Discussion by Country

Austria:

[We use a] community hospital in the south of Vienna, and therefore, we feel that like it, most community hospitals are good in case of emergency.  We have never been in a situation where we could not find someone that could speak English, though not everyone on staff does. – Debbie

Botswana:

Medical care in Botswana  ranges from fairly poor to quite good.  The government offers clinic and hospital care at a very reasonable cost (50 cents US for a clinic visit) but the quality of the care is often poor unless one is referred to a specialist.  Any medications or treatments prescribed are free.  All towns and large villages have clinics and many towns have hospitals. A parallel system of private medical practitioners as emerged and is preferred by those who can afford it.  There is only one private hospital in Botswana, it is in the capital and offers very good care. – Laura

Cambodia:

We had a (Czech) obstetrician come up three flights of stairs almost everyday for two months to check on me while I was on bed rest...Where else in the world would you get that kind of service!? The C-section went well!—Sue

Central African Republic:

A little more organization on the medical personnel would have been good. They kept having to leave me to get supplies.—Wendy

Chad:

I basically monitored my own health doing blood sugar levels and urine strip test sheets. I was in contact with the doctor by e-mail. We don't have any good OB/Gyn facilities in Chad, although there is a nice OB/Gyn doctor at the hospital. There is an old ultrasound at the hospital.—Ellen

Cyprus:

Medical care is generally good here. An office visit generally costs approx. $20 (plus lab fees if applicable.) A night in the hospitals costs approx. $80. The rate of doctors per capita is very high, except perhaps in the villages. Many types of general surgery are performed here, though probably not every rare or complicated type. Nurses do not seem to have been trained similarly to nurses in the US. – Lenore

Ecuador:

MY MAIN CONCERN HERE IN ECUADOR IS THE REPUTATION THAT  OB'S HAVE FOR PERFORMING CESAREANS.  MOST PEOPLE THAT I KNOW WHO HAVE HAD A  BABY HERE HAVE HAD A CESAREAN.  AS STATED ABOVE, MY DOCTOR TOLD ME THE CORD  WAS ENTANGLED AROUND THE BABY.  HOWEVER, HE HAD DONE A SONOGRAM JUST A MONTH BEFORE AND HE NEVER MENTIONED SEEING ANY PROBLEM WITH THE UMBILICAL CORD AND THE BABY WAS IN PERFECT POSITION AND STAYED THAT WAY UNTIL THE DAY SHE WAS BORN.  SO, MANY TIMES I'VE WONDERED IF THE CESAREAN WAS ACTUALLY NECESSARY.--Kelli

France:

In France, homeopathic doctors are regular medical doctors who study homeopathy an additional  3 years.  They prescribe both "traditional" & homeopathic medications.  Both are equally reimbursable by the state medical system, & both are available in pharmacies only, not just your local health food store.   All that to say, a second option is this doctor, for those who would be interested in this type of approach.   I have been extremely pleased with the results I have seen. –Cathy

The thought among many of our French friends is that once you find a good general practice doctor, you stick with him! –Donna

Indonesia:

The hospital was an hour flight from the city we live in by a small mission plane.  It is one of two mission hospitals in our area.  The local hospital in the capital city is not considered a good option and people either have home deliveries, use a local birthing clinic or go to the mission hospital. If there are any signs of complication at all you must leave the country. In order for the doctor to accept you at the mission hospital you have to

have had all normal deliveries with no complications in pregnancy, a sonogram in the last 6 weeks to show the position of the placenta and baby and must go to the hospital two to three weeks before the anticipated due date.  There is no medication available as he does not want to have anything that could cause complications.  He does have an operating room in case of an emergency and there is a baby warmer available if necessary.--Karen

Japan:

Just be aware that the length of stay in the hospital here is much longer than in the states (at least 6 days including the birth day), and that they are much more cautious in administering medicine during labor and delivery, preferring the totally natural method.  (At least that was my experience in the two hospitals I had my babies in.  My first labor was 32 hours long and I was given nothing to ease the pain (which I didn't really want anyway).  I was finally given something to speed things up after about 28 hours, but it seemed to have the opposite effect and things seemed to slow down for a while.--Terri

