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CB Dental Services Review of CIMA Hospital, Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica
CIMA Hospital, Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica

CIMA Hospital, Escazu, San Jose, Costa Rica review: Dental Clinic 1

J
Author of the review
5:32 am EDT
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Nov 5, 2010, I went in for a toothache. I came out disabled, with brain damage (cognitive abilities - especially math); cerebellum damage (loss of balance - I fall 2-3x per day) upper spinal cord damage, horrific pain 24/7 not masked by narcotics; 24/7 headache that has 67% chance of improvement, but only with a surgery in Miami, FLORIDA that leaves me blind; I will supposedly soon be blind anyways, as my optic nerves and eyes were burned by a laser. I pass out regularly and uncontrollably. There is no surgery and no treatment. I tried 10 outpatient surgeries in the USA to no avail. The two CIMA Dental Hospital female doctors, Dr. Annette Marme, and Dr. Andrea Rivera lied to get me in for an unwelcome and unwanted procedure - and they lied afterwards about what they did. I did not find out what happened until 3 months later when another doctor at CIMA explained what they did - using a laser. I am allergic to lasers. The two doctors knew it, yet they also knew that in Costa Rica, doctors are not prosecuted for Criminal Medical Malpractice. My doctors in the USA were so infuriated that they offered to come down and be expert witnesses at no charge to me. I explained the corruption, the immunity to prosecution that doctors enjoy in Costa Rica. My doctors became more furious. I promised them that I would write a book. I will die within a year due to the damages done to my body at CIMA Hospital. My sister, a Latin American literature expert and college lecturer will finish and publish the book in the USA for me and hopefully sell through Amazon. I have all the research done with footnotes. The objective is (as is this posting) to warn Americans of the undisclosed perils of visiting or retiring to Costa Rica. Costa Rica encourages Americans to retire here, offering socialized medical care at a cost of about $100/month but with long waiting lists and up to 2 years to wait for a surgery. You are a gringo, so your surgery will be after the citizens get their surgeries. Most Americans fly back to USA for surgery (Medicare) or have a doctor do the surgery here in a private clinic if you trust him or her. I do NOT trust any doctor here, and my current doctor at the Pain Clinic (Social Security) urges me also not to go to any more doctors in this nation. These people are all short term driven for money, money, money. The cost of living here is quite a bit more than that cost of living in the USA. Yes, the climate is nice, but do you like barbed wire everywhere + carrying a concealed weapon + locks and locks and more locks + an armed guard at the local corner am/pm market store and guards at every store and residential development? These are an evil people who are jealous, materialistic, and greedy. These people save no money, and they spend on credit like there is no tomorrow. They hide their history of incest (to preserve "white"), a horrific set of social codes known as "Malicia Indigena, " (inherent evil), a "cultura matriarchal" where children and the husband are screamed at by a dominating woman of the house (that led my best Costa Rican friend to kill himself); blatant racism vs Nicaraguans who do all the physical work, Blacks, the Indigenous - who are murdered and have their land taken each year with the perpetrators running free, and then there is the hatred of Americans. Yes there are big smiles, lots of "amigo, " "pura vida, " and "todo bien, " but they actually all hate us; There is a culture of lies, lies, lies used for everything; a culture of theft of anything not nailed down; a socialist state disguised as a democracy. All Americans should know that doctors in Costa Rica take a secret pledge when they join their "Colegio" (Med Assoc.) to protect each other from complaints and lawsuits via lying verbally and in writing (diagnoses). Scary stuff, but true. I've seen it three times - with supposedly famous