BBC News. Thursday, August 19, 1999 Published at 12:32 GMT
13:32 UK
A phenomenon known as health tourism is growing in Cuba with an increasing
number of visitors taking advantage of the country's advanced and relatively
inexpensive medical facilities.
The BBC's Nick Miles reports on the rise of health tourism One of Havana's
leading hospitals generates more than a third of its budget through treating
foreigners privately.
The money brings much-needed funds to a communist country that lost a major
source of income with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
While tourism of the beach and sun variety helps make up the shortfall for
the economy ion general, visitors looking for anything from cheap tummy tucks to
groundbreaking eye surgery.
Excellent facilities
Cuba is widely regarded as having an excellent health service - some think
it's the best in the world.
Ben Treuhaft visits for the cheaper surgery
But Ben Treuhaft has come from the US for an operation on his legs because
he knows the treatment will be cheaper.
"To get the surgery done is $2,500 per leg in New York. As I have two
legs, that is $5,000 - and I don't have $5,000," he said.
"I've heard about the Cuban health care system all the time that I've
been visiting Cuba - which is for about six years - so I decided to try it out."
Financial boost
However, Dr Roberto Reyes Lorente, director of private medical services at
the
Hermano Ameijeiras hospital in central Havana, is cagey about the use of the
term health tourism.
Dr Roberto Reyes Lorente says the funds help treat Cubans "We don't
much like the phrase 'health tourism,' but that's what it really is," he
said.
"How did it begin? It was started to generate a certain amount of money
that would allow us to save, or that the state would have to spend less on the
free medical attention of its own patients."
The hospital, the largest in Cuba, generates 35% of its operating costs from
the private treatment of visitors, yet while there are 950 beds for domestic
patients there is only a single floor reserved for the treatment of foreigners.
Range of services
It offers services that are available through the national system of
socialised medicines, as well as privately - even cosmetic plastic surgery, one
of the hospital's key selling points to those from abroad.
Cosmetic surgery is available too
The hospital shows visitors before and after pictures from operations such
as breast enlargements, tummy tucks, and complete facelifts.
Dr Jose Cairos Baez, chief plastic surgeon at the hospital, said: "The
patients come here for an evaluation - and one of the main reasons that they
come here for is for the security, that they will be treated honestly, by
qualified and experienced personnel.
"That's one group. Another group comes because it is much less
expensive to have the operation in this country."
Groundbreaking
Another draw, at the Camilo Cienfuegos centre, is the work of Dr Orfilio
Pelaez.
He discovered and developed groundbreaking therapy to halt retinosis
pigmentaria, known as cancer of the eye.
This has attracted patients from around the world. And there are also a wide
range of alternative therapies practised on the Island at the San Diego health
resort in the west everything from mud baths to massage and acupuncture are on
offer. |