Physician Offers Comfort for Travelers
Valley doctor writes the book on finding health care while spending time in Mexico
Claire Bush
Special for
May. 20, 2004 12:00 AM
While vacationing in Mexico several years ago, Valley physician Dr. Robert Page witnessed a serious automobile accident involving a college student from California. Page, who helped at the scene, realized that the distressing incident was made worse by the lack of communication between the parties.
“It was obvious how difficult it would have been to get expert medical care without knowing about the local doctors and hospitals.”
This troubled him enough to begin investigating how accessible Mexican health care and hospitals are to English-speaking people. The result of his quest is the recently published book Mexico Health and Safety Travel Guide (MedToGo LLC, 2004).
Page, who operates a bilingual family practice in Tempe with his physician son Curtis, enlisted the help of his family to write the book. Together with another son who spends part of the year in Mexico, the doctors began a three-year odyssey around Mexico to personally inspect hospitals and clinics that are safe, modern and staffed by English-speaking physicians.
The goal of the book was to provide a comfort level to travelers who may be hesitant about both the quality of health care and the problems of communicating in that country.
“If I became sick in China, it would be a little scary,” the elder Page says, “since I don’t speak the language.” The same is true of visitors to Mexico who don’t speak Spanish, he says. The book lists about 200 facilities in 40 popular cities such as Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Mexico City, including information on the size and staffing at each hospital along with specialties treated and contact information for English-speaking physicians.
Also included are historical information about major cities and areas of the country, general guidelines on Mexican health insurance, a pharmacy guide detailing uses and side effects of about 70 common medications, and a reference section with Spanish and English translations for common maladies.
The Pages also designed a Web site, medtogo.com, to offer additional information about the book as well as general information on safe travel in Mexico.
The idea of staying well on the road is nothing new to the physicians, who often counsel patients in their practice about how to create a personalized first aid kit for travel.
Being bilingual, however, has opened many doors for the doctors. “Many of our patients are Mexicans who come to us because they feel comfortable knowing they can explain their symptoms in their own language and be understood,” Page said.
Communication between doctor and patient “is essential,” he said. “That’s why this book will be so helpful to English-speaking people who want to travel in Mexico but feel nervous about what to do if they get sick.”
On the road, not every illness necessitates a trip to the doctor or hospital, he added.
The book also contains sections on what maladies can be self-treated and includes suggestions for what to do in case of common travel ailments such as diarrhea, motion sickness and migraines.
Robert Page has received a request from officials in the Mexican Tourism Department to translate the book into Spanish. “When (my sons and I) began this process, we were amazed that such a book didn’t already exist,” Page said.
The guide will be useful in helping Mexican citizens find quality health care in their own country, he added.
A love of travel and interest in new places has meant that Page is enthusiastically planning his next project, a series of regional guides for popular vacation spots in Mexico.
We’re going to begin with Cancun, outlining quality health care facilities and physicians in the area. We’ll also be including information on popular activities such as snorkeling and scuba diving.”