neurologists writing false "epicrisis" reports to explain away what happened at CIMA Hospital. One of my neighbors in Heredia is a doctor who renounced his membership in the doctor association just to clear his conscience and life of lies and the need to lie for his fellow doctor associates. When tourism caught on in the 1960's the Government ordered all history and sociology books to be taken out of print and existing copies placed in dark corners of university libraries. I know. I have spent 3 years in those libraries reading the truth. I am going blind and I have to have 1-2 teeth pulled each year due to damage from the laser to my mouth. Doctors don't mind being inept, as they cannot be sued. I urge all Americans to vacation in Nicaragua, Colombia, and Panama if you feel the urge to visit or vacation in this part of the world. If you have not visited the Marshall Islands or French Polynesia, go there! Try Pohnpei, Truk Lagoon, or Palau, especially if you like scuba diving, freediving. I will be dead soon. The best I can do now is keep you from coming here. If you are already here or must come, stay away from CIMA. Go to Catolica Hospital if you must be hospitalized. They are good, very clean, and have good doctors. Do not trust the US Embassy recommendations. That's how I got taken. CIMA is still on their recommend list, though they did remove the doctors. When this happened, I looked at the Dental "Colegio" web page (association) and found zero complaints made against dentists in Costa Rica. Well, well, well. That was because they are known to do nothing and at that time, you had to submit your complaint through an attorney. All costa Ricans know to stay away from attorneys. I tried suing CIMA with an attorney, but the attorney (Juvenal Alberto Castillo Barahona) ran away with my $8, 400. He claimed to have 4 offices but none of them was real. I made a complaint vs. the attorney at the Attorney "Colegio." After 4 years I won a little of my money back. He kept some money by being an excellent liar. Remember that all Ticos are excellent liars. There is a national saying here: "El que no miente pierde." (He who does not lie loses). I am not a liar, so I did not get my money back, but I put a dent in this crook's record. They guy paid his hacker to get 20 years of my email. He looked for criminal or embarrassing info in my past to use for extortion or blackmail. Nothing there except normal email. Costa Rica allows attorneys to abandon clients. His reason for abandonment? I am a Vietnam Veteran (Naval Air), and all Vietnam vets are crazy. The authorities at the Colegio bought this excuse, as these people all learn world history through Hollywood movies (Apocalypse Now, Hamburger Hill, etc.). Stay away from Costa Rica. I'll nevere get my $$ back - and how do you complain when the victim will soon be dead? Thank you for having this web page. I have documents, etc. if needed. Actual lawsuits are never carried out down here, as you wait 3-4 years to get in to court, another 3- 4 years for the case to carry on, YOU GET TO PAY THE LEGAL COSTS FOR THE OTHER SIDE SHOULD YOU LOSE. Costa Ricans do not sue. They are religious Catholics, so they tell me that God will sort it all out at the end. God is really the avenue that the typical Costa Ricans feel will be their best avenue for justice.

Update by Jeff Lasher
Jun 06, 2017 6:17 pm EDT

I am the person who wrote the initial complaint. I tremendously praise the attorney who wrote his reply, and he is absolutely right in saying that there are very good attorneys in Costa Rica. The problem I had is that I was only in the country for 6 months when I needed a dentist, I was disabled, and I sought out an attorney in Costa Rica with little time here and no resoiurces to use. The Colegio de Abogados would be my last resource. I won the case by myself with no attorney to "help" me, . but I later found that the attorney was able to "buy his way out" and eventually expunge his name with a few months of community service in a community legal center, a needed service, but what about my lost $8, 000 and my materials, contracts, diagrams for two legal cases that have been sitting in limbo for 5 years because the attorney refuses to return my materials to me, and the system allow him to do so. I will die with no chance to honestly litigate the criminal malpractice suit and the case vs a scamming corrupt builder. I know from interviews, talks with both Costa Rican and American residents of Costa Rica that I am by far not alone. Many Americans go home with the wife crying, accepting some $ from the Embassy that the American or Amrican couple must return to the US Govt. It is a loan, not a gift. Wife crying, sitting on a pile of 4 to 5 suitcases, You've lost everything to scammers and thieves. What do you do?.Suddenly the Pura Vida ain't no Pura Vida no mo.
