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I personally think that it is irresponsible not to have basic rescue care available 24hr/ day on the Island. As an example, the Polyclinic doesn't have X ray capabilities, an in-house laboratory or a full lead EKG... and the Pharmacy is shamefully lacking as well. The Polyclinic facility could meet all of these needs as their is plenty of unused space...if politics/ personal agendas could be put aside. Too bad!

Hey Mom - Are you aware of how many areas in the USA do not have even as much as we do? Come on - irresponsible? I grew up in the country and we knew how to take care of most illnesses and injuries. If a family had one crisis a year that required intervention it was a big deal. I believe the people here are just now getting used to running to the doctor for every little thing.
Right now I have a respiratory infection with a bad cough - gringo's think I should go to the doctor and get antibiotics - which of course don't work on a virus (see below). Too many people have taken too many drugs for things that can't be treated by these drugs that those bacterial infections that can be treated have built up an immunity to them.
The locals tell me to take honey with lime and some say add garlic to it. I've asked for Hall's Eucalyptus lounges and no one knows what I mean. The cherry ones are just like candy.
Antivirals
Since viruses can't live outside the person or animal they infect, they are much harder to kill off. Our immune system can find and kill many of the viruses that attack us, but sometimes a virus can multiply and overwhelm the immune system before the immune system "comes up to full speed". We immunize or vaccinate people against diseases -- mostly viral, but some bacterial -- so that their immune systems do have that head start. That seems to be the most succesful way to kill viruses permanently. An example is smallpox, which has been eradicated due mainly to the use of vaccines against it -- without which the virus killed thousands, if not millions, in epidemics. Some viruses, such as HIV (which specifically attacks the immune system), are very hard to become immune to, but a great deal of research is being aimed at producing a working vaccine for those diseases.
Unfortunately, since viruses are completely dormant outside a "host" (an infected human or animal), they can't be attacked biologically unless they infect someone. The immune system can't go after the virus unless it's in the body, and all of the antiviral medicines we have work only when the virus is trying to reproduce in the body. We can destroy viruses in the environment if we know they are there (an example is using household bleach to kill HIV that might be on equipment contaminated with body fluids -- but bleach won't kill HIV in the body, even if we could get it into the body safely). Once the virus is in the body, however, all we can do is let the immune system do its work, and in very rare cases (perhaps half-a-dozen viruses at most) give drugs that slow down the infection so that the body can clear it out more easily.

Thanks for the education on viruses and bacteria, but that is not what I am referring to. My concern is "rescue care" or basic emergency medical services.

What I can tell you is that our pets on this Island have access to far better healthcare than Humans at Dr. Laurie's private animal hospital. She has an anesthesia machine, point of care lab testing, and high tech monitoring equipment, etc. Dr Laurie frequently keeps her patients overnight for observation and typically provides call 24/7 emergency call (unless she is on vacation).

Perhaps this is the model we need to look at for our human population?

Emergency health care on the island is nearly non existant. Without a functioning EMS system, which would include transportation, an assisted living facility can not function. And without a receiving hospital, it would be criminal.

And Harriet, within hours to Dallas or Houston, good luck with that. At best it will take nearly 16 hours from the time of emergency to arrival at a US hospital by private air ambulance.

This has been discussed many times here on the board. The island is in dire need of emergency medical care.

Harriette, your current illness may very well have been started by a virus but these sorts of illnesses can become bacterial. If you are coughing up anything greenish, brownish or with little blood flecks in it, my hope is that you'll listen to your gringo friends. Likewise, if you are waking soaked in so much sweat the sheets need changing you've got a big problem.

You might also find that should you try to fly home for treatment you won't be allowed on the plane (for concerns regarding infection of others).

Seashell - good points.

All of this conversation causes me to wonder about a lot of things; like,,,,
Are the old folks, among the locals, being treated for broken bones resulting from a fall? Are any forced to live alone and take care of themselves?
Is cataract surgery available to those going blind?
Are they able to bath themselves?
Is heart and blood pressure medication available to them?
The list goes on and on. Ask yourself if there is someone who will change your diaper.
Again, I will venture to guess that the vast majority of xpats will chose to leave the island and give up their residency for health reasons. The ironic part is that it doesn't have to happen, but will if the status quo is maintained. The problem seems to have several parts, each of which could be resolved. First, there is at least, a perception that the local medical community is unprepared to provide quality services. If this perception is incorrect I would hope that they would just tell us and let us know that the skills are in place to provide quality medical services on the island, but lack infrastructure to practice in. It so, they might consider doing what the inept US government is doing. That is to permit and support private enterprise funding of "community projects" where the investors become stockholders and directors in the project.
Even if the medical community were to concede that there simply not enough qualified doctors to support such a project and were willing to import foreign physicians to fill the gap the problem would soon be resolved.

Well,there you go,problem solved...

".if politics/ personal agendas could be put aside."

I think these deals are not being made is because the people big enough to make the deal are afraid of getting caught for something and having a problem. In the old days a suitcase of cash would make things happen. Today, way too much scrutiny and chances of getting caught. I think the Chiquita Banana case turned the tide.

Danny2,, What happened in the Chiquita Banana thing. I missed it.