Born and raised in a small village in Hertfordshire, England, Tina Frewer is an expat who lived and experienced the healthcare systems in both the U.K. and U.S. before arriving in Merida, and she knows how difficult it is to find the appropriate healthcare.
Within weeks of arriving in the Yucatan, Tina became very sick, and despite friends and family trying to persuade her not to seek or receive treatment in Mexico (as she would surely not survive the experience!!), she spent time researching and navigating the local medical system, eventually finding a doctor at Star Medica Hospital (Dra. Catalina Aldana Lopez) whom she made an immediate connection with.
After her first doctors visit, and one test that is routine in Merida, a swift and obvious diagnosis was made, followed by an extensive uncomplicated surgical procedure, and a week of glorious care in a hospital that was more comfortable than most hotels.
During her recovery, Tina was diagnosed with two additional health problems, both of which have been treated locally.
“The first class quality of the healthcare, and speed of diagnoses and treatments I have received, goes way beyond anything I have previously experienced either in the UK or the USA. The heart centred way in which medicine is delivered here is simply quite unique. I left the USA with a serious and undiagnosed health problem, the reality is that without moving to Merida, I may not be here today!!”
Tina decided to help others by using her own healthcare experiences. She is now fulfilling her passion and her calling by helping others access the safe, compassionate, world class and affordable healthcare and wellness services here in the Yucatan, working with a specially selected team of medical experts.
Together they connect people to the best in medical and diagnostic services in the Yucatan. This part of the business is called HealthNet Connect. In addition to HealthNet Connect’s services she’s involved in medical tourism through her work with Healthitinerary. This is the medical/health tourism branch of the business, bringing foreigners here for dental, cosmetic, elective and general surgeries, diagnostic and health screening procedures.
Tina talked to a great number of expats while creating the HealthNet Connect Card and she soon realized that because of lack of local knowledge, language difficulties, and in some cases fear, they do not have their Family Doctor/GP in place, they don’t make their routine health tests and preventative screenings, and they don’t know what to do in the case of an emergency.
Tina says, “This is why three of our core benefits are free Family Doctor/GP visits in Merida, a free 24/7 telephone support line with an English speaking local doctor, and access to a Private Ambulance/Paramedic Service (in Merida and the Beach Communities) that we pre-register our members with. We provide these services, ‘Peace Of Mind’ to our members and their families back home, assistance with IMSS Registration (Mexican Social Security), and more than 15 other benefits, all for less than a dollar ($1) a day”.
Tina is passionate about expat residents and snowbird visitors putting their ‘Mexican Health Plan’ in place while they are healthy. She states, “Hope is not a health plan, neither is waiting until a health emergency happens before you consider your or your partner’s current or future health needs, or thinking you will be able to jump on the next plane home if you do get sick”.
She says, “It makes my heart sing to know that every day we are making a real difference in the lives of our members. Whether it’s sourcing vital neurological medication that one of our members has forgotten to bring with them for their 3 month snow-bird stay, chaperoning someone on their specialist doctor appointment or finding a local source for supplies of their Danish hearing aids purchased in the USA. We had a case recently where a member was about to buy an air ticket back to the USA because she believed the eye medication she urgently required was not available in Mexico. Not only were we able to source the medication, but we drove the member to purchase it, and she got a discount on the price. How great is that?”
Healthitinerary is just about to launch another unique and ground breaking product, ‘HealthNet Hotel’, providing health, spa and wellness services to hotel guests and their staff.
To purchase the HealthNet Connect Card, learn more about medical tourism services or ‘HealthNet Hotel’, visit www.healthitinerary.com, call 999 738 5743 / 999 740 5819 or email [email protected].
For more information about Yucatan’s healthcare services in general, visit www.yucatanhealthcare.com.
