Hospital San Antonio del lago de chapala : Lack of urgency and care

 One morning, my father was ill and unconscious. We called an ambulance, and the Cruz Roja ambulance said that we had only two options of hospitals to take him to. One option was San Antonio, and the other was RMC.

 However, we wanted to take him to Guadalajara. On the surface, this hospital looks excellent. However, it became apparent that they were not equipped to help my dad. Only one doctor was available, and few nurses. In the afternoon, after hours of seeing that my dad was not improving. We asked them to please transfer him to Guadalajara to another hospital that could provide more services for my dad.

 They said yes; however, we began to notice that they were only worried about charging, there was no urgency to transfer my dad, and the bills kept climbing. We thought the ambulance would be there shortly and tried to pay all the charges, and they kept coming. At one point, it seemed comical to them, "Oh my, here is one more." The ambulance that showed up was given to another patient that had no means to pay nor family to assume the cost. They gave the ambulance to that person and said that my dad would get another one. Even though my dad was already on a ventilator. This is because they told us, that to transfer him; he would have to be put on a ventilator, although my dad was not having breathing issues.

 They assured us this was how it had to be done. Later we found out that we had the right to deny the ventilator. (Also, to intubate him, they had to call in a doctor, she came and did it quickly, charged, and left). The ambulance for my dad finally showed up at midnight. We were told that a doctor had to travel with my dad in the ambulance, but since this hospital only had one doctor, to begin with, his doctor could not care for my father. We luckily have a doctor in the family that rushed to help us. The ambulance was also a complete failure. 

The ventilator battery was not working, among many other things (separate review for ambulancias Michel). The hospital and the ambulance had a lot of back and forth about whose fault was about the ambulance. After talking to a different doctor in San Antonio a few days later, he assured us that there is no ambulance on the Ribera that could take someone on a ventilator. They all have to come from Guadalajara. So, our frustration with this hospital is why they told us to put my dad on a ventilator? Why did they not tell us that the ambulances in the Ribera are not equipped? Why did they keep my dad if they knew they had done all they could?

 Why didn't they get a doctor to go in the ambulance with my dad, since that is the law? They have many hour to prepare. After telling my dad's experience to other locals, they were not surprised. I heard a lot of stories of people taken here only to be used as a money pit. My dad was Mexican, but we told the hospital he had American insurance.

 This hospital is not about care, and it's just there to make money. I don't write reviews, and my family and I respect anyone in the medical field. They deserve to be compensated. What happened to us was not normal, I had previously taken my dad to other emergency rooms, and I have never witnessed the lack of urgency and care that I saw at this hospital. 

I think it is important to tell our story, and hopefully, another family doesn't have to go thru the pain and trauma my family went thru. I tried asking for a copy of my father's medical file, and the doctor told me that I would have to have an attorney request that. There are many great doctors, hospitals, and clinics in Mexico. Do your research if possible. We learned this, unfortunately, during an emergency. Don’t come here without your insurance card or a large wallet.