Hi, yummymummy, what hospital did you go to in Candolim? Was it Bosio?

I'm not too sure, i know it was on the right hand side as you are coming from calangute to candolim. Its on the same side as coffee day, i think thats what its called?
It looked very grotty, and the staff were not helpful at all.
We got sent there to change the dressing on his ear before we went home, because we didnt want to travel all the way to panjim just to get a bit of dressing, and the docotor there basically told us 'rich' people to go back to the private hospital.
Was very disgraceful the way we were spoken to, afterall it was only a bit of dressing and lotion to stop it getting infected.

I always ensure I have a CC with a good credit limit for this kind of emergency. Even in Europe if you have to go private you have to show proof of payment before procedures in some cases.

A friend of mine had to have a pacemaker fitted otherwise they reckon he might drop anytime, he was in Malaga... 20,000 Euros. His wife had to phone up his bank manager to secure a loan in case the insurance company delayed!

Same as if you die.... I know someone who's wife died (of natural causes) in S Goa a few years ago, had to get extended credit on his CC (major hassle!!) to fly the body back and all the rest of costs.

Tip: In Europe get a EUROPEAN HEALTH INSURANCE CARD it's free, worth having.

YummyMummy - I think you are referring to the health centre which is next to the new Lemon Tree hotel. This is a very basic place and definitely just for locals. I would not have my dog treated in there. Who took you there? I wouldn't have thought it would normally be the place that holiday makers were referred to.

Interesting experience, to say the least, and a useful thread to make people aware. Fortunately I have never had to experience any of the medical facilities in Goa but I did meet a lady a couple of years ago who broke her wrist in the sea - she was taken to a private hospital somewhere and was x-rayed, had a plaster cast and x-rayed again, all for 25 pounds. Your case seems like another story of how we are possibly being ripped off in Goa these days.

Candybabe

I was referred to the first hospital you took your son to as on our last day of our holiday last year we went go-karting and i was in an accident and had a cut on my back and a lump on my spine so to be safe my dad said he wanted to get it checked
we were told to go to this hospital
it was disgusting, there were blood soaked cotten wool balls next to beds and when i went to be treated they wouldnt let my dad in with me and then accused him of inflicting the injury on me!
in the end we left and ended up getting the on call doctor to come to our hotel
in the end the bill from the private doctor came to about £100 and the insurance company would only pay about £25 so it was lucky we didnt spend all the money we had brought with us or we couldnt have paid!

Didn't think it sounded like Bosio hospital (which is down a road on the left after the football field in Candolim.) Would recommend this hospital to everyone after seeing the treatment my husband received when he was a patient there 2 years ago. They also run a doctors surgery there from 4pm and it costs 100rps to see the doctor.

A friend of mine fell over in Candolim, (she was celebrating her 60th birthday at the time), she was sent to the hospital in Calangute I have forgotten the name of it, but it is situated just behind the fish market, they found that she had broken her hip, we went to visit her, and from the outside it looked a right dump.

But the inside of the hospital was spotless, it put our hospitals to shame, the walls were all white tiled, and they were cleaned with disenfectant 3 times a day, the en-suite toilet was immaculent, she had the operation within 3 days and was walking around within 5 days, it really amazed me, how quickly it was done, I had to wait 3 years for a hip replacement, so Goa is the best place to fall over and get a replacement done. Without the worry of MRSA.

I was very impressed.

