Medical tourism to Mexico is on the rise, but it can come with risks

Source : CNN
Issued on : 8 March 2023
Facilitators : B . Jessie & B . Madison
Presenters : B . Narika & Keomny
Observer : O . Chetha

One of the four Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico last week was traveling for medical tourism, a friend
said. A growing number of US residents are traveling internationally to seek more affordable medical care, more
timely care or access to certain treatments or procedures that are unapproved or unavailable in the United States.

Latavia “Tay” Washington McGee, 33, drove to Mexico with Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric Williams for
cosmetic surgery that was scheduled to take place Friday, according to a close friend of Washington McGee’s who
did not want to be identified. The four Americans were found Tuesday near the border city of Matamoros, officials
said. Washington McGee and Williams were found alive, and Woodard and Brown were found dead, a US official
familiar with the investigation told CNN. Investigators are still piecing together what happened after they were
abducted.

Medical tourism takes people all over the world, including to Mexico, India and Eastern Europe. Violence against
medical tourists is generally thought to be rare, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns about
other risks such as quality of care, infection control and communication challenges with medical staff.

“It’s on the daily, without a doubt. There are people going daily to get this kind of stuff done,” said Dr. Nolan Perez,
a gastroenterologist in Brownsville, Texas, which is across the border from Matamoros. “Whether it’s primary care
provider visits or dental procedures or something more significant, like elective or weight loss surgery, there’s no
doubt that people are doing that because of low cost and easier access.”

More current estimates suggest that those numbers have continued to grow.

“People travel because there may be a long waiting time, wait lists or other reasons why they can’t get treatment as
quickly as they would like it. So they explore their options outside the United States to see what’s available,” said
Elizabeth Ziemba, president of Medical Tourism Training, which provides training and accreditation to international
health travel organizations.

Also, “price is a big issue in the United States. We know that the US healthcare system is incredibly expensive,” she
added. “Even for people with insurance, there may be high deductibles or out-of-pocket costs that are not covered by
insurance, so that people will look based on price for what’s available in other destinations.”The most common
procedures that prompt medical tourism trips include dental care, surgery, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments,
organ and tissue transplants and cancer treatment, according to the CDC.

“With Mexico and Costa Rica, it’s overwhelmingly dental and cosmetic surgery. However, certain countries are
known for specialties. For example, in Singapore, stem cell and oncology is huge. In India, South India and Chennai
Apollo hospitals do incredible work with hip and knee surgeries,” said Josef Woodman, founder of Patients Beyond
Borders, an international healthcare consulting company.