The Medical Tourism Industry Showed its Strength

May 23rd, 2010

The Costa Rica News

By Cristiana Garita

On April 26^th, 2010, 450 health service providers from 15 Latin American countries gathered at the Ramada Herradura Hotel Convention Center to participate in the first Latin American Global Medicine and Wellness Congress held in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The event, which was declared of public interest by the Costa Rican government, caught the eye of many top companies and key decision makers involved in the medical tourism industry, like insurance companies, self-insured businesses, and benefits managers, as well as many potential investors both from the private and public sectors.

Rodrigo Arias, Minister of the Presidency, Allan Flores Moya, Minister of Tourism, and the Minister of Health, Dr. Ana Morice visited the location to launch this new yearly event.

Also attending was the Minister of Competitiveness, Jorge Woodbridge, who commented this is a prime opportunity to bring together the Tourism and Medical industries so that both could present their offers, highlighting the first-class quality service provided by Latin American health institutions.

This setting allowed the guests to confirm that this fresh, but rapidly growing, medical tourism sector is an economic reality, and were able to acknowledge its potential for their businesses' bottom line.

Minister Rodrigo Arias confirmed that Costa Rica has the right characteristics and a competitive advantage in developing medical tourism due to its geographical position, weather conditions, political and economical stability, and the worldwide recognition of its quality health services and environmental protection principles.

Representatives from Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Canada, Cuba, Ecuador, the United States, and Costa Rica, among others, presented their services to a very varied and plentiful audience, through interesting stands and rich promotional materials.

Among the businesses that participated in the event were: Clinica Biblica Hospital, La Catolica Hospital, CIMA Hospital, Clinica Unibe, Clinicas de Audicion (Hearing Clinics), Dental Cosmetics, White Lilly Spa, Hertz, Mind and Health, Cosmetic Dental Care, Medical Textiles, JW Marriot, Nature Air, Beacon Escazu Hotel, and Holiday Inn.

Medical Tourism conference in Costa Rica Full Article Available Here

Costa Rica Medical Tourism

Over the last decade, Costa Rica has evolved from being a mere eco-tourism destination and emerged as a country of choice for foreigners, particularly from United States and Canada.
These seek quality healthcare services and surgeries at a much lower price than their home countries. In a report from McKinsey & Company, it was highlighted that medical tourists from the United States and Canada, prefer Latin American countries like Costa Rica due to the shorter travel time, affordable costs, and an opportunity for a memorable vacation.

Healthcare System in Costa Rica

Aside from its close proximity to the United States, medical tourists flock to Costa Rica due to its excellent healthcare system which is ranked by the World Health Organization even higher than the US. Costa Rica has modern hospitals and state-of-the-art clinics which utilize the latest in medical technologies and board-certified surgeons who are trained and certified in North America or Europe.
Aside from services offered to medical tourists, Costa Rica is also credited for providing a high quality public and private healthcare services with prestigious and reputable hospitals and other health facilities.
Consider the following healthcare facts:

The World Health Organization ranked Costa Rica's health system as one of the top three Latin America countries, ranked even higher than United States and New Zealand.

The World Bank ranked Costa Rica as having the highest life expectancy, at 78.7 years. This figure is the highest amongst all countries in Latin America, and is equivalent to the level in Canada and higher than the United States by a year.

Top Hospitals for Medical Tourism in Costa Rica

Costa Rica's top hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International like Ministro de Salud de Costa Rica (The Costa Rica Health Ministry), which offers the local license Habilitacien Hospitalaria, and local municipalities like the Municipio de Escazu in San Jose, which offers licensures like the Funcionamento. Some hospitals like the CIMA Hospitals are owned and managed by leading US hospital corporations.
There are currently three JCI-accredited hospitals in Costa Rica and all are located in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.
These hospitals include:

Hospital CIMA - San Jose, Costa Rica

Accredited by the JCI on May 2008. CIMA is also certified by the ISO and was the first hospital to be certified for Quality Processes by the Ministry of Health in Costa Rica. Other CIMA hospitals can be found in other locations in Costa Rica, like the CIMA Hermosillo, CIMA Chihuahua and the CIMA Santa Engracia. However, the CIMA San Jose is the top destination for medical tourists.

Hospital Clinica Biblica - San Jose, Costa Rica

Accredited by the JCI on October 2007. It was built in 1929 by American missionaries and has grown into a high-quality medical facility with a capacity for 120 in-patients and 5000 out-patients per day. They have a dedicated Medical Tourism department, with fluent English and Spanish speaking staff and employees.

Hospital La Catolica - San Jose, Costa Rica

Accredited by the JCI on June 2009. The hospital recently built new infrastructures on top of its newly remodeled facilities. This hospital can also boast of its very own high class hotel, the La Posada El Convento, located within the confines of the medical facilities.

Article from www.health-tourism.com

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