Costa Rica Aims To Be Among
Top Of Destinations For Medical Tourism
Costa Rica is fast becoming a main
destination for medical tourism, as
foreigners seek out professional medical
attention at a price lower than in their
country of origin. The list of services
sought out include elective procedures, as
well as specialized surgeries.
Medical tourism is a us$60 billion dollar
industry worldwide and expected to almost
double that to us$100 billion by the year
2025.
And the principal market for Costa Rican
medical tourism is the United States and
Canada.
Lets take a look at some of the numbers. In
the US, some 11.000 people turn 50 years of
age daily; almost 50 million Americans do
not have a doctor, double that do not have
dental coverage and in 2007, 750.000
Americans traveled abroad to obtain medical
attention. The expectations are that this
year that number will grow to 6 million.
Countries already heading the list of
destination for medical tourism are Mexico,
Panama, Brazil, India, Thailand and South
Africa.
Costa Rica wants to make sure it doesn't get
left behind in this important sector and as
such will be holding this month the first
Latin American congress on medicine and
welfare.
Promoting Costa Rica's medical tourism is
Promoción Internacional de la Medicina de
Costa Rica (PROMED), private non-profit
organization that coordinates the efforts
being undertaken to ensure the quality of
services provided by the healthcare industry
in Costa Rica and and to promote them
internationally, in order to consolidate the
country as a centre of international
medicine and leading destination for health
tourism.
PROMED groups health care providers, health
professionals, providers of tourist
services, the academic sector and other
marketers of goods and services related to
medical tourism.
Some of the affiliates of PROMED include,
Hospital Clínica Bíblica, Hospital CIMA San
José, Universidad de Ciencias Medicas UCIMED,
Hospital Hotel La Católica, the Costa Rica
Association of Medical and Dental Recovery
Inns and Hotels, Hotel Ramada Herradura,
Hilton Papagayo, DoubleTree Cariari and
HOMEWATCH CAREGIVERS Latin America.
The World Health Report 2000 – Costa Rica
ranks 36th on the world' s health systems
Health systems: Improving performance;
Highest ranking in Political Stability and
Absence of Violence in Latin America World
Bank, 2007; and, Educational Best system in
Latin America, 36th worldwide World Economic
Forum Global The Competitiveness Report
2007-2008.
In addition, San José ranks 4th among the
cities with the best quality of life of
Latin America. San José is also the first
among Latin American countries in the
Worldwide Business Trip Index The Economist
Intelligence Unit 2006 Costa Rica Health
System National. The health system includes
the Ministry of Health, which has taken
leadership for the sector; the Costa Rican
Social Security System (CCSS), which
delivers care in the event of disease and
maternity. |
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