The Healing Force of Nature

Statistics  from  the  World  Health  Organization's "The World  Health
Report  1995"  place  Costa  Rica  third, in life  expectancy in the world, sandwiched neatly behind  Japan and France and ahead of Great Britain
and the United States; and  with  a per capita income about one tenth 
that of  the other four.

Certainly, some reasons for this can be found in the Costa Rican laid back  lifestyle, the healthy, fresh, non-preservative laden foods of the country, the
tropical climate Costa Rica seems to be a healthy place to live.
 

But if one looks simply at the life issues, so are many other places on the
globe.  Costa Rica is a healthy place to live, because its government 
continues a long-time commitment to affordable access to one 
of the finest health care systems in the world, for each and every citizen.

• Prescriptions are not needed on most products in
  Costa Rica.

• You can take a 90-day supply back to the USA.

• You'll save up to 80%, compared to U.S. drugstores.

In a United Nations study conducted in the 1980s, Costa Rica's medical
system, was first in Latin America and ranked near the United States and
Canada, among the 20 best in the world.  Things are pretty much the same
today.

Costa Rica's lack of a standing army and its historical commitment to the
social and educational welfare of its citizens, have provided the foundation,
for a "highly developed medical system, internationally speaking" confirmed
by plastic surgeon, Dr.  Arnoldo Fournier.

He confirms, "It's not the surgeons who have provided this, but the entire
history of our country, that gives us this advantage."

Dr. Logino Soto Pacheco, Chief of Surgery at Hospital Mexico, premier 
cardiac surgeon in Costa Rica and one of the foremost in the world, claims
that, Costa Rica is unique in its world position in health care.

"I have studied every health care system in the Americas, and I can assure
you that nowhere else can compare to what Costa Rica offers its citizens,"
he stated emphatically.

Who would doubt these words from the man who assembled the Costa Rican  surgical team which performed the first successful heart transplant in Latin  America.

 

With a government - sponsored network, of 29 hospitals and more than
250 clinics, throughout the country, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social  (CCSS) has primary responsibility for providing low cost, health services, to
the Costa Rican population.

Though presently somewhat overburdened, like most of the Costa Rican  infrastructure, this system has worked well for Costa Ricans for the past 50 
or so years.  Open not  just to Ticos,  the CCSS provides affordable medical  service to any foreign resident or visitor.

Foreigners living in Costa Rica, can join the CCSS by paying a small monthly
fee, based on their income or  they can buy health insurance, from the State  monopoly Instituto de Seguro Nacional (INS),  valid with over 200 affiliated
doctors, hospitals, labs and pharmacies, in the private sector.
 

Two well-known private hospitals, Clinica Biblica and Clinica Catolica, 
where many CCSS doctors practice in the afternoons and evenings, offer
first-class, ultra modern services.

Affiliated with U.S. hospitals, these two private providers, have costs 
somewhat higher than the public providers, but still way below anything 
found in the States.  Most Costa Rican doctors and dentists receive their 
basic medical training in Costa Rica. From here, they travel far and wide, 
seeking specialized training from the finest teaching hospitals in the
world, often becoming certified in their specialties, in the countries where
they receive their advanced training.

It is not uncommon to find a Costa Rican doctor or dentist, speaking several  languages, all learned, while pursuing advanced degrees in foreign countries.
Perhaps it is the CCSS work or  the varied travel and study that does it, but
the caring expressed by the doctors and dentists, throughout the country, is
noteworthy in its extreme.

In 1991, two economists from the University of Costa Rica, conducted a survey,
of  visitors to this country.  Their  findings, documented in the study, indicated 
that 14.25% of all visitors, came for the express purpose, of receiving medical 
care of some type.

Over the years, Costa Rica has attracted those in search of uplifting cosmetic  surgery.  People from around the world, arrive daily to partake of the healing
waters in over 100  thermal and mineral springs located here.

