Do you have an emergency medical plan? I didn't.

[Barbara]

SSA means the hospital is registered with the Secretaría de Salubridad y Asistencia (Mexican Health Secretariat). I'm not sure what the hospital at Cantador is called, there's also a Hospital General out by the bus station.

For minor problems, you can also try the Cruz Roja, next to the Comercial Mexicana. I went there for a tetanus shot and to clean a cut I got from a rusty piece of metal. Also, I called them at 065 when I broke my foot in my house and couldn't get down my callejon to get to the emergency room. They sent an ambulance, carried me up my callejon on a stretcher, took me to the Centro Medico de la Presa, and only asked for a voluntary donation. When I broke my kneecap, I was on Calle Sangre de Cristo and was able to flag down a taxi to take me to the hospital, much quicker than calling an ambulance. So if you must break a bone here, do it where you can catch a taxi afterwards!

For lab work, I prefer Proquimed on Calle Ponciano Aguilar - the street which runs on the side of the Basilica to the post office. The woman who takes blood samples there is quick, painless, and has never left me with a bruised arm. Also, if you have to give samples on "ayunas" (fasting) there are plenty of restaurants nearby to have breakfast.

The place in Plaza de la Paz is a clinic/hospital, they also have equipment to do x-rays, mammograms, ultrasounds, etc. I go there for those tests because I can walk there easily. The UGTO used to let us go there for emergency services, but they no longer do; I'm not sure why, I've seen ambulances there. I have visited patients in the Plaza de la Paz clinica and from the facilities I've seen, I recommend the Centro Medico de la Presa if you are sick or need surgery.