Expats and travelers who come to Mexico City might find it challenging to navigate the medical system in a new place. This guide provides various options for medical attention, from minor ailments to urgent care to emergencies.
The quality of medical services varies greatly in Mexico, and so does the cost, this article will provide insights into the tradeoffs between cost and quality. You will also get reliable options for house calls and options for English-speaking doctors.
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Contents
- Key Takeaways
- Options for Medical Services in Mexico City
- Pharmacy doctors
- Dedicated Clinics
- Nomadoc for English-speaking Doctors
- Hospital Emergency Rooms
- Detaining a patient for payment is illegal
- Ambulances in Mexico City
- Expat Healthcare Community in Mexico
- Now, on to You
- About the Author: Mourad Boukabache
Key Takeaways
- Pharmacy Doctors: Affordable for minor issues, but may lack English and advanced equipment; potential for over-prescribing.
- Dedicated Clinics: Better equipped, more likely to have English-speaking staff, especially in expat areas.
- Nomadoc: Connects travelers with English-speaking doctors for house calls in Mexico City and other locations, offering quick appointments and 90-minute urgent services.
- Hospital Emergency Rooms: Available 24/7 for urgent cases, require deposits (varying by hospital), and may have insurance partnerships for direct reimbursement. Wait times vary.
Options for Medical Services in Mexico City
There are many options for seeking medical services in Mexico City.
Pharmacy doctors
- For minor ailments could be a good option.
- May lack English speaking capabilities.
- The visits are very cheap: some consultations start at 60 pesos per visit at farmacia similares.
- The doctors are often newly graduated with less experience.
- The doctors at pharmacies are paid by commission from selling medications in the partnered pharmacy, which can lead to over-prescribing. For example, many prescribe antibiotics without testing for the infection.
- Often lacks equipment.
- Many do not have proper medical record management, making follow-ups difficult.
Dedicated Clinics
- More equipment (many dedicated clinics can do rapid tests for some STDs), they will have examination tables and glucose meters
- More likely to be English-speaking, especially in the expat neighborhoods.
- The cost for a consultation is usually between 800 MXN and 1500 MXN.
Dr Paulina González is highly recommended by the expat community in Mexico City; her clinic is conveniently located in the center of an expat community in Roma Sur. Her English is excellent and she is available for last minute appointments during the weekday.
Hospital Medica Sur and ABC Hospital are top tier medical facilities in Mexico; however, the cost of services is substantially higher, and they are further from the neighborhoods where most expats live.
Nomadoc for English-speaking Doctors
Nomadoc is a booking platform that connects expats and travelers with English-speaking doctors. I developed Nomadoc specifically to address the challenges of language barriers, scheduling difficulties and finding trustworthy doctors that expats face when navigating healthcare in Mexico.
Our goal is to make quality medical care accessible, convenient, and timely for foreigners living in or visiting Mexico City and other expat and traveler locations in Mexico.
Nomadoc connects travelers to English-speaking doctors in expat communities of Mexico.
Book House Call Appointments on Nomadoc
It works by selecting a doctor, appointment type, and a timeslot. Payment is handled in the app, and you get notified across all stages of the booking process for a seamless experience. You can filter by providers who are available by specific time of day, appointment type, and by how quickly they are available.
List of English-speaking doctors who do house calls in Mexico City
If you decide to take a break from the city and travel along the coast, House Calls are also available in Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Tulum and Puerto Escondido.
Request Same-day Appointments with Specialists
Nomadoc gives providers the option to receive requests for urgent appointments (within 24 hours) in the event that all appointment slots are booked out. The provider will charge an additional fee in exchange for staying at the clinic longer than the usual appointment hours.
- Urgent Eye Care – Red eye or sudden vision changes? Connect with trusted ophthalmologists.
- Urgent Dental Care – Toothache, broken filling, or sudden dental pain? Book a same-day appointment with English-speaking dentists.
- Urgent Psychiatrist visits – If you forgot your ADHD medications in your home country or are running low on your prescription, you can book a visit with a Psychiatrist.
- Urgent Gastroenterologist visits – Stomach pain, food poisoning, or digestive troubles while abroad book a same-day appointment.
- Urgent Orthopedic visits – Sprain, fracture, or sudden joint pain? Book an Emergency Orthopedic Appointment. Some providers are available to assist you 24/7.
Read Reviews from Expats and Travelers
Upon leaving a review, expats and travelers have the option to select an option that will allow other travelers to message them to inquire about the service that was given. Look for these purple tags in the review section that say “This patient is open to receive messages about the service”.
90 Minute House Calls in Mexico City, Puerto Escondido, Tulum and Cancun
If you are dealing with an issue that is more time sensitive, you can select the 90 minute house call option – this will send an automated phone call/WhatsApp notification to all nearby doctors, and the first one to accept will come to your location within 90 minutes.
How it works
Step 1: Request a house call by selecting your location on the map.
Step 2: Wait for a doctor to accept your request.
Step 3: Receive care within 90 minutes once a doctor accepts your request, and get updated at each step of the process.
