Caracas - 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?
Yes - well-trained doctors but an alarming lack of medicines and supplies. Even acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a hot commodity. Getting sick or injured in Venezuela is my worst nightmare. - May 2015
Yes, tropical diseases aplenty. There are very well educated doctors and dentists with little supplies. - Apr 2015
Medical care has been in sharp decline for the past few years. There is a brain drain, as professionals with portable skills flee Venezuela for literally anywhere else (literally 9% of the country has plans to leave at this time, and 23% wish they could.) This is not a place to be sick, and is no longer a place to come for cosmetic or elective surgery. Yes, in Venezuela even breast implants are in shortage. - Nov 2014
Medical care is okay, and we have a RMO at post. Though some reports describe how the medical infrastructure is also falling apart, doctors leaving the country (with Cubans replacing them), emergency rooms that lack supplies, and patients placed in the hospital halls or waiting hours to be seen. With the world's highest murder rate, for those that don't die at the scene, Caracas certainly needs better medical care. - Sep 2013
Health care is acceptable, but be prepared to wait a long time for appointments. Most doctors see patients on a first-come first-served basis rather than at specific appointment times, but you have to work the 'system'. The locals seem to know how to call ahead on their way to the doctor and get their name on the wait list and be seen before someone that's been there, waiting long before. Besides the brain drain in the medical field, there are new laws allowing medical students with only a few years of training to be fully qualified doctors and practice in private hospitals, so I would be wary of this. - Aug 2012
Dengue fever. Chipos have been found in Caracas in previous years (google Chagas disease), good medical care is available; most doctors are trained in the US and speak English. - Mar 2012
Many very good doctors, but the infrastructure (tests, nurses, labs, hospitals) are hit and miss. - Mar 2011
Medical care varies depending on what is needed. Several Americans have been medivac'd to Miami. - Jan 2011
Medical care is good if you have money - but they will turn you away from a hosptial if you can't pay in advance or prove you have the means to pay. There is no public ambulance service. - Oct 2010
Medical care is above average. There are some American-trained doctors, and the embassy does keep a list of those recommended and those that speak English. - Sep 2010
Doctors are good but nursing standards leave much to be desired. Waiting anywhere from 1-4 hours at a doctor's appointment is standard. There is no public ambulance service--you can purchase private service. - Mar 2010
We have an RMO. No real medical concerns. Local hospitals are good. Some woman even give birth here. - Mar 2010
Health concerns are few, and medical care is ok - not great. - Feb 2009
Health care is decent, but there is no public ambulance service - if you get sick at home you need to get yourself to the hospital or subscribe to a home health service such as Rescarven which will send a doctor to your house within a couple of hours of being called for approx. US$400/year. - Nov 2008
