article from May 14, 2012
by Julie R Butler
Recent events have highlighted an important aspect that
anyone considering living in a country where a different language is spoken
should add to the list of things to think about – especially for those who are
getting up in age or have medical needs that will require attention at some
time or another.
It is easy to assume that when it comes to medical
attention, doctors, who are obviously well-educated individuals, will have some
English skills. Well, they usually do know some very basic English. But unless
you are in a well-established expat community or a medical tourism destination
where English speakers are specifically catered to, if you do not have a good
command of the local language (or know someone who does who can go with you to
the hospital at a moment’s notice), you may be putting you or a loved one’s
very life at risk.
Medical tourism
There are many medical tourism destinations in Mexico that are
located in the major cities, tourist resorts, expat hotspots, and just over the
border. In Central America, San José, Costa Rica, and Panama City, Panama, are major
medical tourism destinations, as well as serving the large expat communities in
those countries.
In South America, São Paulo is a well-established mecca for
cosmetic surgery, while doctors in Buenos Aires took advantage of the fall of
the Argentina peso in 2002 to establish the city as an attractive destination
for international aesthetic tourism.
In recent years, many other major cities throughout Latin
America have also been striving to grow their medical tourism infrastructures, offering
the medical services that people will travel to from more affluent countries in
order to take advantage of lower costs or receive care that may not be readily available
in their home countries. The services that are on offer are, of course,
elective procedures that generally fall into the categories of dental,
cosmetic, and therapeutic.
Beyond medical tourism
It is important to realize, however, that these medical
tourism services are only one part of the medical infrastructure of any given
place, and outside of these areas, there is no guarantee that English will be
spoken by medical professionals in hospitals or clinics. In fact, it is highly
recommended that medical tourists inquire into what will happen in case of an
emergency by looking into the general state of health and medical facilities
there as well as ascertaining whether or not language assistance will be
extended by the medical tourism facility. The US Department of
State travel website has an assessment of medical care in every country.
For expats who are not living in established expat
communities or in locations where English-speaking is an important component of
the medical system, it is a good idea to learn or at least know where to find
some medical terminology. A good place to start is this Medical Spanish Dictionary.
The site is easy to use, with both English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English
dictionaries, a listing of medical vocabulary, anatomical illustrations, useful
phrases for talking to a medical professional, and basic Spanish vocabulary words
that are not medical but will be needed in a health care setting.
It is not easy to learn a foreign language, and many of us
manage to get by at a level that is sufficient for everyday life. But perhaps
the prospect of needing to be relatively competent in a moment of panic will be
motivation for you to get to work on that Spanish!
Julie R Butler is a writer, journalist, editor, and
author of several books, including Nine Months in Uruguay and No
Stranger To Strange Lands (click here for
more info). She is a contributor to Speakout at Truthout.org, and her
current blog is Connectively
Speaking.
email: julierbutler [at] yahoo [dot] com, Twitter: @JulieRButler