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Pharmacy with Doctor who can write prescriptions


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9 hours ago, Floradude said:

Does that say something about the doctor?

All doctors affiliated with "local" farmacias have "village" consulta prices, ranging from 20 to 50 pesos, and that includes writing scrip. This is intended to benefit the poor working class, and says nothing else about the doctor (who is usually still in training).

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21 hours ago, Floradude said:

Does that say something about the doctor?

Yes I think it does. The doctors who work at those Pharmacies are paid a wage similar to that of an uneducated construction worker, ( or less) after attending university and doing their service for 6 years. That wage will not attract the best graduates of medical school, nor will the very limited and repetitive nature of the patients' complaints they will hear. Anyone good at medicine will not settle for a job like that, in my opinion. To me its shocking that any doctor will work for those wages. I have seen jobs advertised in the past at those pharmacies offering a wage of 200p a day. For a doctor. Imagine.

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A year ago I used the Doctor at the pharmacy nearest Chapala Plaza (lakeside) and was pleased.  He was a young doctor who had been trained in Cuba.  Had my ear cleaned and got a script for a rash. All very reasonable in cost.

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Doctors in this country have been trained with an understanding that you give back to the poor. I had a top gynecologist in Guadalajara, who told me he offered his services 3 mornings a week in poor areas. If you have a need that requires a top specialist & you belong to  Seguro Popular or IMSS, you will find that the best doctors will be called.  If you are concerned about a doctor you only pay 40 -50 pesos for, there are many options to pay more.

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20 hours ago, gimpychimp said:

Yes I think it does. The doctors who work at those Pharmacies are paid a wage similar to that of an uneducated construction worker, ( or less) after attending university and doing their service for 6 years. That wage will not attract the best graduates of medical school, nor will the very limited and repetitive nature of the patients' complaints they will hear. Anyone good at medicine will not settle for a job like that, in my opinion. To me its shocking that any doctor will work for those wages. I have seen jobs advertised in the past at those pharmacies offering a wage of 200p a day. For a doctor. Imagine.

It is mandated by law that doctors in training provide their time and give back to the country. I don't see how this impacts their capabilities in any way. To me, it's shocking how much doctors up north charge for even the smallest of services.

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I use the Doctor which is associated with the pharmacy outside of Soriana. My Mexican friends all tell me he is a well respected surgeon. I pay 60 pesos a visit and get the same service as a 800 pesos doctor. Yes you need to be able to communicate in Spanish. If needed he will direct you to a specialist.

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On 4/29/2019 at 9:01 AM, ComputerGuy said:

It is mandated by law that doctors in training provide their time and give back to the country. I don't see how this impacts their capabilities in any way. To me, it's shocking how much doctors up north charge for even the smallest of services.

After they do 5 years of training at the university, in which the last 2 years they spend most of their time in the IMSS hospitals, the students are required to do a year of free service to a government institution as a way of paying the government back for what was considered a free education. They would not send a student to a "for profit" business like one of the pharmacies. They send them to IMSS hospitals and clinics, and Centros de Salud, for example.  The best doctors are not going to sit at one of those pharmacies for 200p a day after going to school all those years. Who would? Only someone who can't find anything better, or someone who is a doctor and owns the pharmacy and makes money from selling the medications.

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19 hours ago, gimpychimp said:

After they do 5 years of training at the university, in which the last 2 years they spend most of their time in the IMSS hospitals, the students are required to do a year of free service to a government institution as a way of paying the government back for what was considered a free education. They would not send a student to a "for profit" business like one of the pharmacies. They send them to IMSS hospitals and clinics, and Centros de Salud, for example.  The best doctors are not going to sit at one of those pharmacies for 200p a day after going to school all those years. Who would? Only someone who can't find anything better, or someone who is a doctor and owns the pharmacy and makes money from selling the medications.

Your opinion. But you answered your own question. These "lowly" farmacia doctors just pop up out of the ground, do they? No training at university, like all the "good" ones. No public service mandated by the federal government.

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19 hours ago, gimpychimp said:

After they do 5 years of training at the university, in which the last 2 years they spend most of their time in the IMSS hospitals, the students are required to do a year of free service to a government institution as a way of paying the government back for what was considered a free education. They would not send a student to a "for profit" business like one of the pharmacies. They send them to IMSS hospitals and clinics, and Centros de Salud, for example.  The best doctors are not going to sit at one of those pharmacies for 200p a day after going to school all those years. Who would? Only someone who can't find anything better, or someone who is a doctor and owns the pharmacy and makes money from selling the medications.

