There's an old story still going around about doctors in poor countries re-using syringes and even bandages. It's a myth. If it ever did happen, it was in some remote outpost, and even then I would still doubt it. Fact is, medical schools in large cities across the developing world turn-out highly skilled doctors and the facilities they work in are often as good as in any in the developed world. The major difference is in what it costs to be treated by these doctors and those hospitals: a fraction of what it does in the United States. Furthermore, the cost of medications is also vastly less than in the US, and can usually be bought without a prescription.
It's no surprise, therefore, that medical tourism is all the rage, especially in areas usually not covered by insurance plans, such as plastic surgery. Flip through the pages of the on-flight magazine on any plane bound for Buenos Aires and you'll notice the abundance of ads by state of the art plastic surgery clinics. Learn to dance tango and get a face lift! Just how big is the cost difference? A heart bypass surgery invoice for 140,000 USD in the USA might only be 20,000 in Mexico, 10,000 in India, or 9,000 in Thailand. A face lift would set you back 15,000 dollars in America, while only 6,500 in Costa Rica, or 5,000 in South Korea. Even after you factor-in your return airfare, hotel, food and the rest, you still come out ahead and you get to spend time in an exotic locale!
Medical insurance is also generally less expensive and more generous in its coverage than in most developed nations that don't provide universal medicare. There's usually a free government-run public insurance plan, but it's almost guaranteed to include the lowest level of care. Instead, if you're gainfully employed in your new country, get hooked-up with your employer's health plan, which will be inexpensive and offer complete coverage. For example, Sura, a health insurer in Colombia offers a plan through employers which covers even medications and dental work for as little as 40 dollars a month for the entire family of the insured. There's usually a small user fee for each service performed, but it rarely amounts to more than a dollar. There's also private insurance plans which are much more costly (but still less than in the US) but will give you priority care (no waiting!) in the top hospitals and clinics.
Why does medical care and medicine cost so little in developing countries? First and foremost, because the cost of living and wages are much lower, but also because malpractice insurance isn't a requirement or is inexpensive since patients aren't as likely to litigate, and finally because the medical industry's profits aren't so hefty and protected by lawmakers greased by lobbyists. Just to mention a couple of advantages for the user: generic versions of drugs are more freely produced and distributed, and experimental treatments are readily obtained as they aren't blocked by laws.
However, the lure of cheap medication and surgery comes with a warning label: Stick to the reputable clinics, many of which cater in large part to medical tourists, and don't get your drugs from just any dispensary, lest you want to run the risk of a botched operation or ingesting bogus medicine.
Tom Germain is a Canadian who in 2001 decided he wasn't going to put up with any more winters and moved to Mexico. He never looked back and moved around the world every couple years, making his home in Argentina, the Canary Islands, Mauritius, and now Colombia. In his 2 blogs, Permatourist (http://www.permatourist.com) and Ocolombia (http://www.ocolombia.com) he tells of his experiences and offers invaluable tips on how you can live the life of a "permatourist".
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