Things have not been easy for Mario Sánchez, but still, with just 25 years old he decided it was time to give back to Costa Rica the opportunities he had to study and graduate from a university.
Therefore, he created a web site to give free pharmacist consultation thinking about the people of his village, in Sixaola de Talamanca, where the nearest Ebais is 15 kilometers away and the nearest pharmacy is 40 kilometers away.
In just three months, the specialist has already answered more than 250 inquiries on the Internet, not just from residents of his hometown, but from many other rural communities in Costa Rica where it is not easy to get to a pharmacy to ask for professional advice.
Mario’s childhood was peculiar. He was raised traveling between Costa Rica and Panama every day. He was born in the neighboring country because it was easier to get to a Panamanian hospital from where his parents lived. The same thing happened with schools.
The limitations of his border town awakened a greater social sensitivity in him and after graduating from the university in Costa Rica, Mario decided to put his knowledge to the service of others: with the help of friends he set up the web site www.drsanchezcr.com to give advice and answer inquires about the use of medications and treatments.
You have to give back a little to the community. Is a very big but rewarding effort, because you know you’re helping people who need it most,”
says Mario.
The young doctor plans to specialize in innovation, and to promote programs for the government and the private sector to support the Talamanca region.