While the news revolves around the kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico, of whom two were murdered, one detail in particular drew attention: the victims crossed the border in search of medical attention.
The case highlighted the constant flow of so-called medical tourism from the United States to its southern neighbor: Americans seek treatments that are less expensive or to which they do not have access in their country, despite the risks of traveling to a place known for violence related to drug trafficking. drugs.
Americans make the trip in search of different procedures, such as dentistry, cosmetic surgeries and even cancer treatment.
Mexico is one of the world’s top destinations for medical tourism, despite its negative image associated with organized crime and drug cartel violence.
However, the risks associated with medical tourism are more related to poor care than to “political or social violence”, Josef Woodman, executive director of Patients Beyond Borders, an international health care consultancy, told AFP.
The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also warns of the possibility of infections and communication difficulties in another country.
The four Americans arrived in Matamoros, a city with high crime rates in the state of Tamaulipas, one of the most affected by violence. Even the State Department advises its citizens to avoid the area entirely, citing kidnapping as one of the risks.
“Top notch service”
Woodman said his organization’s email had been “flooded over the last 36 hours” with requests from people interested in traveling for procedures, despite the recent news.
A few days earlier, Colorado pensioner Amber O’Hara recommended the same Mexican dental clinic to which she had traveled several times for treatment to a friend.
“The cost is why I go,” said O’Hara, highlighting the top-notch service.
His dentist has offices in Los Algodones, in the state of Baja California and on the border with Arizona. The city is known as “Molar City”, due to the number of dental offices that serve foreigners.
However, O’Hara acknowledges that he would avoid the region because “it has been through delicate moments more than once.” She is one of the 1.2 million Americans who travel to Mexico each year for medical care, estimates Patients Beyond Borders.
Woodman says that weight-management surgeries, which are not covered by medical insurance in the United States, are among the most common goals among Americans crossing into Mexico.
The top reason to travel to Mexico remains the lack of access to procedures deemed “unavailable or unapproved,” according to the CDC, along with prices. Costs can average 40% to 60% lower for Americans, according to Woodman.
A 2020 study, which surveyed more than 400 people who crossed the US-Mexico border, concluded that 92% cited cost as a determinant in their decision to pursue medical tourism.