Peace Corps Medical Care

Everything you need to recover!

Earlier this month I had my first opportunity to use Peace Corps’ medical services here in Mexico.  Up until then (for five months), I had been very healthy (and Charlie too).  What started out as a sore throat, turned into a chest cold and eventually into bronchitis.  Throughout the two weeks that I was sick, I couldn’t have asked for better care from the Peace Corps medical staff. 

All Peace Corps volunteers in Mexico are under the care of Dr. Lulú, as she is affectionately known.  Her care is first-rate and her treatments are very hands on.  She wants to know immediately when one of us is sick.  I made the mistake of not telling her the extent of my symptoms for several days, since I thought I just had a cold.  She made me promise that the next time I would tell her the minute I cough! 

Since Charlie and I live in Querétaro (where Dr Lulú lives also), it is almost like having our own private doctor.  When my cough became worse, she sent me to the local hospital for a chest X-ray.  In addition, she sent the Peace Corps driver to fill prescriptions for me and had him deliver them to our apartment, and she personally came to our apartment twice to check my lungs.  I can’t remember the last time a doctor made a house call in the United States! 

Dr. Lulú has contacts with Mexican doctors here in Querétaro (and in all the places where Peace Corps volunteers are located).  Charlie and I have observed that this care is very professional and efficient.  For example, I was able to go to the hospital directly (without an appointment) to get my chest X-ray.  The equipment is as modern as that is used in the United States. 

All in all, we have been very happy with the Peace Corps medical care (and most of it is free, which makes it even nicer).  I’m completely healthy now, thanks in large part to the excellent care I received from Dr. Lulú. 

Finally, last week Charlie and I went to a local dentist (recommended by the Peace Corps doctor) to have our teeth cleaned.  Again, the instruments and care were top-notch.  He had a fiber optic camera which shows your teeth on a TV screen, just like our dentist back in Washington D.C.  The treatments were quick and painless.