I arrived at orientation a day late after being sick, but was quickly brought up to speed by the other students, who were helpful and friendly and made me excited for our year ahead. We arrived in Costa Rica in the dark on Thursday night and drove to our new home for the summer. I have very little Spanish experience, and had never traveled to Central America, so I did not know what to expect from Costa Rica. When I went outside the next morning and saw the mountains surrounding us and our view of San José, I was thrilled.
We hit the ground running and had a busy first day on Friday. Throughout the day, I was struck by the differences between the education and healthcare systems in the U.S. and Costa Rica. Our first stop was at Universidad Invenio, which is an unusual education model, even by Costa Rican standards. Their model combines classes and work experience in order to prepare students for their careers in the industry. The University selects students from underserved communities and subsidizes their education. Most private universities in Costa Rica are around $3,000 per year, which seems inexpensive compared to the exorbitant prices we pay for college in the U.S., but can be almost half of the average Costa Rican annual salary. Universidad Invenio is unique in its funding and focus.
Assembling DialOasis at Universidad Invenio
At Invenio, we had the chance to assemble the DialOasis prototype that Rice students worked on last year and that some students from our group will continue to work on this year. After getting familiar with the design, we headed up to the Liberia regional hospital where we spoke with doctors, met patients, and watched the dialysis procedure that many young men do every six hours, six days a week. This immersion and observation is why I was so drawn to the GMI program to begin with, and it made it easier for me to put myself in the shoes of the patients and think about how to develop a device to best suit their needs and those of their caregivers.
Most of the patients who come to Liberia Hospital for dialysis do not have safe and clean enough conditions to perform dialysis at home. I was impressed to hear that these patients are transported to and from the hospital every day on the country’s dime to receive their care. The universal healthcare system in Costa Rica provides access to quality healthcare to people who might otherwise not be able to afford it or physically access it. In the U.S., ambulance rides are so expensive that people take Ubers to the ER to avoid the ambulance bill. Perhaps the U.S. can take a page out of Costa Rica’s book and level the playing field by allowing equal access to healthcare.