to and which doctor to see when you get there.  For some things they even might tell you to use a local hospital but for some issues time is critical and could be wasted locally.  For instance if one is suffering a stroke there is no clot buster drug stocked in either hospital and if imaging is needed to determine if the stroke is due to a bleed or a blockage, there is a fair chance that there is nobody to run the machine or evaluate the results.  Just get tGuad fast after talking to your doctor.

Alan

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I had a terrible experience at SA HOSPITAL.  I arrived at my scheduled time at 8 am. I was taken to a room at the end of the hall, an IV was put in my arm and I was hooked up to the machine. The nurse left the room and closed the door. I was not given a buzzer and nobody came to check on me ...after 4 hours I was frantic and yelling as loud as I could for a nurse. Nobody came. Finally a young man came and wheeled me down to the surgical area where I waited another hour in the hall because the anesthesiologist was late! Finally he arrives and the spinal surgery begins.

I wake up in the e operating room laying on my stomach, fully awake, hearing every word the surgeon us saying, hearing the team scrub up in the ajoining room!! I am paralyzed and cannot speak or move. That is the last thing I remember until I wake up in the recovery room. I remember thinking...I boy, I'm in serious trouble here!!!!

After the surgery, I spent one night in the hospital, again very poor nursing care. The final straw was upon discharge the bill was three times more than the surgeon had quoted!!! And after one year the surgery failed and i recently had a second surgery, this time in Guadalajara Country 2000 Hospital where the care was perfect, the surgeon a masterful talent and the bill was one third of what SAN ANTONIO charged. 

Stay away from that place! I wouldn't take my dog there!  

 

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Yes, choose wisely.  A fellow expat who went to Dr. Death in Ajijic was told he had to go by ambulance to Guadalajara immediately for cardio tests and potential surgery.  He went and met with the Cardio in GDL as recommended.  Next day surgery was pushed on him.  He chose to get a second opinion.   He sent his labs to his US cardio.  The US cardio compared the GDL labs with the most recent labs he had on file for the patient.  The lab work from the GDL cardio were of someone else's heart.  The patient traveled to the US and repeated the lab work, he did not have an emergency cardiac event.  YMMV

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