After 2 visits to the USA and a total of 10 surgeries I returned to gather my life together, forget about "getting better, " as my USA docs asked me to get out, come back, and get final documents together while Tico docs guaranteed improvement if I only come to their clinics for special treatments. I was warned of legitimate doctors of this and asked to stay away. i am a patient at the Seguro Social, cuidos palliativos (hospice).. IN the USA, any one of us, including immigrants, can pay $30-$50 (or free on some sites) to get ratings for doctors, lawyers, dentists, teachers, etc - written by patients and students, etc. As best I can state now in a less emotional state, Costa Rica lacks two factors for claiming to be a democracy, and these qualities come from the Greeks, the creators of Democracy: 1) There is no freedom of speech. A good-intentioned politician in Turrialba 3 months ago was sentenced by a judge to 4 nights in jail and a C200.000 ($400) fine for calling a rival politician a clown (payaso). That, to me, is suppression of basic freedom of speech.. I agree wholeheartedly that Americans have taken "Freedom of Speech" beyond the intent of the Founding Fathers of the USA and of Costa Rica. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it appears that "Freedom of Speech" and "Freedom from Fear" were written into the Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica, but later removed from the Constitution by the equivalent of Amendments; 2) FREEDOM FROM FEAR- I was a college instructor and administrator in the USA. Those of you in education know that those of us who are career educators are educators for life. We never stop. . I was to teach advanced ESL at the UCR (University of Costa Rica) until I dropped the offer because my diction, my slurring of vowels and consonants because of nerve damage to my tongue, dryness of my mouth. I became an inadequate model of American English after the CIMA accident. I am no longer a good American English language model, one of the factors we look for in qualifying persons for ESL credentials in the State of California; 2) FREEDOM FROM FEAR : A basic component for the makeup of citizens of any democracy, and the reason for the fervent patriotism of Americans and willlingness by so many young Americans to serve in the military of the United States of America. . I always spend time speaking with the the youth of any country that I visit or where I reside. I was sad to note two losses of freedom that brilliant Costa Rican college students and those of college age related to me:
I did not do a statistially valid survey, and I wish I had, but here is what I found: Young Costa Ricans do have a sense of fear. Fear of what? Nothing was specifically mentioned, but I gathered generally a fear of reprisal, revenge, a nasty consequence should they step out of line, or "make waves." There is a sense of "Accept what you are given, and be quiet;." "If you disturb the political waters, some group of the govenment is going to make your life very difficult for you." which we see in Mexico with the shocking discovery of groups of dead students. The other item disclosed to me by students is this: In order to GET INTO YOUR CAREER WITH A GREAT STARTING POSITION AND SALARY in Costa Rica that is commensurate with your level of education and expertise, YOU NEED TO KNOW SOMEONE OF INFLUENCE TO GET YOU IN THE DOOR. YOUR ABILITIES, CHARMING LOOKS, PERSONALITY, QUICK WIT, DRESSING WELL, SENSE OF HUMOR, RESPONSIBILITY - AND RESUME ALONE ARE NOT ENOUGH. YOU NEED A CONNECTION TO GET IN THE DOOR.

