At the IMSS Progreso Clinic

This is just a brief update on our foray into the Mexican public health system.  As reported, we received our paperwork and were told to report to the IMSS clinic in our town of Progreso.

Here we checked in and presented our paperwork fully expecting to get our primary physicals and assignment to a primary physician.  It was not to be.
What we did get was our permanent medical record books.  They are color coded, the brown ones indicating that we are over 60 years old.

On the inside, they make use of another one of the extremely flattering photos they require on everything official here....

So if you're keeping track, we have now utilized 4 of pictures that came in the packet from the photographer's place.  The first page also contains, among other things, our social security number, our address, and the fact that our first visit will be at Consultorio #1.

The rest of the booklet has pages dedicated to various reasons for any visits and is a record of your health that you bring each time.  You also hang onto all other patient records including x-rays, lab results, etc. that may occur.  IMSS does not store them for you.

Here's a look at the inside..

As I looked through the booklet, I couldn't help sensing something oddly familiar about this whole thing.  And then it hit me:

It's the same system our veterinarian uses!!!

So all of us in the family now has a health booklet.  We just have to make sure we bring the correct one when we return tomorrow morning for our physicals.

More later,

Larry