A team of surgeons in Argentina where high quality, low cost care is the norm.

A team of surgeons in Argentina where doctors are typically well-trained, confident & knowledgeable.

When most foreign journalists return home from a trip to Argentina, they often pen glowing reviews of their gastronomic conquests down south…Newsweek’s Howard Fineman is not one of those journalists. On a recent visit to see his daughter—who currently lives in Argentina—Fineman had a nasty bout with food poisoning. The illness and his subsequent 3-day stay in a private hospital in Bariloche opened Fineman’s eyes to the cost and quality of care advantages for expats and foreign visitors in Argentina. “My hospitalization included continuous intravenous fluids (to counter dehydration); IV antibiotics; an EKG, two blood tests and a chest X-ray; special meals; a private room; and even satellite-TV access to what seemed to be every obscure soccer match on the planet,” Fineman writes, “The doctors, nurses, aides, and others were all uniformly excellent. Total cost: about $1,500.” Considering that similar treatment in the U.S. would have cost roughly $12,000, the NBC political analyst was impressed by both the quality of care (”The doctors were clearly well trained and knowledgeable, and inspired confidence with their touch of Argentine cockiness.”) and the resourcefulness he witnessed first-hand. (”Perhaps they can’t always afford the latest in technology, but they strike me as doctors who don’t dwell on technology for its own sake.”) While most Argentine medical tourism coverage to date has focused exclusively on elective procedures in BA, InvestBA believes Fineman’s anecdote sheds important light on the non-elective, year-round quality care awaiting  expats, transplants and foreign travelers in Argentina. (Full article)

Medical Tourism in Argentina is on the rise with companies like RefreshMed, Xetica and Procrearte in the lead.

Medical Tourism is on the rise with companies like RefreshMed, Xetica and Procrearte in the lead.

For the past three years, “medical tourism” has been a loosely-defined concept occasionally surfacing on the pages of popular magazines. In 2006, Time ran a story titled “Outsourcing Your Heart,” while Entrepreneur named “medical tourism” to its 2007 Hot List of emerging trends and business models for aspiring entrepreneurs. Fast forward to 2009 and the industry buzz around medical tourism is large enough to warrant a World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress, being held next week in L.A.  Going forward, Argentina is poised to capture a greater share of outsourced U.S. health care over traditional destinations like Inida, Thailand and Singapore. Similarities in time zones, language and countless tourism options are just a few of Argentina’s competitive advantages. And just to make it official, Argentina’s National Tourism Agency, finally decided to go after this $60 billion global industry with a marketing campaign (Full Story) called Medicina Argentina.

BA Mayor Shares His Vision in Miami

BA Mayor Mauricio Macri speaks at the Miami Herald's Americas Conference 2009

BA Mayor Mauricio Macri speaks at the Miami Herald's Americas Conference 2009

Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri spoke yesterday at the Miami Herald’s Americas Conference 2009 and shared his vision for Argentina’s future. Macri, who appeared in a panel discussion with journalist Andres Oppenheimer and Buenos Aires Province Governor Daniel Scioli, was critical of mistakes made over the past 20 years. According to Poder Magazine, “Macri told those present that his work will be concentrated on ‘trying to reverse two decades of neglect and lack of investment.’” Macri pointed to Brazil and Chile as regional models and cited the need for increased food & mineral production, greater tourism promotion and stronger, more transparent institutions if Argentina is going to be competitive going forward in the global marketplace.

Plastic Surgery on a Budget in BA

With the rising cost of health care and serious concerns regarding quality of care under government-run systems, increasing numbers of middle class Americans and Canadians are weighing the costs and benefits of undergoing elective and programmed surgery abroad. CNN cameras were rolling when James Brandon, a 44-year-old Canadian marketing professional, traveled to Buenos Aires for liposuction, a rhinoplasty and an eye lift. When he realized the cost of all three procedures would be in excess of $50,000 at home in Toronto, CNN says “Brandon began investigating options overseas and quickly settled on a city that has become one of the most popular destinations in the world for plastic surgery — Buenos Aires, Argentina. And as CNN discovered, the advantages of medical tourism in BA aren’t limited to the relatively low cost and high quality of care: Thousands arrive annually for procedures and then stick around to soak up the sexy urban vibe of Buenos Aires, a city where looking your best is paramount.”

For more information regarding cost estimates of specific procedures in Buenos Aires, e-mail me at info@investba.com.

 
© 2010 InvestBA, S.A.