Well.. funny you say that.. I did move to Tijuana some years ago. One time while I was there, I was sick and a neighbor (Mexican) seemed to insist that I go to the doctor. She recommended a hole in the wall office above a pharmacy that looked like a little-league concession stand.
It was a serious 30 something woman who collected something like 50 pesos (around $3), listened to me for about 30 seconds, and told me to make sure I slept and ate well (I think she specifically said chicken soup). I asked about antibiotics or medicine and she indicated it wasn't necessary.
So I rested quite seriously and ate as well as I could and got better about a week later.
During the time that I was in Playas de Tijuana I would normally go to nicer pharmacies though, and they didn't ask for a prescription for my asthma or other medicine which was something like 800% less expensive over there. They did always wear nice lab coats and take their job very seriously if I asked for advice. Although I rarely did that.
I do remember one time asking about my back acne problems at a place in the mall and the lady immediately gave me an antibiotic for maybe $15 which didn't cure it but made it about 75% better for a few months.
Another time at the grocery store I asked about acne medicine and the lady was about to sell me something like Tretinoin cream for a price probably 1/4 of US price. She didn't have anything like oral Accutane of course. It was just a Calimax Plus.
There are of course quite serious and more expensive actual doctors in Tijuana but I never ended up visiting any of them. I was on a budget and luckily did not have any really critical medical needs. But if I had, I am sure it would have cost dramatically less than across the border.
EDIT: not to say the concession-stand office lady wasn't an actual doctor. I don't know, she may have had training, and certainly had a lot of experience.
It was a serious 30 something woman who collected something like 50 pesos (around $3), listened to me for about 30 seconds, and told me to make sure I slept and ate well (I think she specifically said chicken soup). I asked about antibiotics or medicine and she indicated it wasn't necessary.
So I rested quite seriously and ate as well as I could and got better about a week later.
During the time that I was in Playas de Tijuana I would normally go to nicer pharmacies though, and they didn't ask for a prescription for my asthma or other medicine which was something like 800% less expensive over there. They did always wear nice lab coats and take their job very seriously if I asked for advice. Although I rarely did that.
I do remember one time asking about my back acne problems at a place in the mall and the lady immediately gave me an antibiotic for maybe $15 which didn't cure it but made it about 75% better for a few months.
Another time at the grocery store I asked about acne medicine and the lady was about to sell me something like Tretinoin cream for a price probably 1/4 of US price. She didn't have anything like oral Accutane of course. It was just a Calimax Plus.
There are of course quite serious and more expensive actual doctors in Tijuana but I never ended up visiting any of them. I was on a budget and luckily did not have any really critical medical needs. But if I had, I am sure it would have cost dramatically less than across the border.
EDIT: not to say the concession-stand office lady wasn't an actual doctor. I don't know, she may have had training, and certainly had a lot of experience.