Anonymous - 4-1-2005 at 09:31 AM
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=...
Sal Osio
Mar 31, 2005
Tijuana is quickly becoming the new medical destination for Southern California residents in search of affordable medicine and health care. More than
250,000 visitors from Southern California visit Tijuana each month to purchase prescription and over-the-counter drugs and receive medical and dental
care in the region. But the city is capable of serving more than twice that number of patients, dramatically reducing the cost of medical care for
many Californians.
Tijuana is home to one of the highest numbers of physicians, dentists and pharmacies per capita in North America. As of 2002, there were approximately
1,800 physicians and dentists in Baja California and approximately 600 pharmacies. Most medical providers have changed their hours, staying open in
the early evenings and on weekends, to cater to American visitors to Baja, where heath care is a fraction of the cost of that in the United States.
Tijuana is now the venue for some of the best doctors and dentists, not only in Mexico, but in California and internationally. Some examples include
Dr. Jose Hernandez Fujigaki, a U.S. certified Thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Arturo S. Chayet, internationally renowned U.S.-certified
opthamologist and Dr. Juan Pablo Eng, a graduate of University of Southern California?s prestigious School of Dentistry. In addition to the current
availability of world class professionals, Tijuana is the beneficiary of equally competent medical professionals emigrating from the interior of
Mexico.
Meanwhile, in the United States, skyrocketing health care costs are forcing Americans to look elsewhere for affordable alternatives. Health insurance
premiums have seen double digit increases over the past three years. In California, one third of all households has no health insurance, including a
majority of Latino households. And only a small segment of the insured has dental coverage. For those who are fortunate to have health care coverage,
the majority of Americans are ?under-insured? and have high deductibles and co-payments. Even those who have health insurance are not covered for
highly sought health care services such as vision correction, teeth whitening and cosmetic surgery, forcing consumers to look outside their health
plans for these treatments. Elderly consumers are especially impacted by the high cost of health care: many must pay for their own pharmaceutical
products, nursing home care and other health care products.
More than 20 million Southern Californians live within a two and a half hour drive of the U.S.-Mexican border. But despite a steadily growing demand
by Californians for cross-border health care in Baja California, medical services and treatment are still relatively under-utilized for a number of
reasons.
Research provided by cross-border health care consultant Pablo Schneider shows that the approximately 250,000 Californians who cross the border each
month for health care services have made this a half billion dollar a year industry. The significant majority of these consumers purchase
pharmaceutical products, which are especially popular among seniors, as well as dental services, cosmetic surgery and optical procedures.
But Schneider argues that there are three principal barriers to access to cross-border health services: discomfort; distance and convenience; and the
prolonged delay consumers experience at the border when they return to the United States.
The discomfort barrier centers on cultural differences and lack of knowledge about health care in Mexico. Americans may be hesitant to go to Tijuana
for medical care because they are afraid of unprofessional and incompetent health care providers. A lack of understanding of the presence of quality
professional health care providers, and the specific cost savings for medical, dental, vision and pharmaceuticals contributes to this. It can also be
a challenge to find and contact an acceptable health care provider. Added to that is the language barrier and the cost of making international long
distance telephone calls to make appointments. Many Californians are also unfamiliar with the location of facilities, traffic and safety laws in
Mexico.
The health care sector in Baja can also be unorganized, fragmented, dispersed, uncoordinated and inconsistent. There is no centralized mechanism for
initiating and confirming appointments, for ascertaining the cost of dental or medical procedures, or for pricing pharmaceutical products ? all of
which make it risky and challenging for Americans to seek health care services there.
Customer service is also uneven: few individual providers have sufficient capacity to adequately serve English-speaking customers. There is also no
oversight or grievance resolution mechanism to protect the American visitor.
To reduce these obstacles, medical professionals on both sides of the border have joined together in a coordinated binational effort to develop a
readily accessible medical plaza in Tijuana. Staffed with screened professionals, and affiliated with California clinics and hospitals, this center
would allow clients to make appointments easily and would provide transportation for California patients.
Packoderm - 4-1-2005 at 10:27 AM
Since we turn a blind eye to illegal immigration for laborers, we should also allow the doctors and dentists in. It's all headed downhill anyhow with
the reduced access, inflated medical costs, and lower quality of care; there is no reason not too allow unlicensed doctors, dentists, as well as self
medicine and dentistry kits.
bajalou - 4-1-2005 at 11:20 AM
I know a optometrist in Algodones who was trained in the US, worked for several years there and then moved to Los Algodones to open his own shop.
Many have come to Mex to practice for many different reasons - Less stress - less commuting, better living - the list goes on and on.
Packoderm - 4-1-2005 at 11:29 AM
Maybe some have malpractice problems?