Last month, my husband developed cellulitis. If you’re not familiar, it’s a bacterial skin infection that can become life-threatening without prompt treatment. Our insurance here in Colombia is pretty basic—similar to what most employees receive, with employers covering a significant portion. As independent workers, we pay about 400,000 COP (around $97 USD) a month for a family of three.
When my husband went to the hospital, he only had to wait about an hour. They quickly assessed his condition and recognized how serious it was. From that day on, a nurse made daily house calls for two weeks to change his catheter, through which he received intravenous antibiotics. They even used iPads to communicate with the doctor and monitor his progress. After two weeks, he had a follow-up appointment to ensure everything was healing well. No hospital stay, no missed workdays.
From what I understand, Colombia has three levels of health insurance, and everyone must be registered to participate. The first level is basic insurance, which everyone receives. The second tier offers better coverage, funded by employer or independent contributions. The top tier, costing around 1,500,000 COP (about $362 USD) a month, provides white glove treatment.
If you have a salary from abroad, the top-tier insurance is easily affordable. When we visited Pasto after our daughter, Eva, was born, we didn’t have insurance and paid out of pocket for a day when she had a severe skin rash. We received amazing care, didn’t wait long, and left with a detailed report from a doctor who had great bedside manner. In Medellín, when we were particularly worried about Eva, we went straight to Clínica El Rosario and paid a little extra for immediate care.
Now, let’s talk about healthcare in Canada. In my 33 years on this planet, it’s always been a hot topic. I’m from Montreal, where it’s commonly understood that you don’t go to the hospital unless you’re on the verge of death. Wait times have consistently exceeded 12 hours since I was a child.
Moreover, I was shocked to discover that in Colombia, if you have an issue with your foot, for example, you can go straight to a foot specialist—no need to jump through hoops with a family doctor and a referral. Mind blown!
It’s strange growing up in a country where the healthcare system is constantly praised, and we’re made to feel proud of it, even though it's so clearly flawed. I guess it's because we often compare it to the one in the United States, where many face crippling medical debt. I also can’t believe the cost of childbirth there.
I had a fantastic experience giving birth to my daughter in Canada, but honestly, that’s the only positive healthcare experience I’ve had in Montreal. On that note, I do appreciate Canada’s generous maternity leave, which lasts about a year.
When we moved to Ontario, the healthcare system improved significantly, and we managed to find a family doctor—likely because I had a small child. Who knows, maybe the issue of finding a family doctor is mostly in Quebec, but I’m inclined to think that emergency room challenges are a concern across the country. We also struggle with retaining doctors and the timely recognition of foreign degrees, which prevents qualified professionals from practicing right away. Growing up, the major issue in Canadian immigration was that we had the “most educated taxi drivers” around. We’d bring over highly educated immigrants, but it took so long for them to practice their professions that they spent years working in unrelated jobs. Now Canada faces other complex immigration issues, but I digress.
Suffice it to say, I feel much more at ease regarding my family’s health here in Colombia compared to Canada. The accessibility, prompt care, and overall experience have truly made a difference in our lives.
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