Hospital Emergency Rooms
For more urgent cases or emergencies, there are several Hospitals in expat neighborhoods of Mexico City (Roma and Polanco) that offer 24/7 service. They have different base deposit requirements to see a doctor in the emergency room; the deposit can increase depending on the additional service required and the severity of the case.
Hospitals have different health insurance partnerships that allow patients to not have to put in a deposit and have the hospital take care of the reimbursement directly. The wait times in an emergency room usually range from 30 minutes to a couple of hours during peak hours of the day.
Hospital Angeles Londres in Roma Norte
Requires a deposit of 6000 MXN to see a doctor in the emergency room.
Hospital Angeles Clinic Londres in Roma
Partnered hospitals for direct reimbursement:
- Bupa
- Vumi
Hospital Angeles Metropolitana in Roma Sur
Requires a deposit of 5000 MXN to see a doctor in the emergency room.
Partnered hospitals for direct reimbursement:
- Bupa
- Vumi
Hospital Español in Polanco
Requires a deposit of 10,000 MXN to see a doctor in the emergency room.
Partnered hospitals for direct reimbursement:
- Cigna
- AXA
Hospital Star Medica in Roma Norte
Requires a deposit of 7000 MXN to see a doctor in the emergency room.
Partnered hospitals for direct reimbursement:
- AXA
- Vumi
- Allianz
- Bupa
Note: The information about insurance partnerships was provided from hospital staff, such as insurance coordinators and receptionists. Partnerships with hospitals can change from one day to the next; therefore, it is best to check with your insurance company directly for confirmation of hospitals in their network. Last Updated: August 14, 2025.
Detaining a patient for payment is illegal
There have been stories about hospitals trying to retain a patient to guarantee payment of medical services. This is illegal; hospitals cannot detain a patient or retain their passports. However, the patient or legal representative who authorized the service must make a note promising to pay.
Ambulances in Mexico City
You can take either a private ambulance or a public ambulance in Mexico.
Private Ambulance Options
Most hospitals in Mexico City do not have their own ambulances, rather private ambulance companies work with different hospitals. The response time varies by area, for Roma the response time is usually 15-25 minutes.
Here is a list of different ambulance services with their prices:
HD Medica
They offer transportation with paramedics on board. Each service includes 30 minutes at the receiving hospital for all the necessary support, such as waiting for a stretcher, moving patients for tests, etc.. Their fee is a fixed rate of 3500 MXN for the following neighborhoods:
- Cuauhtemoc
- Miguel Hidaldo
- Azcapotzalco
- Gustavo Madero (up to Pereferico)
- Venustiano Carranza
- Iztacalco
Services outside of these areas can incur an extra cost between 200 MXN to 800 MXN
Phone Number and WhatsApp: +525584274709
EHS Ambulance
EHS services every part of Mexico City with medical staff during each transportation service. Their fees vary based on area; to bring a patient from Roma to Hospital Español would cost 2500 MXN. An additional cost of 300 MXN is applied if the patient needs oxygen.
Phone Number and WhatsApp: +525618689893
Siremedicas
Siremedicas carry Mobile Intensive Care Units and Neonatal Intensive Care Units. The cost of a basic transportation from Roma Sur to Hospital Español is 1800 MXN without oxygen. If the ambulance has to wait at the hospital, they charge 500 MXN per hour. A round trip would cost 3000 MXN under the same conditions.
Phone Number and WhatsApp: +525539503228
Public Ambulance Options: 911
In 2017, Mexico established a 911 emergency line for large urban centers. The ambulance is free of charge, but its resources are limited. One of the issues is that you never know what type of transportation you get for a medical emergency, it could be an ambulance, a red cross responder, or a basic vehicle with no medically trained staff.
The response time also varies more compared to private ambulances, depending on the number of calls that they receive.
Here is a full list of Mexican Emergency Phone Numbers
In both cases of private ambulances and 911 responders, English-speaking staff in the Ambulances can vary depending on the staff that is on board. None of these services was able to guarantee English-speaking capabilities.
Expat Healthcare Community in Mexico
I have started an online community where expats and travelers share their healthcare experience in Mexico. Insights and tools to navigate the healthcare system in Mexico are posted regularly in the group.
You can request to join the community here.
Doctor Recommendations from expats
One of the goals of the group is to be able to get recommendations on providers from group members. Many people in the group have been living in Mexico for 10+ years.
Free doctor visits
Share your experience on hospitals, providers, and insurance claims to gain points redeemable for free doctor visits, dental cleanings, and house calls.
Now, on to You
Now that you know which insurance companies are accepted at which hospitals, you can make a more informed decision when buying a policy.
Nomadoc offers scheduled house calls but, if you do not find the timeslot you want, you can use the instant House Call option.
Before booking an appointment with a Doctor, verify their credentials with this credential verification tool. It will confirm that they have a valid license and will give the speciality associated with that license.
About the Author: Mourad Boukabache
Mourad was born in the Soviet Union, a place where standing in line was once considered a national sport, grew up in Brooklyn New York dodging yellow cabs, and is currently sustaining himself on tacos in Mexico. He exchanged his biomed degree and lab coat for videography, programming, and motorcycles.
As the founder of Nomadoc, he makes sure expats don’t confuse tequila shots with medicine.
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