Mazatlan Medical Tourism

International Medical Tourism is growing rapidly as Americans seek alternatives to the extremely high cost for health care in the U.S.

Andres Oppenheimer, a well-known journalist on Latin America, wrote an excellent article based on his own experience with a medical emergency in Mexico City:

MEXICO CITY — For several years, this column has championed the idea that Mexico — and Latin America in general — could become a huge medical tourism destination for millions of Americans seeking more affordable healthcare, or simply wanting more personalized medical attention.

Little did I know that I would be hospitalized for three weeks in Mexico City last month and experience a foreign country’s medical system from the inside.

Before we get into my experience, let’s take a quick look at why I have maintained that the globalization of medical services will become an increasingly useful option for Americans who can’t afford ever-increasing U.S. healthcare costs, and a major business opportunity for countries in the region.

U.S. medical tourism to Latin America — India, Singapore and other Asian countries as well — is growing at an annual rate of nearly 20 percent, according to most estimates.

About 180,000 Americans are crossing borders every year for medical procedures such as knee and hip replacements, health screenings or oral surgeries, said Josef Woodman, author of Patients Beyond Borders.

In addition, 400,000 Americans go abroad for ”wellness travel” or ”alternative therapies,” which would bring the total to about 580,000.

Milika Bookman, author of Medical Tourism in Developing Countries, estimates that tiny Costa Rica alone attracts as many as 150,000 medical tourists a year, most of them Americans.

The reasons behind the slow-motion exodus of American patients from the United States is simple: About 45 million Americans lack health insurance, and another 30 million are underinsured. In addition, many others who have insurance go abroad for cosmetic surgeries that are not covered by their U.S. insurance.

Costs for medical procedures are radically lower outside the U.S., so from a financial perspective it just makes sense to seek healthcare outside the U.S. for major procedures not covered by insurance.

Does it make sense in terms of your health as well? Will you actually get quality health care outside the U.S? Or will you get what you pay for, and suffer the rest of your life because of a poorly done medical procedure?

Oppenheimer writes that he not only received good quality health care in medical terms, he actually received much warmer and more personal care than in any U.S. hospital. This matches the experience of many who have sought health care abroad.

There are caveats, because not all health care abroad is of good quality. But by carefully seeking quality care, you can receive excellent treatment at a much more affordable price.

Mazatlan is one destination for medical tourism. Mazatlan does have excellent medical care available, as attested to by the many expatriates who live there, and even by tourists who have needed emergency medical care.

Here an example of one person’s experience with emergency care in Mazatlan:

First hand experiance here: Wife had a stroke. Called Red Cross ambulance. Arrived within 5 minutes. Excellent paramedics, and one of them spoke English. I told him a) I thought she was having a stroke, and b) Take her to Sharpe Hosp. When we got to Sharpe an outstanding specialist was there. Immediately diagnosed a stroke and began medicatiion. Stayed in hosp 3 days, EKG, blood tests, cat scan, MRI, X-rays, private room (cleaned twice a day) specialist doctor visited twice a day. No paralysis from stroke. I give Red Cross ambulance and Sharpe hospital highest marks. Oh yes, cost was less than $2,000.00 US for everything, doctor, ambulance, tests, medication, etc.

(from a thread in the Mazatlan forum on TripAdvisor)

Here’s another example of people’s experience with medical care, a recommendation of one of the local doctors by some expatriates living in Mazatlan:

Dr. Huerta just (Spring 2004) opened his new office, right next door to BanNorte, across from the Sharp Hospital. The address is Rafael Buelna #300. He practices internal medicine, and had a great and caring bedside manner. Recently, during a routine medical checkup, he found a brain tumor in a friend of ours, that currently had no symptoms. He caught it so early, that the treatment turned out to me of an inconvenience rather than a life threatening procedure. He also runs a small hospital called Cruz Oro, with much lower prices than Sharp Hospital, but still good quality care. You can contact him at his office at 984-1507 or 986-5631, or via his cell phone at 044-669-918-1926.

(from the resources page of maztravel.com)

The most recommended hospital for quality medical care in Mazatlan is Sharp Hospital.