Fewer medical tourists are arriving in Baja California, industry representatives report

Health tourism is connected the diminution successful Baja California frankincense acold this year, with manufacture representatives saying the slump is partially owed to economical hostility betwixt Mexico and the United States.

In 2024, the bluish borderline authorities received 3.5 cardinal overseas visitors seeking aesculapian oregon dental care. Local hotels often advertise question packages and peculiar rates for aesculapian tourists who contributed astir US $2 cardinal to Baja California’s economy, according to Fox News.

Tijuana is fashionable destination for U.S. and planetary aesculapian tourists. (Barbara Zandoval/Unsplash)

Clinics successful the authorities of Baja California, conscionable southbound of the U.S. border, are fashionable with aesculapian travelers from the U.S. and Canada. Medical centers successful Baja that diagnostic wellness services certified by the Joint Commission International and Mexican authorities tin beryllium recovered via the Medical Tourism Mexico website.

Medical Health Cluster, a wellness advisor steadfast based successful Tijuana, reported a 20% to 40% driblet successful country patients arriving successful Baja California done the archetypal 3 months of the year.

“We person seen a definite alteration successful the United States from past year,” Abraham Sánchez, president of the Medical Health Cluster, told Telemundo, adding that “the socio-political economical situation has hindered patients from coming.”

Sánchez besides conceded that planetary contention has accrued “as countries similar Costa Rica, Turkey, Thailand … person precise assertive campaigns to beforehand services.”

Beyond the friction betwixt the U.S. and Mexican governments, section wellness assemblage representatives said problems related to the regularisation of instrumentality person wounded the industry.

Ricardo Vega Montiel, president of the Baja Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery College cited unit successful cities specified arsenic Tijuana and reports of unlicensed doctors and clinics passim Baja California arsenic deterrents.

Medical Health Cluster said requests for bariatric country — gastric bypass and different weight-loss procedures — person declined since the procedures are present covered by U.S. security policies.

According to Medical Tourism Magazine, Mexico tin supply adjacent oregon adjacent higher prime treatments to patients than what they mightiness find astatine home, and astatine a importantly little cost.

Plastic country and different elective procedures are importantly cheaper successful Mexico than successful the U.S., though problems with unlicensed practitioners deter immoderate would-be aesculapian tourists. (Freepik)

Medical tourists tin prevention from 30% to 80% connected procedures ranging from cardiac country to orthopedics to integrative surgery, Mauricio Reyes Morales Vázquez, the president of the Los Cabos Association of Medical Tourism, told El Sudcaliforniano newspaper. Los Cabos is located successful the authorities of Baja California Sur.

For example, Reyes said cardiac catheterization tin outgo much than US $200,000 successful the United States, whereas successful Los Cabos it costs astir US $50,000.

Top aesculapian tourism procedures successful Baja California see dental, integrative surgery, bariatric country and orthopedics. Ophthalmology, neurology and fertility treatments are besides fashionable among wellness tourists.

With reports from Telemundo, El Sudcaliforniano and Fox News