Dental work, from fillings to implants, is done routinely on people from every
corner of  the world.  Many people from Latin America plan for their medical 
needs from hip replacement to heart valve replacement to be taken care of 
by the well-trained and skillful physicians, in Costa Rica, rather than in their 
native countries.

Clearly then, not only does Costa Rica offer universal health care coverage
to its citizens, but that same high quality care is available for people from 
all over the world.
 

   Cosmetic  &  Reconstructive  Surgery
 

Costa Rica has long been a selected destination, for those in search of the Fountain of  Youth.

Although The Fountain of  Youth, has yet to be discovered, the talented plastic  and cosmetic surgeons of this country, many schooled and board certified, in
the United States and Europe, continue to provide the appearance of such to hundreds of satisfied, younger looking, people.

 

Of the "medical tourists" documented in the UCR study, previously mentioned,
a large percentage came for cosmetic surgery, (dental and cardiovascular  procedures, were a close second).  Doctor Carlos A. Centeno, well-known 
Costa Rican cosmetic surgeon, indicates  that the number of medical tourists increases each year.

Dr. Roberto Murillo, another established surgeon, related that each of the 
twenty-five to thirty registered plastic surgeons in Costa Rica, averages seven
to eight medical tourists daily.

The full range of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, is available here, in 
several modern clinics.  With the recent addition of contemporary laser  technology, the ability of Costa Rica's plastic and cosmetic surgeons
to provide world-class services, has been enhanced.

Procedures routinely offered by plastic surgeons in Costa Rica, include:
Total and partial face lifts or reconstruction; tummy tucks, breast reduction, augmentation and reconstruction, liposuction, liposculpture, electrolysis,
for the permanent depilation of unwanted hair; removal of acne scars and other  skin irregularities and many other procedures to counteract aging or enhance  beauty.  What nature has wrought, Costa Rican plastic surgeons
are improving.

And they can improve nature's handiwork at a cost more affordable than in 
many other countries.  For example, facial cosmetic surgery, (face lift),
according to Dr. Centeno, the most commonly performed procedure
here, can cost from $6,000 to $12,000  in the United States.

Comparable surgery in Costa Rica, will cost between $3,000 and $4,000, 
including clinic stay, medicines, nursing care and the surgery.

Most minor procedures are done on an ambulatory-care basis, requiring no  hospitalization. Major procedures, such as some breast surgeries and 
"tummy  tucks," can require overnight hospitalizations, with the cost of the 
room included in  the "package."

"Prices are sometimes 50% lower than in the United States," stated a staff 
person at Clinica de Cirugia Estetica, S.A., "but each case is different and 
prices are quoted on an individual basis, after consultation with the surgeon."

Even though each case is different, Dr. Murillo suggests that many surgeries are  60% to 70% less expensive here, than in the United States.
 

Non-elective reconstructive surgery, required as a result of an accident or 
illness, leaving a patient disfigured, is performed as well and as skillfully.
Should this type of surgery be necessary, it is advisable that a patient check
with his or her private physician and insurance carrier at home, for
coordination and financing.

Dental  Care &  Surgery
 

From simple fillings, to complicated multiple implants and periodontal work,
Costa Rican dentists are as qualified and skilled, as any to be found.  The  orthodontists have their own university programs here and the periodontists
hone their skills at various teaching universities around the world.

Foreign patients, seeking periodontal work and dental implants arrive in Costa
Rica in greater numbers monthly.  There is a group of about 20 dental 
specialists:  periodontists, oral surgeons, root canal specialists, prosthodontics  and orthodontists, working  together to provide high quality, specialized
dental care, for Ticos and foreigners alike.

Cost per implant, is between $750 and $850. Laboratory work here is much  cheaper, but the materials used are all FDA approved and imported from the  States.

Click Here to see Directory Listings !

Costa Rica Health Care and News
Fantastic  Alternative Health &  Medicine!
 

Stray Reality Home