President Bukele paid an inaugural visit to Chivo Pets, El Salvador’s first public veterinary facility, which opened its doors last month. While critics continue to belittle El Salvador’s Bitcoin experiment, Chivo Pets shows how cryptocurrencies are changing lives in the real world.
Each service costs a flat amount of $0.25, with the option of paying in Bitcoin via the Chivo Wallet or other cryptocurrency wallets. An emergency vet visit in the United States, on the other hand, can cost up to $8,000, leaving pet owners in this circumstance with an impossible choice. Chivo Pets is the crowning achievement of the Bukele Administration’s efforts to improve animal welfare in the Central American country. El Salvador’s Animal Welfare Law, which increased pet safety, was enacted by lawmakers earlier this year.
The hospital’s construction was first announced in October 2021, following a Bitcoin Trust surplus in the country. The original purpose of the $150 million Bitcoin Trust was to allow Bitcoin-USD trade. Merchants would be able to mitigate the risk of changing $BTC to dollars in this way. Rather than being depleted, the Trust made a $4 million profit, which was earmarked for the construction of 20 new schools and the animal hospital.
Chivo Pets users complimented the system, claiming that payments are both affordable and convenient. Chivo Pets started on February 26 and will provide consultations, emergencies, operations, hospitalizations, and rehabilitations 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Wow, that is some good news for pet owners.