I WANT TO THANK THE ATTORNEY WHO WROTE THE REVIEW OF MY COMMENTS. WHEN I WROTE THAT COMPLAINT, I WAS LIVID. I TRIED TO REMAIN CALM AND RATIONAL. I WAS RATIONAL AND MY INFORMATION IS CORRECT, BUT I WAS NOT CALM. MY GOAL SINCE LEFT DISABLED AT AND BY CIMA IS TO ENSURE THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN, OR IT HAPPEN LESS FREQUENTLY TO AMERICANS, LEGAL RESIDENTS, RETIREES FROM ANY COUNTRY, OR TO THE COSTA RICAN PEOPLE THEMSELVES. I HAVE 9 TRUE MALE FRIENDS IN COSTA RICA, AND A COUPLE OF AMERICAN AND COSTA RICAN FEMALE FRIENDS. EIGHT OF MY MALE FRIENDS ARE TICOS, AND THEY ARE THE BEST OF FRIENDS. THE AMERICAN FRIEND IS EQUALLY GREAT - A BETTER GRINGO BUDDY THAN I WOULD FIND IN THE USA. THE WOMEN OFFER ADVICE, GIVE THEIR PERSPECTIVE AS WOMEN ON SITUATIONS. UNDERSTAND THAT BOTH MEN AND WOMEN IN COSTA RICA HAVE SOCIAL CONSTRAINTS DEPEDING ON HOW HEAVILY CULTURA MATIRARCHAL" PLAYS INTO THEIR LIVES. THE WOMEN WHO "SCAMMED ME" AT CIMA PROBABLY FELT VERY EMPOWERED WITHOUT ANY SECOND THOUGHTS TO "TAKING" THIS AMERICAN WHO STILL HAS NOT LEARNED THE WAYS OF OUR NATION. THEY BOTH KNEW THERE WOULD BE NO SOCIAL OR LEGAL CONSEQUENCE FOR LEAVING ME DISABLED WITH A PRICE ON MY LIFE OF $795. I THOUGHT MY LIFE WOULD BE WORTH MORE THAN THAT, AND KNOWING THEIR ANXIETY BEFORE XMAS TO HAVE MONEY IN THEIR WALLETS (REMEMBER, TICOS SAVE LITTLE TO NOTHING), I WOULD GLADLY HAVE GIFTED A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO EACH OF THEM JUST TO "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME - AND KEEP THE CHANGE." PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, IN THE SIX YEARS SINCE THIS ACCIDENT, I HAVE WRITTEN A POLITE, INFORMATIVE, AND DIPLOMATIC LETTER OF 10 TO 17 PAGES EVERY YEAR TO THE (THEN) LEADER OF THE US EMBASSY IN PAVAS, SAN JOSE. I SPOKE ONLY OF MY CONCERNS FOR OTHER AMERICANS WHO HAVE FALLEN INTO THE SAME HOLES AND WHAT THE EMBASSY MIGHT DO DIFFERENTLY TOHELP US AVOID THESE PITFALLS. I HAD A FACE TO FACE VERY BRIEF TWO SENTENCE CHAT WITH THE DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN CITIZEN SERVICES. HIS CONDESCENDING REPLY: "THIS IS A SOVEREIGN NATION." THIS IS NOT INDICATIVE OF POOR OVERALL QUALITY OF THE US FOREIGN SERVICE. NICARAGUA HAS A CAREER DIPLOMAT AS AMBASSADOR WHO ORGANIZES A ONCE- A- MONTH SERIOUIS AND TO-THE-POINT BRIEFING FOR ANY US CITIZEN WHO WISHES TO ATTEND AND SIGNS UP. THAT WOULD BE RETIREES, TOURISTS, AND BUSINESSMEN (AND BUSINESSWOMEN). THE QUALITY OF SERVICE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS IS FAR SUPERIOR IN NICARAGUA AND OTHER NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD THAN IT IS IN COSTA RICA. FOR SOME REASON, COSTA RICA HAS AN IMAGE THROUGH ADS, A FOLK SONG, AND FILTERED NEWS OF BEING A RELAXED SECRET, PEACEFUL HAVEN. IT IS FAR FROM THAT. MY NEIGHBORS OF TURRIALBA CALLED THEIR TOWN AND CANTON "LA WAYAL WES" (THE WILD WEST) POINTING OUT THAT MUCH OF THE LEGITIMATE RESOLUTION OF LEGAL PROBLEMS, ROBBERY, SCAMS ARE SETTLED BY VIOLENCE, THE EQUIVALENT TO A TREE HANGING: AN EYE FOR AN EYE, "UN AJUSTE DE CUENTAS." I KNOW HONEST AND DISHONEST COPS. THE OIJ AND THE FP DO NOT PRODUCE $$$ FOR THE GOVERNMENT. INSTEAD, THEY USE UP MONEY BROUGHT IN BY RECOPE, TOURISM, SEGURO SOCIAL, ETC. LEGISLATORS ARE NOT KEEN TO PROGRAMS THAT CANNOT SUPPORT THEMSELVES, EVEN IF THEY ARE AS IMPORTANT AS LAW ENFORCEMENT. I GATHER THAT IT IS CONVINCING THE LEGISLATURE TO PROVIDE LAW ENFORECEMENT WITH THE HIGH TECH TOOLS AND WEAPONS THEY NEED THAT WILL MAKE THIS THE COUNTRY THAT IT WANTS TO BE AND CAN BE, ALONG WITH A CLEANUP OF THE EVER-PRESENT CORRUPTION FOUND IN EVERY COUNTRY, BUT PERHAPS HARDER TO DEAL WITH HERE. HERE IS WHAT I TELL THE GRINGO-HATERS, AS DURING A HEARING AT THE COLEGIO DE ABOGADOS, I WAS MADE OUT TO BE A WORLD CLASS CRIMINAL FOR ASSASSINATING BABIES AND THE ELDERLY IN VIETNAM AND TO BE INSANE AS ARE ALL THE OTHER AMERICAN VIETNAM VETS. BOTH THE "FISCAL" AND THE ACCUSED ATTORNEY PARTICIPTED IN THIS DEGRADATION OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY AND VIETNAM VETS. I AM A PROUD VET, AND I WAS A MEMBER OF US NAVAL AVIATION PARTICIPATING IN THE VIETNAM WAR:WHICH IS HIGHLY MISUNDERSTOOD BY SO MANY.. THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPT. OF THE UCR (UNIV OF CR) TEACHES THAT THE US ENTERED