Floating Doctors: Life in Ensenada
A long boat ride south of Bocas del Toro took us to the community
of Ensenada where we set up a three-day medical clinic. It would take the people of Ensenada and the
surrounding communities two hours to get to a city with adequate medical care
or a functioning hospital which makes the Floating Doctors work vital in this area. They pay nothing to receive the Floating Doctor's care and Floating Doctors are more than happy to help.
When we arrived at the dock, we were welcomed by three young
boys who repeated “Are you the Floating Doctors? Are you here to help?” We answered “Si, manana!” and they helped take our
gear and equipment off of the boat and into the local elementary school to set
up clinic for the next day. Being
greeted by the community in such a warm way was touching. The Floating Doctors have made such an impact
in the lives of these boys, performing ultrasounds for their mothers while they
were just in the womb to treating their illnesses during their younger
years. They look forward to the medical care
in the days after we arrive and are excited to have for
We set up camp in the grade school’s rancho where we hung our net covered hammocks and stowed our
belongings. The air in the rancho was completely stagnant, to say
the least, and the humidity baked all of the volunteers until we could no
longer handle the heat. We threw on our bathing
suits and took a 15-minute walk to the local beach on the north side of the
island, pictured below. The view was
absolutely breathtaking, but nothing could compare to the soft, orange sands
that were nothing short of beautiful. The
water was as blue and crisp as the skies, something you only imaging swimming
in during your daydreams of vacations.
Anna and EJ:
After hours of a refreshing swim in the water, all the
volunteers got to know each other a bit better.
We chatted about our journey’s in life, travels, and what we had waiting
for us at home. We learned about the
complications of healthcare in our home countries, challenges we face in
school, and difficulties of our jobs in the healthcare industry. Mostly though, we compared and contrasted
healthcare and medicine in the first world. I found it most interesting that such different
countries like Ireland, England, Holland, Australia, and Cuba had tremendous
similarities to the US when it came to healthcare. They face the same challenges when advocating
for patients and similar gender stigmas.
While each country has its benefits, they come with a cost. The “free” healthcare in some places come
with the price of outstanding wait times due to people who feel “entitled” to
care because they pay their taxes regularly. Same, but different.
In the Caribbean waters near Ensenada:
- Nicole
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