Do you have an Emergency Contact Card Handy? An emergency can happen at any time. Do you have important phone numbers at hand? For many reasons you cannot rely solely on your cellphone.
To clarify, the Emergency Contact Card is totally different than a Will. It provides fast and easy access to all your information in an emergency. Consequently, the Emergency Card is important if you are suddenly ill and incapacitated. It will provide the authorities all the information that they need. Similarly, these decisions are of monetary importance and can affect the quality of the rest of your life.
Moreover, the card should name a minimum of two Emergency Contacts. Your contacts should live on the island or be here on the island.
There are reasons for having more than one contact. Your first contact can be on vacation, or ill. Likewise, your contact could be with you in the same car accident. (This will typically be the case if your emergency Contact is your spouse or significant other!)
Include your hospital preference to the card! Remember, in Cozumel the ambulance drivers compete to get patients to designated hospitals. You do not want to have coverage at one hospital and wake up with a huge bill at a different hospital! This emergency card should be typed in SPANISH & ENGLISH. It must contain the names and contact information of your emergency Contacts.
The EMERGENCY CONTACTS should have the knowledge and ability to contact your family back home & name your Power of Attorney, etc.
You Need Someone at your side
Family members and friends are expected to be with their loved ones in most Mexican Hospital to assist with the care of the patient. This is toileting, bathing, feeding, and changing diapers, etc. Your emergency Contact must coordinate and schedule to ensure you have the necessary coverage at the hospital. Subsequently, it is also important to have someone on hand that is bilingual, if there is a language barrier.
Your Emergency Contact Should have:
The Contacts must have knowledgeable and have access to the whereabouts of all your documents.
They must have access to your home to care for or arrange for the care for your pets.
In the same vein, they must know how to lock up your home indefinitely or prepare your home for severe weather.
You must designate a friend or Family member to be your Power of Attorney, this legal document should be officially translated and Notarized in Mexico. If your emergency contact happens to also be your Power of Attorney, they should have a means of accessing funds through a debit card.
Why you need a Contact with access to your finances:
It is not uncommon in Mexico to have a patient’s family purchase medication not in-stock or have laboratory or other test done by another institution that requires pre-payment. There are some insurance policies that do not cover all procedures. Those not covered will require payment.
In addition to hospital expenses, are there household employees (maid, gardener, pool guy) that will need to be paid? Will your pet or pets need money on hand for food or care?
Finally, Copies of your Emergency Contact Card should be in YOUR CAR, MOTORCYCLE, WALLET / PURSE, and taped next to the telephone in your HOME, in the event the emergency happens at home. Do not forget to name allergies, blood type and medical conditions!
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If you are single and/or living alone:
Do you wish to stop all housekeeping, pool service, laundry service? These people will need to receive their final payment or have someone in-charge of continuing to pay them in your absence.
What do you want to happen in your Contracted Services if you will be in the hospital long term or returned to your home country for treatment?
If instructed, the Power of Attorney will be able to turn off your cable service, telephone service, and internet service. These services will only close the account once they receive payment in full for what is owed to them.
Now, these are things that I have come up with based on a household only. If you have a business here in Mexico, you will need to plan to have all your bases covered within the business.
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The Cozumel Sun News promotes Cozumel Mexico Community Programs for FREE in The Cozumel Sun Facebook Group.
The Cozumel Sun News promotes Cozumel Mexico Community Programs for FREE in The Cozumel Sun Website.