THE WAR AS "YANQUI IMPERIALISTAS" TO TAKE CONTROL OF BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH VIETNAM AND MAKE THEM OURS. THE UCR ALSO TEACHES THAT OUR HELICOPTER CARRIER THAT CAME INTO MOIN 5-6 YEARS AGO TO ALLOW SAILORS AND AIRMEN TO MAKE EMERGENCY FLIGHTS HOME FROM JUAN SANTAMARIA (EMERGENCY MEDICAL AND EMERGENCY FAMILY ISSUES) SPENT 2 WEEKS SETTING UP AND OFFERING FREE MEDICAL AND DENTAL HELP TO THE PEOPLE OF MOIN LIMON AND THE INDIGENOUS FOLK OF TALAMANCA. UCR REPORTED THAT AMERICAN SAILORS WERE GOING ASHORE TO SEXUALLY MOLEST CHILDREN IN MOIN/LIMON AND THAT ALL AMERICAN SAILORS ARE PEDOPHILES. HERE IS THE TRUTH THAT UCR REFUSES TO TEACH: BY THE ACCORDS OF THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS AFTER WWI AND WWII, THE UNITED STATES HOLDS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT AND DEFEND THE REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA AGAINST ANY HOSTILE ACT OF WAR OR AGGRESSION AGAINST THE REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA. THAT IS NO LIGHT TASK, AND IT PUTS MY SONS IN HARMS WAY TO KEEP COSTA RICA SAFE AND FREE FROM ANY EXTERIOR AGGRESSION. IF THE YOUTH OF MY NATION ARE GOING TO GIVE THEIR LIVES FOR COSTA RICA, I EXPECT COSTA RICA TO REPORT CORRECTLY THE ACTS, POLICIES, AND GOALS OF EACH OF THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF MILITARY SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND AND THANK THE ARTICULATE COSTA RICAN ATTORNEY WHO SO WELL EXPRESSED HIS FRUSTRATION AS I EPRESSED MINE. WITH A SINCERE AND LONG TERM VIEW OF BOTH NATIONSAND THE PERLEXING CONDITION OF BOTH NATIONS, THE WORLD DIFFICULTUES OF HANDLING MUTICULTURALISM AND CULTURAL PLURALISM AND AT THE SAME TIME HANDLING THE ISSUE OF THE GROWTH OF ONE PLARTICULAR TERRORIST GROUP THAT DOES NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM ALL NATIONS ON OUR PLANET T ALLOW FOR THE PEACEFUL GROWTH OF PLURALISM, THE SERIOUSNESS OF PROPER ENVIRONMENTAL CARE IN BOTH COSTA RICA AND THE UNITED STATES. I AM CHECKING OUT OF THE DISCUSSION NOW, AS WITH WHAT LITTLE TIME I HAVE LEFT, I WANT TO SPEND IT MAKING SURE THE 6 REMAINING DOGS FROM MY 57-DOG REFUGE FIND HOMES WITH GOOD PEOPLE, AND I WANT TO REVISIT WYOMING, THE EASTERN CAROLINE ISLANDS BEFORE I DIE. I AM FROM AN AMERICAN FAMILY THAT HAS FOUGHT IN EVER MAJOR WAR OF THE USA SINCE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, AND IT IS OUR PATRIOTISM MIXED WITH A SENSE OF EMPATHY FOR THE PROBLEMS OF ALL NATIONS AND CULTURES. THAT MAKES AMERICANS WHO WE ARE AND THE AMERICAN GOVT WHAT IT IS. OVERALL, OUR NATION (WITH TAX MONEY) AND OUR CITIZENS (WITH THEIR WALLETS) GIVE MORE TO THE NEEDY NATIONS OF THE WORLD THAN ANY NATION OR PEOPLE ON EARTH, AND THAT GENEROSITY DEFINES US. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE CREATORS OF THIS WEB/INTERNET SERVICE - INDICATIVE OF WHAT FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ARE ALL ABOUT. AGAIN, I THANK THE BOLD COSTA RICAN ATTORNEY WHO SPOKE HIS PIECE. I KNOKW MY WORDS ARE HARSH, BUT I AM LEAVING THIS PLANET BEFORE MY TICKET EXPIRES, AND I WOULD LIKE THE WORLD TO KNOW WHY SO THAT THE SAME DOES NOT CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. PERHAPS SOMEONE CAN WAKE UP THE US EMBASSY IN PAVAS AND GET HIS AMBASSADOR TO KEEP HIS PROMISES. HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT IS VERY CUTE, AND I'M GLAD HE FINDS TIME FOR WHAT APPEAR TO BE 3-DAY WEEKEND VACATIONS, BUT MEANWHILE, ON HIS WATCH, HIS FELLOW AMERICANS ARE SUFFERING ECONOMIC, PERSONAL, AND HEALTH LOSSES + DEATH, WHICH COULD BE AVOIDED WITH SOME ALERTNESS AND TRUE LEADERSHIP ON HIS PART.

1 comments
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Gerardo Calero
, US
May 31, 2017 9:14 am EDT

I am a attorney in Costa Rica, and I feel upset for this kind of claims. Lawyers have to work for their clients not for themselves. It´s a pity this happen in Costa Rica, but it´s not general, in Costa Rica there are others good lawyers who work for theirs clients. I´ve heard about that Juvenal Castillo, who has had a lot of troubles in other instances (court, notarial, lawyes authorities). Gentlenman who wrote in this post fell in bad hands. I hope he can solve his business in Court as soon as be possible.