LaurenLake

Buried in the news stories today about closing the border with Colombia are some quotes from Varela about requiring everyone to have a proper immigration status.   For example, this story said "Varela also announced the implementation, in the coming months, of a new immigration policy that requires everyone to have formal immigration status to be in the country after the six months tourist visa."   (http://www.thepanamadigest.com/2016/05/panama-closes-border-with-colombia/)

I hope this doesn't mean that doing border runs is at an end. Our plans call for a 2-year stay in Panama, so it isn't worth it to us to go through the process to get a pensionado or friendly nations visa. 

The English language press doesn't have much to say on this, so I'm starting to dig into the stuff in español. 

I'm wondering if it is possible to have a hard-to-find prescription mailed to us from a larger pharmacy in Panama City? It has been a challenge to find in Boquete and David. The pharmacist at Revilla (very helpful guy) has worked hard to track down a supply, and Arrocha in David sometimes has it but I worry about running out and am spending a lot of time chasing it down. I don't think ordering from the US/Canada would work as our prescription is from a Panamanian doctor. But maybe mail order from Panama City is an option?

I agree with JudyS, dealing with Spanish speakers over the phone is hard. My Spanish is good enough for chatting with someone on the street, but the minute you add unusual words like medical terminology, and remove my ability to use visual cues like pointing and demonstrating, things go downhill. I've been able to book appointments in person in Spanish, but doing so over the phone is a lot more difficult. And I love when you ask for "un poco más despacio" and you get "un poco más fuerte, pero muy rápido"

Thanks for the input everyone.  My takeaway is that you can get a full physical, with hospital tests if needed, by requesting it through one of the docs at the local clinics, and it's not necessary to find a doctor based out of Hospital Chiriqui. 

 Thanks for the pricing information. We don't have their insurance. Ours is Cigna and doesn't cover annual exams. But I will call their number and ask anyway. Perhaps they can refer me. I agree about Dr. Gomez. We've used him for several minor issues. Maybe he can just order all the tests we need and review the results with us? Or do you think it's better to find a doctor at the hospital?

I did look at that list, but can't find a single reference for a general or internal medicine person at the hospital who speaks English. Many of the entries don't say anything about language skills.  I was hoping someone on this list had recently done a physical at the hospital and could recommend someone and give me some idea about price. 

Sure, if we knew the name of a doctor there who had an English-speaking receptionist to set up an appointment. 

I've looked on this site and Ning and can't find any details on where/how to get an annual physical exam. A couple of posts suggest that Hospital Chiriquí does a great one if you sign up for their insurance plan, but we already have insurance. Any idea about where to make an appointment? Cost?

I've been having trouble accessing the Internet via my Movistar SIM the past few days. Strong signal, but no internet. Could someone usingMovistar  for Internet on their smartphone/tablet confirm for me that it is working for them? I can't tell if it's a problem with my card/account/device, or a broader Movistar problem. Thanks!