Most hospitals in Japan are still not allowing fathers/other visitors in the delivery room.  Both hospitals that I delivered in were in the minority, allowing visitors.  For this birth, the staff was particularly open and allowed my husband to participate/ cut the cord and give my son his first bath.  The baby bath, scales and examination tables were all in the delivery room, so I was also a part of the after birth activities as I was being cared for and cleaned up.—Lori

Kenya:

EVEN THOUGH THE DOCTOR MAY BE VERY COMPETENT, HOSPITAL STAFF MAY NOT BE.  WHEN WE HAVE LAB TESTS DONE NOW, WE USE ONLY THE BEST LABS, SOMETIMES PRIVATE ONES RECOMMENDED BY THE DOCTOR  HIMSELF.  TESTS CAN BE REPEATED WHEN RESULTS SEEM WAY OFF. PATIENTS CAN CARRY THEIR OWN STERILE NEEDLES, DRINKING WATER, ETC… I TRIED TO BE FIRM WITH THE NURSE WHO GAVE ME THE INJECTION DURING LABOR, BUT SHE PERSISTED THAT I NEEDED IT AND THAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED IT, WHEN SHE REALLY HADN'T. IT WAS JUST HER USUAL PROTOCOL, AND SHE DIDN'T THINK THROUGH THE REASONING PROCESS AND REALIZE I WAS AN EXCEPTION.  THAT'S PART OF THE CULTURE IN KENYA.  SO MAYBE THAT'S ANOTHER CONSIDERATION FOR PREGNANT TRAVELLERS - KNOW THE CULTURE. –Lois

Lesotho:

I had one check by a doctor during my entire pregnancy.  The pregnancy had no complications, but if there would have been, I would have been on a plane immediately…There was no good medical care in the area where we lived.  We flew 2 hours for this first check.  The doctor I did see at 6 months answered my questions, but gave no advice.  I found out later that because this was my 3rd c-section her preference was for me to go back to the States.  We did not know that. Lesson learned - ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS.  I found out about the hospital through other women who had had their babies there and the same with the doctors.—Lori

Nigeria:

I brought along my own nurse to stay with me in the hospital. I was very glad for her care, as the nurses on staff did not seem too competent or concerned.—Sonia

Philippines:

The Philippines has fine hospitals and doctors...although they are probably a few years behind the US in some of their practices. – Roslyn

Nurses are not as helpful as Stateside nurses are and are very secretive in one's treatment.  Any questions you ask are suspect that you question their authority and then not answered by them but only by the doctor.  It's just the custom here.—Pamela

Portugal:

The Hospital we use is Red Cross but there is a British Hospital that others have recommended.  Also just north of Lisbon is a European Clinic (Clinica Europa)  that a lot of Americans are using and are happy with the quality of service…Most foreigners will get good service wherever they go. – Vicki

Tajikistan:

We are working in Tajikistan, a former soviet country, and the medical system is in shambles.  We will not have the baby here.  I want to come back to the States, but don't know if it's possible.  We're waiting to hear word from our superiors. I will have home check-ups here with an expat Dr. that works in our office, and have pre-natal vitamins, but other than that, I'm on my own. – Eve

United States:

For me, after having two born overseas, and two born in the US, I found that the care overseas was for me and the baby; whereas, the care in the US seemed overshadowed by the possibility of lawsuits.—Rhonda

Zambia:

The delivery room consisted of a flat, elevated bed - no stirrups, etc. - also a bath tub. Once your baby was delivered, you got off the bed, and took your own bath, while they took the baby away to clean up. The nursery was one large room. Mothers came at scheduled times together - lined up to wash breasts under the tap then off to care for your infant. It was the mother's responsibility to care for the umbilical cord. You fed and changed your baby. For first baby you were expected to stay in the hospital for ten days. I stayed eight.—Martha