The worse happens, you are in need of an ambulance in Costa Rica and fast! Is their ambulance services good? This article will guide you to find the best ambulance services in Costa Rica.
The Ambulance services in Costa Rica
It is essential that you know about the ambulance services whether you plan to move and live in Costa Rica or just here for a vacation. But before that, you need to know about your Tico Address. This is essential so that the ambulance will know where to reach you because, in Costa Rica, people do not have any real addresses.
In Costa Rica, while you want the ambulance service, there are several points you need to remember first. If you don’t want the ambulance to get lost, you should ask your neighbors about the address first. Also, you don’t need to wait until the ambulance gets to you because it might be late by then! This is why memorizing the address is the first thing to do in Costa Rica.
Yes, Costa Rica does not have any street addresses, so finding the hospitals might be hard for you if you are new there. At that point, call 911 and ask for an ambulance. They will surely help you.
Most importantly, if you are in a dire emergency, don’t wait for the ambulance; just hop on a cab and tell the driver to go.
The ambulance service in Costa Rica can be challenging to deal with. However, with time you will get acquainted with everything. But if you are there for a few days, do your research before making a call for an ambulance.
CAJA or Private Insurance- What to Choose?
When the ambulance picks you up from your residence or any other place, tell them whether you want to go to the public hospital or private hospital. Generally, the ambulance drivers in Costa Rica drive the patients to the hospitals belonging to CAJA, that is, public hospitals.
Do you have INS or other insurance? Yes? Then you can go to private hospitals like Hospital La Catolica, CIMA, or Clinica Biblica. But if you are registered at the CCSS, you can go to any hospital of your choice.
Red Cross Ambulance services in Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, Red Cross or La Cruz Roja has plenty of branches. Most of their employees are considered as the volunteers. When you call, these are the people who provide the ambulance service. Red Cross offers country-wide services. They are equipped with advanced medical tools and take care of all kinds of medical emergencies.
Although you can call The Red Cross, an all-rounder service provider there, other than providing ambulance services, they are also present for the rescue work in the mountains, assist in fighting and dealing with forest fires, and Provide medical assistance on beaches and at different events like tope.
The Red Cross is mainly dependent on the donations. Even though they get help from the government, their costs are covered primarily by holding Bingos and others.
However, in the past, they tried to cover their cost by circulating phonebooks from one house to another, but it didn’t end well. So, whenever they request you for financial help, try to help them as much as you want.
Private Ambulance services in Costa Rica
As mentioned earlier, there are not many ambulance services available in this country, and most of them function by affiliation. Here is a brief list-
1. The larger private ambulance service in Costa Rica is offered by Emergency Medicas. They provide ambulances in many locations, but it’s solely for the members.
2. In Central Valley, there is ProVida, and you can apply only as an affiliated member.
3. Life Support Costa Rica also offers ambulances and many other services for different memberships.
4. Trasmedic and SAPSA are there, but only for affiliates.
5. In Atenas and Quepos, there is Linea Vital.
6. You can get Lifeguard’s services in Jaco, Malpais, and Cobano.
7. Grupo-DR and Costa Rica Medical Response offer private ambulance services in the whole country and national territory.
Air Ambulance service in Costa Rica
When transporting a patient with serious health issues, each second counts. And only the flexibility of a helicopter as an air ambulance can be significant. This helps a patient to reach the nearby hospital as soon as possible.
Some of the places in Costa Rica, like Central Valley, are very difficult to access. In a dire emergency, it’s natural that you would need to be flown in from difficult places and get admitted to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. So, at that time, the air ambulance service becomes convenient. If you have private health insurance, you can opt for this service in Costa Rica instead of attending the boonies.
Here’s the detailed description
1. Life Guard offers air ambulance service and provides payment with different credit cards.
2. You can opt for national and international air Ambulance service front Costa Rica Medical Response.
3. The air ambulance service of Horizon Air Ambulance is available for inside and outside Costa Rica.
4. Air ambulance service of Helijet Local and international EMS is available for 24/7 if weather permits.
5. Air Charter Central America offers air ambulance service in and outside of the country from Juan Santa Maria International Airport and also from Tobias Bolanos Airport in Pavas.
6. You can get air Ambulance and repatriation service from Central de Vuelos Ambulance 24/7.
To wrap it up,
Finding hospitals and availing ambulance services in Costa Rica can be really tricky, even though they offer the best services. That is why do your homework before making any emergency call.