thats the one I went to- can't remember its name! Very impressed with it though

Hospitals in Goa have improved a lot over the years. There is now many more choices, though if you are on a holiday you may not be aware of this. I have personal experience of two, Apollo in Margao and the Vrundavan in Mapusa. I had a full health check at the Apollo a couple of years ago. Verdict - good price (compared to uk), modern equipment, knowledgable doctors, but, the standards of cleanliness are not up to the standard of those in uk, mainland europe etc. I refused to take the lung capacity test as all the things you blow in were kept in a dust covered box on the floor. Yes they were in packets, but. The doctor doing this test had just returned from working many years in Barnsley so at least he understood my reluctance. The Vrundavan - great if you break something, the orthopedic guy is very good, everyone I know who has needed his services has healed well. Charges are okay but they will try to charge you for many things you may not need. Read the lists carefully. Adding toothpaste, talcum powder soap etc at greatly inflated prices. Also excess of medicines. My personal experience was not good. The owner and head doctor diagnosed me with a lung infection. When I returned to uk 3 weeks later It was found to be a pulmary embolism. My local hospital couldnt believe that I had made it back to uk, and told me the symptoms I had described to Dr Digamber Naik, (pain in lung, shortness of breath and coughing up blood) was text book stuff and any junior doctor should have known this. Ive been taking warfarin ever since, as the PE came from a DVT that I got through frequent flying. I was very very lucky. Thank you God. Reading other peoples experiences I think it is something the holiday reps should know, which is the best hospital. I would expect this if I was on a package holiday

Tomitma and Fiona

Sounds like it was the Matthew Braganza Hospital in Calangute.

Yes that is the name, a very good hospital in my opinion.
Thankyou

From speaking to other tourists the Matthew Braganza hospital has good and bad reports and can also be quite expensive as it seems to deal mainly with tourists. When hubby was having severe breathing problems at 2am in the morning and the taxi driver took us to this hospital they said they couldn't help and said to try Bosio in Candolim. He spent over a week in Bosio and the care given to him was fantastic. So I don't have a very high opinion of the Matthew Braganza.

mk61- yes that was it

The Matthew Braganza Hospital in Calangute has now been renamed Vrundavan Hospital they have taken over the management of the hospital. They have done some alterations to the reception area and repainted the building. A lot of foreigners still use the hospital.

Why did i get taken all the way to Panjim when there are obviously a couple of good hospitals closer to Baga/calangute?

Also, what would have happened if we didnt have the funds to pay?
OK Neil, you say you always make sure you have enough money for an emergancy, but what if you have a bad credit rating, and cannot arrange an overdraft with your bank, or even have a credit card.
We were lucky that we did have a few hundred spare that we could use until we got home to claim off the insurance, but some people do not.

Thanks about the suggestion of the EU card, i will most definetly be getting one of those when i holiday in Europe and its free

At the end of the day, the doctor made a call based on the fact that you said you wanted the best and cleanest facitlites. Perhaps within his experience he made the judgement he felt was best based on your son's needs? And at least your son was treated properly with facilities you felt were quite adequate.

In terms of medical insurance, maybe it's worth talking about claims systems when purchasing your policy i.e. whether you have to pay up front/whether the insurer's will authorise treatment and settle the bill (minus excess) without you having to fork out up front (and from what amount of bill will they do that).

If an insurer won't do that then an individuals need to know before they go so that they know whether they want to run the risk of not being able to afford treatment. or make sure they have adequate funds to cover an amount that can't be paid directly by the insurer. I guess what I'm saying is, be familiar with the terms and conditions of your insurance policy in case there is a medical issue whilst you're away.

That is a very good comment phoebe, i usually buy travel insurance online, but next time i will ring up the insurer and ask them a lot of questions.
I feel more people should be aware of this, although we had insurance, we still needed to pay the bill and claim back when we got home.
I am just glad it was only a few hundred pounds, and not thousands, otherwise we would have been stuck.

My travel insurance pays the bill upfront, but the last time it was called into use (in Minorca) the hospital, before instigating any treatment under the insurance, phoned the insurers in the U.K. to check the policy details, and I had to pay the £50 excess with my credit card, before any treatment began. So if possible when heading for hospital treatment in Goa, or elsewhere, have a copy of your travel insurance with you, and most importantly your credit card ! Alan

valid point gramps, but , what if you do not have a credit card? Ive never held a credit card in my entire life, and i do not intend on doing in the future.
I suppose we will next time have to shop around regarding insurance, and ask do they pay out straight away, and what the excess is, and if the excess is around 50pounds, then make sure we have the funds available.