NuWire has selected five destinations that are most suitable for US medical tourists. Panama is number one with very favorable prices. A surgery usually costs 40 to 70 per cent less than the same surgery performed in the US. Other factor is the proximity to the US, which makes traveling to Panama affordable to wide array of customers. The country is quite “Americanized”, USD is the official currency here and number of its medical staff was trained in the US.
Second in row there is Brazil as a popular medical destination for medical tourists who want to undergo a plastic or cosmetic surgery. Number of Brazilian hospitals has the accredited from the Joint Commission (JCAHO), which is the largest U.S. hospital accreditation organization. The hospitals in question are very well equipped, the prices are favorable and it takes 12 hours to get here by plane.
Number three is a more distant country, Malaysia. Its medical tourism is booming. The number of foreigners coming here for medical care has dramatically increased over last few years. Malay medical tourism has generated approximately $59 million in 2006. Experts claim the number of medical tourists coming to the country will grow by 30 per cent on annual basis until 2010. Local medical tourism offer includes dental, cosmetic and cardiac surgeries. Again the prices are significantly lower than in the US. Malaysia also boasts with favorable exchange rate, political and economic stability and high rate of literacy.
Costa Rica is number four. It offers inexpensive medical care and a flight from the US to Costa Rica takes approximately 10 hours. Most popular are dental works and plastic surgeries. Last comes India. It offers high quality services, cheap prices and number of its hospitals have the accreditation by the Joint Commission International. Nevertheless, its distance from the US is considerable.
