Guatemala City - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
Because the US is so close, I have continued to seek medical treatment there. I had one dental cleaning in Guatemala. It was fine. If you are paying out of pocket, the dental care in Guatemala is much cheaper and it's decent. Braces ("brackets"), Invisalign, veneers can all be had at about half the cost as in the US. For any serious medical condition, you'd want to go to a place that's better equipped overall, which could be the US, but Mexico City might also be an option. - Oct 2022
Medical care is quite good overall; many women choose to have their babies here and I know a number of people that have had (minor) surgeries done here. Parasites and food/water borne illnesses are a possibility and I know people who've been hospitalized for them, but we've never had a problem. You can have water delivery services arranged wherever you live. - Oct 2022
There are no major health concerns here. The air is pretty clean and once you get out of the city you can feel it even more. There are a lot of medical facilities and you can get adequate care rapidly. It is also very inexpensive you can get a whole blood panel for $20. A regular check up can cost you $50, but medicine is even less expensive. There are many pharmacy's an many are 24/7. - Jul 2021
There is adequate care here in the city for most routine issues, and we saw several specialists that we were happy with. Some women are having their routine births here; we chose to MedEvac though based on lack of good NICU care options in the case of an emergency. The biggest concern for me was the lack of care outside of the city. There are amazing places to visit around Guatemala, but if you get hurt or seriously ill, you're best chance is to drive like heck back to the capital. This can be scary when you're out at Atitlan with small kids who want to do All The Dangerous Things. - Jan 2020
Food poisoning abounds. I've had more digestive upset here than anywhere else in my life. That said, the quality of available medical care is very high, and very inexpensive. The specialists we've seen here have spoken perfect English, received most of their training in the U.S., give out their personal cell numbers to patients in case we need to follow up with them after hours, and they charge so little we sometimes don't even bother submitting receipts for insurance reimbursement. I've been far happier with our medical care here than in Washington, DC, and at a fraction of the price. Same goes with dental care. - Mar 2019
Medical care is considered good and may be less costly than the US. Appointments (and results on lab work) are generally much quicker. - Feb 2019
Medical care is of good or excellent quality in most cases, though anything particularly specialized or critical would likely be better treated in the U.S. Primary care and basic medical services are great, with doctors who have been trained in Mexico, Colombia, or the U.S. but who have much more time to spend with patients and charge much lower prices that we might be used to. It's also typically much easier to get an appointment than in other parts of the world. I had gum graft surgery here with excellent results and for a sixth of the price that I would have paid at home. - Jun 2015
Every now and then you get the typical third-world stomach bug and viruses. Medical care is great. Miami is about 2.5 hours away if you need a medevac. - Apr 2014
Medical care is very good at private hospitals/clinics. Doctors are often educated in the U.S., so speak fluent English. - Jan 2014
Good medical care from a variety of US-trained doctors. - Nov 2011
Hospitals seem pretty good. You can't drink the water, but you want to disinfect all your fruits and vegetables before eating. A doctor's visit costs about $20. - May 2010
Pollution is a health concern. And don't drink water from the tap, and I would recommend washing vegetables and fruits in bleach water or disinfectant. Most people seem to get stomach bugs every now and then. There is good quality medical care - many doctors have trained in the U.S. at good universities and speak English. - Mar 2008
