Tamarindo Essentials - Guanacaste is the Future of Medicine
Medical Tourism is a 60-billion dollar per year industry and Costa Rica sees about 25,000 people per year for this reason alone. Up until recently most of that was funneled into the San Jose area. In the last few years there have been several additions to Guanacaste which are shifting that business to the North. This is good for several reasons, first of which is better care options for expats and residents of Guanacaste. The drive to San Jose is a grueling five-hour haul. Now it's easier to get help locally. Also, with more people flying from the North to Guanacaste for medical tourism, more money is coming into the region, which means more opportunity for Tamarindo real estate investors in the coming years. In fact, in light of the recent wellness news, we've compiled a quick list of five reasons you should be excited about the future of medicine in Guanacaste.
1) Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia. If you've ever travelled through the renovated airport in Liberia you will know why people who frequently travel to Guanacatste prefer the airport in Liberia to the main airport in San Jose. Besides the obvious, proximity, Liberia is a newer facility with state of the art operation standards. Daniel Oduber is world class. With more direct flights added all the time getting to the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica just gets easier and easier. This is huge for Costa Rica real estate in the region.
2) CIMA Liberia. With one CIMA location already in Costa Rica, close to San Jose, the logical next step was to expand into Liberia. The CIMA facility is a first class hospital, outfitted with state of the art facilities. They have agreements with the U.S. Veterans Administration, and Baylor University Medical Center in Texas.
3) San Rafael Arcángel Medical Center. Another private medical center in Guanacaste, they provide both in and out-patient services and recently expanded their facilities in 2012.
4) Lifegaurd Costa Rica – Count their assets: two helicopters, eight fully equipped ambulances, and four clinics in the region. Lifeguard is ready to take on any medical emergency. They are also networked with the ability to transport clients to anywhere in the world. All medical teams are certified in advanced life support, trained in aviation physiology, and can accommodate any age patient, from neonatal to adult.
5) Association for Medical Tourism of Guanacaste. Created in 2013, their initial intention was to shift 3,000 patients a year from San Jose to Guanacaste. The Medical Tourism Board of Guanacaste now has a goal to make that number 5,000 in 2014. They expect the average person will spend $7,000, injecting 35-million dollars into the region. The association is comprised of thirty representatives from different companies with vested interest in the long term success of this project. It's expected to sustainably grow over the next ten years.
The reason behind all of this is simple: Costa Rica's private medical services sector is far cheaper than most insurance-paid services in other countries. 40-70% cheaper in most cases. Couple that with easy access to some of the best beaches Costa Rica has to offer, it's no surprise Guanacaste is ideal resource for those seeking affordable care. Who wouldn't want to recover from surgery on the beach in Tamarindo? Not to mention the area is rife with holistic healing options, with more yoga and meditation centers than anyone has time to visit. And who could forget all of the healthy-eating options? It's obvious, Guanacaste is the future of health and wellness for Costa Rica.
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