[...] Medical Tourism in Latin America
Intentional Hospital Stays While Traveling in Latin America

Aug 11, 2007

Medical Tourism is increasing rapidly in Latin American countries as more and more people realize they can travel abroad and have plastic surgery and save some cash.

Many Latin American countries are embracing Medical Tourism as more and more Westerners learn that they can travel to these countries, have their surgery, and save significant amounts of money. Travellers can get the same qualified surgeon performing the exact same operation and same cosmetic and plastic surgery or orthopedic treatment as anywhere in the United States but at half the price, including airfare and hotels. For instance, a coronary bypass surgery that costs $60,000 in Miami costs just $30,000 in Panama, and $15,000 in Bolivia while a breast implant that's $12,000 in the U.S. is done in Bolivia for $3,000 with hotel included!

Medical Tourism is increasing rapidly in Latin American countries, particularly Colombia, Panama, Bolivia, and  Argentina. Andrés Oppenheimer, a Latin America correspondent for the Miami Herald, believes that medical tourism will be one of Latin America's biggest industries in the 21st century.

At present Costa Rica receives 150,000 medical tourists every year, Argentina 110,000 and Bolivia 65,000, that's well below Thailand who receives more than 400,000, but the number is growing. Many American doctors are from outside the US and more than 60% have studied outside the US, so there is a natural trust factor. Most of the patients are Americans who cannot afford insurance or Canadians who do not want to wait 8 months for a surgery to be performed
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