Remember, half of all doctors (and lawyers, architects, etc.) graduate in the bottom 50% of their class. Does that make them "bad"?

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Not only that, I was working on the business classes for the medical association and was told they only needed to pass 70% of their exams. Always leaving me wondering: "Which class did you fail, Doctor"?

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On 4/28/2019 at 12:39 AM, ComputerGuy said:

All doctors affiliated with "local" farmacias have "village" consulta prices, ranging from 20 to 50 pesos, and that includes writing scrip. This is intended to benefit the poor working class, and says nothing else about the doctor (who is usually still in training).

CG, the prices for a consult at Farmacia Similares are national, not "village".  I pay the same in Morelia as I paid in Mexico City: since January 2019, it's 40 pesos to see the doctor, have my blood pressure and temperature taken, have as much time as I need to talk with the doctor about whatever symptoms I'm having, and have him or her write a prescription for whatever prescription medicine I need.  There is no cost for writing a prescription--it's the same procedure as if you were in a fancy-dancy specialist's office.  Tell your symptoms, the doctor knows what to prescribe.  It is not intended to benefit the working class, it's the same for everyone.  And all of the doctors I have seen at whichever Farmacia Similares have their medical school diplomas hanging on the walls, and not of recent vintage.  IMHO, Dr. Victor Gutiérrez, the founder of Farmacia Similares, has done a tremendous service for all of Mexico, and of course has become a gazillionaire in the process.  More power to him!   

In fact, before the earthquake in CDMX, I saw the same 55-60-ish year old doctor every time I went to the Farmacia Similares nearest me in Col. Condesa.  We ended up being friends and it was very hard when the building that housed the farmacia was severely damaged in the earthquake and the office was closed.  He moved to an office in a far distant colonia and I had to find a new doctor.  Once in a while we bumped into each other on the street and had a good chat.

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1 hour ago, ComputerGuy said:

Your opinion. But you answered your own question. These "lowly" farmacia doctors just pop up out of the ground, do they? No training at university, like all the "good" ones. No public service mandated by the federal government.

Where did I say that they didn't train at university? Where did I say the service period is not mandated by the government?  If you put your reading glasses on and go back you will see that I clearly stated all the students have to do a year of service AT A GOVERNMENT FACILITY, NOT A "FOR PROFIT" BUSINESS. They are not doing their service there.

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1 hour ago, pappysmarket said:

Remember, half of all doctors (and lawyers, architects, etc.) graduate in the bottom 50% of their class. Does that make them "bad"?

That is a saying I always use too.  Those are the ones I hope not to work with.  I would prefer someone who graduated in the top half of the class, especially when it comes to doctors and my health. Someone who settles for making less in a day than the lady who cleans my house would not be my choice for a doctor. If you have a sore throat, you might go there but as soon as there is anything seriously wrong wouldn't you too prefer someone from the top half of the class?

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25 minutes ago, gimpychimp said:

Where did I say that they didn't train at university? Where did I say the service period is not mandated by the government?  If you put your reading glasses on and go back you will see that I clearly stated all the students have to do a year of service AT A GOVERNMENT FACILITY, NOT A "FOR PROFIT" BUSINESS. They are not doing their service there.

Wow, can't take a little discussion, can you. Now you've twisted my comments completely. You said the best doctors wouldn't work there. I didn't disagree; I said they are all trained the same, and how would you bloody know which ones go where? All based on your contention that farmacia doctors are lesser than the rest. Remember that? Let's get together and go to a few farmacias right now and ask the doctors. Come on. Or, go away.

You know, I stopped even responding to these threads exactly because of your kind of holier-than-thou BS. I took a chance here to offer a little education, and that was a mistake.

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30 minutes ago, More Liana said:

CG, the prices for a consult at Farmacia Similares are national, not "village". 

I used the word "village" to quickly make a point. I could have included a longer explanation, as you did, but I saw no need. National it is then. My point is the same as yours.

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20 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

Wow, can't take a little discussion, can you. Now you've twisted my comments completely. You said the best doctors wouldn't work there. I didn't disagree; I said they are all trained the same, and how would you bloody know which ones go where? All based on your contention that farmacia doctors are lesser than the rest. Remember that? Let's get together and go to a few farmacias right now and ask the doctors. Come on. Or, go away.

You know, I stopped even responding to these threads exactly because of your kind of holier-than-thou BS. I took a chance here to offer a little education, and that was a mistake.

You've got to be kidding.  When I correct you for twisting my comments you respond with "Now you've twisted my comments completely". I do agree with you that you made a mistake "by taking a chance to offer a little education", because your information was wrong. Those are not students doing their service.

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