Cheap Healthcare Attracting Tourists to Brazil

Brazil is fast becoming a medical tourism hotspot thanks to the cheap healthcare that the country offers.  The costs of surgical procedures and cosmetic surgery in Brazil are notoriously low.  The country is an especially attractive option for those with obesity related problems as the cost of liposuction here is affordable.  This low cost coupled with the ease of accessibility to cosmetic surgery in Brazil has created an influx of tourists from other regions where procedures like liposuction, Botox injections, and facelifts are not that easily accessible.  The Canadian province of Saskatchewan, for instance, has very strict rules regarding surgery for weight loss, and the government has enforced a ban on people over 350 pounds who wish to go in for bariatric surgery.  This embargo has resulted in at least 12 people from the region choosing to have the procedure in Brazil over the past two years. 

Cosmetic Surgery in Brazil: a Great Experience

Tess Boehm was one of the Canadian tourists who choose to make the long trip to Brazil.  She weighed 450 pounds before her surgery two years ago, but thanks to the excellent and cheap healthcare available in Brazil, Tess weighs just 250 pounds today.  Activities that were difficult for her earlier like running up stairs or crossing her legs are now possible.  The surgery has improved her self confidence, and Tess expresses new optimism for the future.  

"Because I now have lost this weight, I will not need a hip replacement in the future; I will not need medication to deal with my high blood pressure, my diabetes.  All those issues are solved,”  

With a view to further developing Brazil’s already booming aesthetic surgery sector, the country has begun to promote healthcare centers that will offer a more holistic approach to weight loss.  Apart from the low cost of liposuction, these places will accommodate a number of health professionals from a variety of fields under one roof who will advocate lifestyle changes to help people lose weight through conventional non-surgical means.  Ambitious projects like these are expected to further boost the cosmetic surgery sector in Brazil.

Source: "Hundreds in Sask. waiting for weight-loss surgery," CBC News, February 5, 2007