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We Got Sick in Belize - This is what it Cost

Get Shipwrecked

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What actually happens if you get sick living in Belize? 🏥
I break it down from our experience (so far)... 2.5 years living on Caye Caulker, visiting since 2012, and now answering one of the most asked expat questions: how does healthcare in Belize actually work?
From the free public health centre right here on the island, to private hospitals in Belize City, to when expats fly to Mexico or back to the US - this is the honest, no-fluff answer based on real experience.

💰 REAL COSTS (what Stacy actually paid):
→ Mammogram: $100 BZD ($50 USD)
→ Ultrasound: $100 BZD ($50 USD)
→ Surgeon consultation: $100 BZD ($50 USD)
→ TOTAL: $300 BZD / $150 USD
All clear — and in and out in under 90 minutes.

🏥 WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS VIDEO:
→ The free clinic on Caye Caulker (yes, it's actually free)
→ Over-the-counter meds & pharmacies in Belize
→ Private vs. socialized healthcare — what expats use
→ Medical tourism: dental, cancer treatment in Mérida & more
→ Veterans living in Belize & their healthcare situation
→ What emergencies look like on a small island (hint: golf cart ambulance)
→ When it makes sense to fly back to Canada or the US

⏱ CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro - Jay's experience & the big question
0:37 Is public healthcare reliable in Belize?
1:09 The free clinic on Caye Caulker - how it works
2:45 Pharmacies & over-the-counter meds
3:39 Real private care costs - Stacy's experience
5:34 Belize vs Canada vs USA - cost comparison
6:39 When do expats fly to Mexico or the US?
7:05 Medical tourism - dental, cancer & more
8:49 Veterans living in Belize & going back for care
10:43 Emergencies on the island - what actually happens
12:43 Final thoughts

#BelizeExpat #HealthcareInBelize #CayeCaulker #MovingToBelize #ExpatLife #BelizeCostOfLiving #MedicalTourism #RetireInBelize #CentralAmericaLiving #BelizeLife

13 Comments

@GetShipwrecked Creator 6 months ago (edited) Pinned

Drop your questions below 👇 Please also comment if you're living here with your own healthcare experience - it helps EVERYONE :) Let us know what threshold would make you fly back to wherever you came from (if you're a foreigner too). Go slow... Don't fight the tide. 🤙🏽🏴‍☠🌊🏴‍☠ Check out the shop: https://www.facebook.com/Lostanchorbelize

@centredoorplugsthornton4112 3 months ago

Hears some dirt on health care in Belize: the US embassy in Belmopan is pressuring Belize to expel all the Cuban doctors who came to Belize in solidarity and practice.

@twinmaples.carnivoreroad 6 months ago

Great info! The wife and I were just talking about the medical down there last night. Hope we get down there this summer.

@pampeters8404 6 months ago

Sounds very similar to what we have in Roatan, Honduras. I loved Caye Caulker when I visited many many years ago.

@rexluger1940 6 months ago

Awesome videos, I can’t I haven’t come across your channel before today. Very informative.

@CVBibliosoph 5 months ago (edited)

Minute 7:43: Some of the best and experienced dentists in Belize are in the north, in Corozal. Dr. Garcia, Dra. Vasquez and Dr. Cima are the three that come top to my mind. There are others. Minute 10:27: Problem with cancer treatment is the cost of the medicine itself. Keytruda is average $10,500 per dose in MX and slightly higher in US, but Medicare pays 80% in US and nothing in MX. Minute 11:38: Belize's biggest choke point has always been available blood supply, although it has gotten better, despite some ignorance. In 2010, in Corozal District, three bleeding patients was a mass casualty incident bc of blood supply inavailability..

@fluffychick 5 months ago

I'm in PEI Canada and don't have a doctor. The wait list is years long and getting basic treatment is hard. You can get virtual visits for easy stuff but for chronic care it's pretty bad. I was considering a medical vacation just to get some tests that I can't get here. We don't even test vitamin D unless you have kidney issues. Maybe I'll come to Belize 😊

@ModMINI 6 months ago

Thanks for sharing. Japan is essentially the same. Similar price, similar ease of access to care, but they are more stingy with medicine, many common ones in US are not approved, and sometimes at much lower doses. The conclusion - health care is cheap everywhere but the US. 50-100% off.

@COLJONES-p2e 5 months ago

I think you were pretty bang on the money when it came to talking about Belize Canada is a joke 18 months waiting for a scope

@PhoenixJoshua-x7w4c 6 months ago

I'd be curious to hear from others in comments about the availability of various insulins or things like continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)

@RetiredTraveler-vz8fu 2 months ago

they will be out of most of the drugs you need. i lived in belize and own property there. this guy is spelling out the best possible outcomes. I visited several clinics and none of them had the medications that the doctor prescribed. They just said we are out, nothing we can do for you.

@celestetamarit2619 5 months ago

You mentioned the dog, have you had to get medication like tick medication for the dog I think it’s different down there where you can just buy it and here you have to go to the vet and pay $67 for the visit and then get the medication

@dansauer4712 5 months ago

If I was to get sick, I would 100% rather have it happen in Belize, then in KANADA INC. 🤣🤣🤣 Canadians pay for the NON health care system through their taxes, it's NOT free.