Information and Reviews for Medical Tourists

medical tourism cuba health tourism cosmetic surgery Havana plastic surgery

Cuba is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of medical tourism. Blessed with a workforce of highly-qualified doctors Cuba has long been recognized globally for its excellent level of medical expertise and has traditionally sent doctors to serve for free to many developing nations as well as hosting patients from around the world to free medical care in Cuban facilities. Even today Cuba has the highest concentration of doctors, 1 for 170 residents, in the world. ¹

Cubanacan, the state tourism company, has openly developed a thriving health tourism service, which has turned into a tourist sub-system in itself. The island’s top attractions are its treatment programme for hypertension, weight loss, pigmentary retinosis (or night blindness)- a hereditary disease that eventually causes total blindness, Parkinson's disease, psoriasis, deformities of the spinal column, bone tumours, paralysis, and rheumatic diseases and its drug and alcohol addiction recovery programs, which have attracted the rich and famous, including Diego Maradona, Argentina's soccer star.²

But perhaps Cuba's most popular medical service, and the one it heavily promotes to tourists abroad, is cosmetic surgery. Cuban doctors have become expert at breast implants, tummy tucks, liposuction and nose jobs, giving some doctors international reputations.

Hermano Ameijeiras Hospital in central Havana is one such hospital whose USP is cosmetic surgery. A 950 bed unit with one complete floor reserved for treatment of foreigners is the best equipped of any in Cuba and is on a par with any to be found elsewhere in the world, being able to carry out highly sophisticated procedures using the latest technology.³

Another draw, at the Camilo Cienfuegos centre, is the work of Dr Orfilio Pelaez who discovered and developed groundbreaking therapy to halt retinosis pigmentaria, known as cancer of the eye. His retinosis therapy is considered an effective treatment for this hereditary disease that can lead to total blindness. The groundbreaking treatment combines surgery, ozone therapy, electrostimulation, magnetic therapy and prescription medicines. Cubans and foreigners alike have flocked to Dr. Orfilio’s center for elective treatment. ⁴

Cira Garcia Central Clinic, in Havana, is a draw for well-off medical tourists from surrounding South American countries. The clinic, located in the posh Miramar neighborhood of Havana offers everything from herniated disk repair--$4,570 including anesthesia and two-week hospital stay--to laser eye surgery and liposuction.

Some treatments available in Cuba are not available in the USA. At the island's neurological restoration center, doctors use fetal stem cells--controversial technology in the United States--to try to restore brain and nerve function in victims of accidents and in sufferers of diseases such as Parkinson's. The program's cost, which averages about $11,000 for five weeks, is half that of comparable neurological rehabilitation programs in the U.S.⁵

Costa Rica

Costa Rica has, in the last few years, developed a reputation as one of the most “high-tech healing” destinations in the world, courtesy of its cosmetic surgeons and dentists. Each year thousands of men and women take advantage of the low-cost high-quality care without a trans-Pacific flight. In a typical scenario, a patient will fly down to Costa Rica and remain in the country between 7 and 10 days, enough time for the surgery and recovery period. Frequently, the trip combines the esthetic procedures with tourism objectives. Many times the first days are spent sightseeing, followed by the planned cosmetic treatment and then some more sightseeing during the convalescent period.⁶

Costa Rica’s cosmetic surgery specialists are fully trained and certified by a national medical association and experienced in the latest and most effective cosmetic surgery and non-surgical techniques related to patient make over needs. In order to assist consumers in identifying suitably experienced and qualified plastic surgeons, the Costa Rica Plastic Surgery Board maintains listings of credentialed physicians who are fully certified members of the association. The Costa Rica board can verify whether a particular doctor is presently certified or is completing training in preparation for certification.⁷

Procedures routinely offered by plastic surgeons in Costa Rica include total and partial face-lifts or reconstruction; tummy tucks; breast reduction, augmentation and reconstruction; liposuction and liposculpture. Prices however, are generally 50% lower than in North America. For example, facial cosmetic surgery (face lift), one of the most commonly performed procedures in the country, can cost from $6,000 to $12,000 in the United States. Comparable surgery in Costa Rica will cost between $3,000 and $4,000 including clinic stay, medicines, nursing care and the surgery.

Within the spectrum of cosmetic surgery, Costa Rica has become a hot spot for cosmetic dental care, especially for North and South Americans and Western Europeans. Basic services provided by any well established and qualified dentist would include: implants, 100% porcelain crowns and bridges, porcelain inlays, prosthesis, resin fillings, bleaching, mercury free dentistry, root canal treatment, major surgeries, gum treatments and nitrous oxide sedation.⁸

A visitor seeking dental work from simple fillings to surgical implants and periodontics can also anticipate large savings without compromising quality of care. In Costa Rica, dental implants cost between $750 - $850 per implant and $250-350/porcelain crown⁹ , compared to twice that in the U.S. While laboratory work in Costa Rica is much less expensive than in the United States, all materials are FDA approved and imported from the United States.¹⁰