Costa Rica selected to host international medical tourism conference

Looking to position itself as the go-to spot for medical tourism, Costa Rica will host the Latin American medical tourism congressional conference for the second year in a row.

The Medical Travel International Business Summit is scheduled for May 2-4, 2011 and will take place in both Hotel Ramada Plaza Herradura in San José and Hotel Hilton Papagayo in Guanacaste. Topics include patient safety, service quality, risk reduction and benefit packages. Ten countries have so far confirmed attendance.  

“The idea is to set Costa Rica up to be a leading destination for medical vacations and to offer a platform to encourage development in this sector,” read a press release from PROMED (Advisory for International Promotion of Costa Rican Medicine).

In 2009, 30,000 foreigners traveled to Costa Rica for medical procedures; the most popular of which were dental work and plastic surgery.

The first medical tourism conference, also held in Costa Rica, drew 450 participants.

“For the second time, Costa Rica becomes an international showcase for the burgeoning medical travel industry,” said Jorge Cortés, president of PROMED. “Thanks to its excellent hospital infrastructure, highly skilled, personalized care and it’s world-renowned tourism reputation; the country is becoming a solution to the growing problems that face health systems in most developed countries.”

For more information or to register for the 2011 conference, visit www.themedicaltravelsummit.com.