Panama is #1 Medical Tourism Destination
sduford on Apr 06 2008 at 11:16 am | Filed under: Panama, Travel
This NuWire Investor article discusses the top 5 medical tourism destinations in the world, and they name Panama as number 1.
1. Panama
Panama offers significantly lower costs for medical procedures just south of the U.S. border. Costs, on average, are 40 to 70 percent lower than costs of similar surgeries in the U.S., according to a report on medical tourism published by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) last November. Although costs for medical procedures are generally higher compared to those of Southeast Asian countries, travel costs from the U.S. to Panama are considerably lower.
Panama is a relatively “Americanized” country and an attractive place for both regular tourists and medical tourists to visit. Panama City is a relatively safe and modern destination; the U.S. dollar is the country’s official currency, and many of the physicians are U.S.-trained. Consequently, U.S. patients are less likely to experience a high degree of culture shock when seeking care in Panama.
Medical tourism should have a positive impact on Panama’s economy, which relies heavily on the services industry. The medical tourism industry can also help to utilize Panama’s labor force of approximately 1.5 million people, which has a surplus of unskilled labor, according to the CIA World Factbook.
In general, Panama has shown commitment to improving its economy in fostering trade relations with the U.S. Rather than participate in Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), Panama independently negotiated a free trade agreement with the US in December 2006.
Finally, Panama presents a wide range of opportunities for real estate investments as well as investments in the service and tourism-related industries. For more information on investing in Panama, please read our previous article, Investment Opportunities in Panama.
Thanks Mr. Duford.
Now, I’ll have an option for when HITLERy inflicts socialized medicine, and the waiting lists that obfuscate “resource allocation” to the politricksters and their friends, upon the US. The growing queue of nations more economically and socially free than the United States contains many such smaller states not obcessed with micromanaging the affairs of others.
Your site is a fountainhead of useful information. Many thanks!