Mexico’s best hospitals and clinics are in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, so you might have to go there if you need a very specialised treatment. You can get a list of hospitals from your insurance company or your consulate.
Public hospitals in Mexico
Public hospitals in Mexico might not be your first choice if you need an important or complicated treatment. Though doctors and nurses in public hospitals are well-trained, resources and especially equipment are often limited, and there can be very long (sometimes too long) waiting lists for specialist treatment. If your treatment requires you to stay in hospital overnight, your room and living conditions might well be below your comfort zone.
To visit a public hospital in Mexico you will need social security (IMSS) or you will have to pay for yourself (if you are privately insured you can obviously ask your insurance company for reimbursement afterwards).
Private hospitals and clinics in Mexico
Mexico has a range of excellent private hospitals and clinics, especially in the bigger cities. Medical equipment is up-to-date, doctors and nurses are very well trained (often in the US), and the general patient-care is extremely service-oriented. Many private clinics (especially in tourist areas) have multilingual staff that can communicate at least in English.
However this quality comes at a price: private hospitals in Mexico are extremely expensive (though not as expensive as in the US and some Western European countries). To get admitted to a private hospital you will need proof of private health insurance or proof that you will be able to pay the treatment yourself (like a deposit or credit card with a very high coverage).
Even if you have private insurance, some private hospitals in Mexico require a credit card until they have verified the level of coverage provided by your insurer. Before you leave the hospital, all bills have to be paid. This can even mean that you will have to spend some ‘extra’ (unnecessary) days in the hospital until the payment is cleared.
The country’s best hospitals and clinics are in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. If you need specialist treatment it is best to go to one of them.
Private hospitals are expensive and you need to have proof of private medical insurance or a credit card with sufficient credit to cover several thousand dollars worth of treatment in order to be admitted to the hospital.
Find a private hospital that works for you here .