The International Living magazine claims that Costa Rica’s health system is the second best in the world, for medical tourists.
The ranking was born from one of people’s biggest concerns when they want to retire abroad: the quality of health care.
The magazine evaluated some points such as the cost of medical procedures, cleanliness of hospitals, doctors’ quality and preparation and the affordability of care in 24 countries, to get a score.
After Malaysia, Costa Rica occupied the second place in the ranking. What stands out from the country?
According to the magazine, more than 40,000 Americans visit Costa Rica every year for medical and dental treatments. These “medical tourists” discovered that they have high-quality health care available at very low cost.
Foreigners have access to both the private health system and the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), and in both cases, they get great benefits.
In first place we have the CCSS (…) This is universal health care, provided and administered by the government. It is available to citizens and legal residents, including foreigners with a pension visa. It details to the interested party that it is paid through a monthly fee based on the income that the persone reported on his/her application for residence. This covers the applicant and a dependent spouse, with an average rate of $ 75 to $ 150 per couple.
informed the magazine.
In spite of these wonders, the publication does not ignore that the time to be assisted can be a problem.
It was reported that most expatriates say that the Fund offers good care, although there may be problems with waiting times for medical appointments and non-emergency procedures.
The publication tells the foreigner that a medical appointment in the private system can cost $ 50 if it is a general practitioner or from $ 80 (¢ 45,200) to $ 100 (¢ 56,500) if you need a specialist appointment. An ultrasound can cost $ 75, or just over 42,000 colones.
There is an extensive private medical system in Costa Rica, with doctors, clinics and hospitals across the country. You can pay in cash to see private doctors, but it’s still cheap (…) Even major surgeries are cheap, about half or a quarter of the cost in the United States,
stated the publication.
Finally, it tells medical tourists that while there are facilities throughout the country, the best hospitals and most specialists in the public and private system are located in San José.
Colombia and Mexico stnad out just after Costa Rica.