Plastic Surgery Quality And Standard of Care In Costa Rica

Why Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is well known worldwide as the premier eco-tourism destination. The country's breathtaking scenery, fabulous climate and amiable locals  attract travelers from all over the globe. With its wealth of natural treasures, many people may still be unaware that Costa Rica has grown into a top destination for affordable quality health and dental care - cost of medical treatments in Costa Rica varies from a third to even a fourth of what it can cost in the United States or Canada.

Costa Rica’s top hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International like Ministro de Salud de Costa Rica (The Costa Rica Health Ministry), which offers the local license Habilitacien Hospitalaria, and local municipalities like the Municipio de Escazu in San Jose, which offers licensures like the Funcionamento. Surgeons are fully trained, certified by the Costa Rica Plastic Surgery Board and are experienced in the latest surgical and non-surgical techniques.

The culture in Costa Rica is family-oriented, friendly and visitors are assured that they will receive a warm and hospitable welcome. Language is no barrier as hospital staff can usually speak English.

What is the quality and standard of care in Costa Rica?

The Costa Rican health care system is rated very highly on an international level, and the country’s citizens enjoy the health and life expectancy equal to that of more developed nations. The World Bank ranked Costa Rica as having the highest life expectancy, at 78.7 years. This figure is the highest amongst all countries in Latin America, and is equivalent to the level in Canada and higher than the United States by a year.

These accolades come courtesy of strong, universal health insurance and excellent public and private hospitals. Many drugs for clients (like birth control pills ,high cholesterol medication, migraine medicine, etc.) are easily available in Costa Rica without a prescription, and pharmacists can easily and accurately diagnose and treat many common problems. In 2000, the World Health Organization carried out the first ever analysis of the world's health systems ranked Costa Rica as 36, ahead of United States who was ranked 37. (Source: The World Health Report 2000)

Medical tourists can receive better reassurance against malpractice in Costa Rica as compared to most medical travel destinations. This is because most dentists, physicians and clinics are required to have and maintain professional liability insurance during the course of their practice. Any malpractice claims can be initiated through the court system as required under the laws of Costa Rica.