Patient Testimonials

Sam's Story

Hello my name is “Sam”, and as you may suspect Sam is not my real name. I am American citizen and as such, we are not supposed to travel to Cuba .

As self employed tradesman living in a small town in Georgia , USA , I am surrounded by family, sons, daughters, grandchildren and a few great grand babies as well.

I have spent all my life doing construction type work and as a result developed pain in my shoulder. The pain became bad enough to see my doctor who advised me that I tore my rotor cuff and developed severe bone spurs. I tried my best to work through the pain but eventually it became too much to bare and that my only option was surgery. My wife and I are not able to afford medical insurance so when it came time to have the operation done, we were unable to pay the $45,000.00 + it was going to cost. We tried every option we could think of and contacted numerous US agencies to help us. We even tried a program in Tennessee , where medical students would perform operations on people at reduced prices just to get the practice. Even they wouldn't help me because we lived in different state.

My savings were running out and we were facing bankruptcy and could possibly end up on the welfare line, where ironically, we would have qualified for the medical attention I needed. I refused to sink that low, so when a family member saw the website for Choice Medical Services we checked it out. We had seen at other web sites that offered services in India but they were more expensive and such a long way away. We knew that Choice worked with doctors from Cuba and the costs were very affordable. We really didn't know anything about Cuba but we were desperate so we called to learn more.

The people at Choice explained about Cuban healthcare system and the process to get there. The whole procedure was going to cost around $4,000.00 Canadian money which included travel, procedure and room fees for my wife. Choice made us feel confident enough to make the decision to go in the early fall.

We arrived in Cuba in the evening where we were met at the airport by 2 people from the Choice team and then driven to hospital where they were prepared for our arrival. My wife was able to stay in my hospital room with me which made me much more comfortable. In the morning a team of Doctors and medical staff came in to see us and discuss what was going to happen before, during and after my operation. Although Cuba is a Spanish speaking country the medical staff spoke English and put my fears and those of my wife to rest. The operation went smoothly and my recovery was pleasant.

The follow up medical visits to my room were always done by the team of doctors and nurses. I found out that medicine is practiced in Cuba as a team effort. Each team member is responsible for the different areas of the surgery and each one reports to the patient. I felt I was being looked after by a group of professionals whose only concern was my health and well being. My stay was supposed to be for 14 days but after 10 I felt good enough to travel home which we did.

My experience in Cuba and with the medical system was excellent and I could not have wished for better treatment. Our only complaint was about the massive amount of food we were fed while in the hospital.

Four weeks after my return to the US I am now back at work and feeling good.

We would like to send our special thanks to the doctors and staff of the Cira Garcia hospital in Havana and to Elizabeth and Bill form Choice Medical Services who were just as concerned abut my health as I was.

I have done a number of interviews with the press on my experiences and told Choice they could use me as a reference for patients looking for reassurance.

“Sam”

Sam can be reached through the Choice Medical Services website at info@choicemedicalservices.com

All messages will be forwarded