The Panama Clinic

So, we ended up with Dengue Fever - I can attest that you want to avoid this, though we didn’t have any major complications. It is a mosquito-born virus and, while there aren’t many here IN the city, we went out to the Causeway area and walked back behind towards the Panama Canal - much more jungle-like and a few more bugs. Granted - these are not like they are in Minnesota in the summer, so I really didn’t even notice them.

Needless to say, we are vaccinated for everything - unfortunately Dengue doesn’t have a vaccine. Luckily the high 102F fever only lasted for about 10 hours and I did get to test out the health system in Panama.

First I should note that you can request a test of almost all things without a prescription at any of the major labs. Most medications are also over the counter - there is a plus and minus to this. If you have insurance coverage in Panama, your costs will be higher, but it is cheaper to buy medications without insurance here.

I went on the Panama Clinics website and it took me to a whatsapp chat to book an appointment and I got in later the same day. Do make sure you find out what building and floor your appointment is on! Unfortunately, the doctor I was seeing wasn’t in the system yet (he was newer), so it took a while to find him. My cellular service wasn’t working and I was sick….so looking back it wasn’t that bad, but at the time I was just tired. Everyone was super helpful and really tried - 5th location and I found the right spot and was taken right in. While I can understand a lot in Spanish, but speaking is not great. There was an interpreter for check-in and the doctor spoke English.

It was a quick and easy appointment and cost $20. He did write out a couple of prescriptions (in Spanish) and for the lab. He said they weren’t really needed, but it would be easier for me to get the things that way (and didn’t cost any extra). I went down to the lab and paid about $105 for 5 lab tests and a few dollars for some extra strength tylenol.

Overall, it was a great experience - all the test results came straight to my email and while they offer follow-up appointments to discuss the results, I can read lab reports fine on my own. They also have some executive physical options and I would for sure consider that in the future.