Uruguayans, Bolivians and Paraguayans lead the ranking of medical tourism to the Argentinawhich also include Americans and Canadians, according to the latest index specialized in this activity, defined as the flow of people who travel to other countries to obtain medical attention or submit to different procedures because they are more cheap or accessible than in their place of origin. These are cataract operations, teeth whitening, breast implants and even hip replacements.
Argentina is the most visited South American countryin a list led by Canada, Singapore and Japan. Until 2019 it attracted some 15 thousand people per year, but in the last months of 2022 the demand already exceeded the moments before the pandemic.
The combination of a proven medical capacity with a devalued economy makes these lands especially tempting. “Almost any medical benefit can be obtained at a cost of up to 30% less than in other countries in the region and 50% of what it costs in the US,” he explained to Profile Pablo Paltrinieri, vice president of the Argentine Chamber of Medical Tourism (CATM).
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Between 55 and 60% of patients seek healing medicine (operations and specific treatments), 30% cosmetic surgeries and the rest is linked to wellness tourism, with activities such as weight control. An eye operation oscillates between USD 500 and 5,000, a delivery is around 3,000 and a bone marrow transplant 70,000. In our country, the medical tourist spends up to nine times more than a conventional one. Since most do it accompanied, the economic impact is multiplied, precisely the site SciDev.Net.
The defenders of the activity suggest that, by increasing the profits of the sector, this flow generate resources to improve health infrastructure in recipient countries. Graciela Esponda, manager of the CATM, acknowledges that “sometimes it is believed that foreign tourists use goods or services that Argentines do not have”, but assures that “in reality, by having a better income from foreign tourism, organizations health services can re-equip or pay their staff better, which benefits everyone”.
However, there is disadvantages. In some cases, the standardization in care costs it can make it difficult for those who charge in local currency to pay for services. In others, the growing supply of care in private centers, with the growing earnings they enjoy, deepens the wage gap with public sector professionals.
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In this line, the researcher from the University of Brasilia Dennise Rodríguez assures that the theory of “leak” of money from tourism towards the base of the health system is false. The problem is fundamental: in a transition that has taken decades, health is increasingly perceived as a all right and less like a rightwhich paves the way to consider it a commodity.
The countries of the region must be vigilant, so that they do not continue deepening the inequalities Y tensions facing dramatically strained health systems following the outbreak of the pandemic.
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