Latin America
This region has many economic opportunities in
the future .....including a growing interest and
momentum in the .....medical tourism industry.
Although, not as advanced as a region in medical
tourism as are several countries in Asia, Latin
America has many advantages that it can grow on,
which include:
having a close proximity to North America,
low cost of labor (particularly compared to North
America),
many ‘western’ trained and English speaking
healthcare practitioners, a culture that many
Europeans and North Americans find familiar,
limited medical malpractice costs,
beautiful locations including world-class beaches
and hotels, and a friendly and caring culture.
Countries in Latin America that are focused on
medical tourism are:
Mexico,
Costa Rica,
Brazil,
Argentina,
Guatemala,
Colombia,
Chile,
and El Salvador (to name just a few of the major
players).
David G. Vequist, Erika Valdez and Billy Morrison
Quality assurance programs through the
accreditation of hospitals in Latin America
and the Caribbean
The majority of the approximately 14,000 hospitals in Latin
America and the Caribbean face enormous challenges to
live up to the basic prepositions of quality assurance in
health care.
If methods of quality control in medical education and
hospitals are not implemented soon in Latin America, we
will face, in the very near future, the same situation that
has marred the quality of medical care in the U.S. This
could turn our health care environment in Latin America
into a controversial reality, just as vulnerable to
malpractice lawsuits.
This situation should be avoided at all costs, before the
current absence of quality control favors financial external
forces over the implementation of self-assessment
methods or external control by accreditation commissions.
The following conditions are needed for the effective
development of quality assurance programs;
a) professional technical skills;
b) efficient use of resources;
c) reduction to a minimum of lesions derived from services;
d) patient satisfaction in his requirements, expectations
and accessibility to health services, and
e) local health systems, where comprehensive outpatient
and inpatient services are provided.
de Moraes Novaes H.