Medellin Hospitals, among the Best in Latin America

The reputation of the Hospitals in Colombia is growing up.

Eight hospitals and clinics of the country are well positioned in the ranking of the best 35 Latin American Hospitals, 5 of them in Medellin. In fact Colombia is the country with more hospitals in the list.

The annual ranking of “America Economia” Magazine mention the following institutions:
San Vicente de Paul Hospital, Pablo Tobon Uribe Hospital, Hospital General, Las Americas Clinic, and Leon XIII Clinic.

The publication remarks that Colombia is the country with the most number of institutions among the best ones, above Brazil that brings 7 hospitals to the list.

According to the magazine issue, there is a growing disposition from the patients to travel and get the services from the best hospital in Latin America “depending on the health conditions and affordability”

This type of report reflects the excellent regulations, quality and services offered by these hospitals to their patients and allows future patients to have international references.

La Fundacion Santa Fe, from Bogota, is the best one from Colombia in the forth place in the list. The ranking shows in first place Hospital Albert Einstein from Sao Paulo (Brasil), followed by two Hospitals from Santiago De Chile: Clinica Alemana and Clinica Las Condes.

To the Medicine and Dentistry Cluster Director, Carlos Enrique Cardenas, this means good news for the country, and in special for the city of Medellin. “The Cluster, Hospitals and City feel very proud. By 2009, in the best 20 hospitals ranking we had just two hospitals in the list (Hospital General and Pablo Tobon Uribe), showing a noticeable improvement in our services” he said.

The report highlight as well the efforts made by these institutions to acquire international licensing and accreditation and to achieve international standards.

Taken from “El Colombiano” article published by Laura Victoria Botero on Sept 9/10

There is a lot to show to a medical traveler about Medellin

There’s a lot to show to a medical traveler about Medellin: the technology of the surgery rooms, the experienced doctors and nurses, the clinics and hospitals, the efficiency in the diagnosis. To this particular type of traveler, a park more or a park less to visit doesn’t make any difference.


The city has positioned itself in a relevant place in what is called “medical tourism”, and for some it is a life saving trip.

25 years ago, Medellin began to build a strong and noble reputation concerning itself and its doctors among those who wanted to receive dental treatment or a surgery. In the year 2000, 505 patients arrived looking for medical treatments, in 2004 that number grew to 1,000 and by 2009 the number of patients visiting the city was 4,500.

The information given by Carlos Enrique Cardenas, Medicine and Dentistry Cluster Director, reveals progress, strength and quality found by patients who decided to receive medical and dental treatments in the city. Andres Aguirre Martinez, director from the Pablo Tobon Uribe Hospital and Juan Carlos Giraldo, Services and Contractors chief from San Vicente de Paul Hospital, agreed upon the fact that Medellin has earned its reputation thanks to the great medical and scientific quality.

Aguirre assures that Medellin is a valued location with state of the art facilities and technology people believe they will find in “developed countries”. He adds that the accessibility and the choices are an asset. There are not very many cities or medical centers around the world that have all the services integrated the way Medellin does. In addition to those facts, there are no waiting lists and the time waiting for transplants is relatively short.

Giraldo also says: “Our doctors have done post-grade courses in other countries, and we are confident in our ability to provide service with the latest in technologies and have the infrastructure needed to allow our patients to stay for weeks in a friendly city”.

"Private companies are constantly investing in hospitals to improve infrastructure and acquire technology to offer more and better medical and dental services. Projects to upgrade facilities are taking place, creating 10,500 new job positions, purchasing 850 new beds and building 45 new surgery rooms”, explain Cardenas.
The San Vicente de Paul hospital is investing 100 million dollars in a new facility in Rionegro close to the international airport.

More for Less

Another fact that marks a big difference is the price. To receive a surgery or another specialized treatment costs less than in other neighboring countries that can offer the same services. In conclusion, optimal quality service and low prices complement each other in a successful formula.

The sources of this report assure that each case is different, and due to this factor they don’t find it appropriate to give an average in prices. However, Adriana Duque, Quality Control Director from Dental Clinic Promta, provides us with some information:

Orthodontic treatments have gained importance in the services offered. While in Colombia a patient pays around 1,250 US, in the States, Spain and Mexico this treatment can cost between 9,000 and 12,000 US. That means that the patients pay less even when airline tickets and recovery hotel are included.

80% of services administered in Colombia are medical and 20% dental. In 2008, foreign sales in the medical field were 3.5 million US and 6 million US in 2009. They expect the number of patients to grow by 25 % in 2010.

In Medellin everyone can be a winner and each healthy and satisfied patient is an ambassador of the city.
This article was taken from “EL COLOMBIANO” newspaper, issued on August 28/2010.

DENTISTRY IN COLOMBIA

At the present moment there are 21 accredited dental schools in Colombia (some of these schools have branches in different cities). Five dental schools are public the other 16 are private; all of them require full time attendance. The majority of these dental schools are active, meaning that they fulfill all the requirements of the Ministry of Health, which oversees the accreditation process, and thus these schools are able to continue operating.
All applicants to dental school must have graduated from high school; undergraduate pre-dental coursework is not a prerequisite for dental school in Colombia. To obtain licensure, Colombian dental students must complete 5 years of study in dental school, earn a diploma, and work for the government for 1 year.
The 5-year dental school program culminates in a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree.
According with the curriculum the last two semesters students take rotations in some hospitals and health institutions, including some outside Colombia. In the Universidad CES de Medellin dental program, for example, students can take rotations in foreign dental schools in countries such as Germany, Brazil, and the United States.


(Journal of Oral Science Vol. 52, No. 1,137-143, 2010)

INTRODUCTION

Medical Travel is an alternative; it is another option for our medical and dental needs. To see it this way we need to understand and be aware of the high quality and the standards followed by all the countries around the world. Sometimes we judge based on the color of the skin or the accent of our doctor or dentist without taking into consideration that despite of the racial differences our human body and teeth are the same, as well as the training given to doctors and dentists, equipment used, facilities and so on. Technology and knowledge reach all the corners of our planet and is accessible anywhere you go.
So if you think about it, and you have the capability to travel and get the same or even sometimes better services than the ones you get at home with up to 40% less of the cost, then you will start considering medical travel as an option to relieve your pain and needs. Your medical and dental journey then becomes more enjoyable, affordable and unforgettable.

In this blog, we want to inform you, educate you and share experiences that at the end will help you to take your decision. Everyday more people is traveling to other countries around the world looking for medical and dental treatments. You need to be careful on knowing where you are going and who is your doctor or dentist and what are the expectations and risks. Our mission is to help you take your decision responsibly and be with you in your complete journey.

After spending some years in North America (USA and Canada) and living first hand the services that Hospitals and Doctors provide to our medical needs, I couldn't stop wondering why I always felt better treated back home and never left the Hospital and Doctor thinking on how I would pay the bills.


Then I thought that the best way to share this with the North American people was promoting our Doctors and Hospitals as well as visiting our beautiful countries. Then they will experience the relief of feeling healthy and going back home with a smile on the face without thinking on the high prices.


For me is easy to understand how good our quality in services is. Is easy to believe in our well educated and trained doctors and nurses as well as in the high technology and the state of the art facilities.


The purpose of this blog is to show you how good our Doctors and Hospitals are. How most of the times going to another country for Medical or Dental treatments is the best alternative. Our mission is to offer you the possibility of living "the complete experience".