Tegucigalpa - 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?
There is a health unit at this post and that has been helpful. Medicines can be lacking on the local economy so ship the brands that you know are tried and true. - Mar 2024
Lot of the younger mission kids got sick but medical care here is amazing and cheap. - Jan 2024
I love our health unit. They handle everything they possibly can for us. They even arrange for bloodwork to be done at your home and with minimal interruption to your daily life. Do yourself a favor and contact the health unit before crowd-sourcing providers because the health unit knows stuff about local providers that your co-workers do not. Local dentist, vision, etc are fine. I had a weird experience with a dermatologist who wanted to literally freeze every single freckle off my entire body (I'm a quasi-ginger so that was gonna take a while) and she was not happy when I refused. I think it's a cultural difference in that local women want ZERO fat, hair, freckles, etc. - Aug 2023
We have found it to be a very healthy post and when we have needed medical care, it has been very good. The Honduran Medical Center has some top-notch doctors. - Oct 2019
Pika, dengue, chikungunya, and malaria when you are not in the mountains. - Jul 2018
Great health care. Lots of English speakers if you want them, but also very qualified Spanish speakers. We've had major dental surgery done here (maybe $600 total for bone implants, gum reconstruction, and two porcelain tooth implants), and had a Cesarean birth (less than $3000 for the entire hospital bill). Don't always expect things to look flashy, but there will be all the equipment you need: ultrasounds, MRIs, operating theaters, anesthetics, etc. Tegucigalpa's mountain climate precludes many tropical diseases. No malaria here, or in most of Honduras, for that matter. Zika/dengue/chikungunya are always a concern, though the public health system has done a great job of controlling them. Mosquitoes are not overwhelming for most of the day, most of the year, or in most expat neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa. - May 2018
Air pollution causes a lot of respiratory problems for people. We're supposed to wash our fruits and vegetable in bleach or vinegar, but we don't do that anymore and haven't had problems. You shouldn't drink the tap water, but you can bathe and brush your teeth with it. I can't speak to available medical care because we haven't needed it but there are a couple private hospitals the embassy recommends. There is a med unit run by an NP or PA and you a local-hire MD that will see minor/acute issues. Most drugs you can get at the pharmacy without a prescription. Most embassy women get medevac'd to the US to have their babies. I feel the dental care here is bad. I heard a friend went to the dentist who cleaned her teeth with a Waterpik and then told her she had 13 cavities she needed filled. When she saw a dentist in Miami she said her teeth were fine. That same Honduran dentist has performed root canals on some embassy folks; I would question the need. - May 2018
Not really. Medical care at the private hospital is pretty good I think, but you will be medevac'd for anything serious. There have been several medical curtailments. - Apr 2018
Medical care is average at best. Even the "best" doctors in country have limited expertise compared with most US doctors and the embassy has a high number of medical evacuations because of this. - Jun 2016
- Zika. Mosquitos. Good medical care. Many doctors in Tegu have studied in the U.S. - Feb 2016
Mosquito born illnesses, chikunguya is going around as well as dengue. Food borne illness, you have to disinfect the produce and avoid salads when eating out. - Aug 2015
Dengue and Chikungunya are common, even in Tegucigalpa. Medical care varies, but there are a couple of decent places in Tegus. - Jul 2015
I've heard of dengue fever happening to people here; malaria is a concern on the North coast. - Dec 2014
Dysentery and diarrhea can be frequent and prevalent if you don't take proper hygiene precautions. - Oct 2014
Dengue. Embassy nurse seems to be closed all the time so call ahead. - Sep 2014
Dengue fever. Honduras medical center is the good hospital I was treated there for kidney stones, it was fine and cheap. My son broke his wrist and they handled it perfectly. Not all the doctors speak English though. - Aug 2014
Few in Tegu. - Jun 2014
Occasionally there are Dengue Fever reports; seasonal colds. - Mar 2014
Very good medical care - many specialists are using U.S. guidelines and some have graduated from U.S. universities. There are three excellent hospitals. Health concerns: tap water is likely to be contaminated. Bottled water or boiled water is recommended for drinking and brushing teeth, making ice, etc. Vegetables frequently carry gastrointestinal bacteria and parasites. - Jan 2014
Dengue, malaria in other parts of the country. - Oct 2013
Nothing major in Tegu. - Jun 2013
Dengue. Poor medical care in country. - Jun 2013
Dengue fever. The embassy health unit is very good. I'e heard good things about Honduras Medical Center. - Apr 2013
None that we know of and HU is good. - Nov 2009
Not great. I went back to the states to have my baby, but I know one military couple that had theirs here and were very happy. I wouldn't stay here for anything more than minor care. However, there is decent dental care for a cleaning and maybe a filling. - Oct 2009
