Before I even start telling you where to go, my presumption is that you have been advised by a medical doctor to get your bloods checked. If you are by-passing the respective medical system because you think you can make your own medical diagnosis or plan your own treatment then you are not using the system properly. I have met many people in this country who do not see a medical doctor but insist on getting their own blood works done. Based on their own guesses and presumptions, they tinker around with their own medication (self-prescibed) or worse still, as long as all blood results are within normal parameters, they give themselves a clean bill of health. I do not approve of this cavalier attitude.
When you are assessed by a medical doctor properly, the most important part of the consultation is a proper medical history and examination. After this, the doctor should have a fair idea what the diagnosis is or at least have a differential diagnosis. Blood investigations are prompted if the results can aid in treatment and diagnosis. The blood results do not make the diagnosis. A diagnosis is based upon the whole consultation and the blood results may not be all that clear-cut so it is up the doctor’s skill and expertise to determine the whole clinical picture.
So, where can you go for Blood Investigations?
1) NHI Clinic: This is a public run clinic. You have to wait in line to see a doctor. The doctor will be able to give a blood investigations form to be taken to the laboratory. In Punta Gorda, the lab is on the bottom floor of PG Hospital. Again, you have to wait in line to get your bloods taken. This service is free of charge to anyone who enters the system including tourists and ex-pats. Results are usually ready in 2-3 days unless there is a specialist test which needs to be sent up to Belize City.
2) Private GP: Most GPs work in the public system and then hang their private shingle up in the evening. The procedure for blood investigations can vary according to who you see; some may take your bloods and send it off to the lab privately or others will give you a form to be taken to the hospital lab.
3) Private Lab: There are two main private labs (affiliated to the two respective private hospitals) in Belize City. You can just walk in off the street and get your bloods taken without a formal doctor’s referral form or letter.