Today I went with one of our volunteers to see an English speaking doctor in Quepos. I have to say, I was really impressed with the quality of care and the attentiveness to the patient. The doctor wanted to make sure that both the volunteer and I understood the situation and how to follow-up. Also, they were able to efficiently administer an IV drip in the office to quickly give our volunteer the medicine she needed. And, the bill was reasonable! In the US I would pay double for less service at a private walk in clinic like Linea Vital. So, I give Linea Vital two thumbs up for quality care!
On a side note, on the way back from the doctor I got to practice my assertive skills with the taxi driver. Because Quepos and Manuel Antonio are so touristy, taxi drivers will often choose to not use their meters and charge a fixed rate. Depending on the situation, this can be fair. However, many taxi drivers automatically raise the price for tourists they think do not know any better. As it so happened, on the way to the clinic, I asked the taxi driver to put on his meter and I saw it was 800 colonies for the trip. On the way back the taxi driver refused to put on his meter and said the price was 1,000 colonies. Channeling my assertive staff member Elena, I said to the driver in Spanish, “No. I know the price is 800 colonies.” So, he quickly agreed to 800 colonies for the trip. It just goes to show that a little bit of strength and knowledge goes a long way.
