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Government puts its weight behind medical tourism

• by crv.staff
• 22.07.09
• 1:57 PM UTC

• Filed in Costa Rica, Costa Rica Medical Tourism

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The following article explains a published Costa Rican government decree to stimulate medical tourism that specifically mentions wellness.  The decree is created to  support business that specifically promote medical tourism is declared “in the national interest”.

Source: AM Costa Rica

Originally published: Feb. 20, 2009

The country has put its support behind health tourism. A decree  published Wednesday pledges the executive branch to simplify and speed up the process of giving approval to firms involved in this type of tourism.

The executive branch also agreed to support and stimulate organizations that would promote and regulate medical tourism.

The publication of the presidential decree comes nearly four months after it was signed by Óscar Arias Sánchez. That happened Oct. 27. The decree was not in force until its publication.

The decree noted that medical tourism brings in worldwide about $60 billion a year, a number that is expected to grow to $100 billion a year by 2012, thanks to the high cost of health care in developed countries.

The decree also noted that citizens in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand are getting older and some 220 million will need major medical care by 2015.

Costa Rica already has positioned itself as a location for the manufacture of medical equipment and the production of pharmaceuticals. In fact, one small medical equipment company was inaugurated just this week.

Although other countries in Asia and Latin America are taking advantage of medical tourism by means of promotion campaigns and by attracting investments, Costa Rica has the competitive advantage of geography, a stable economic
and political system and an international reputation for the quality of its health care system, said the decree.

The decree also praised the pioneers in the field here, mainly plastic surgeons who with vision began offering medical services principally to U.S. citizens more than 10 years ago. The decree also cites dental care, esthetics, wellness and thermal cures.

In order to stimulate the medical tourism sector, the decree declares such businesses to be in the national public interest, a stipulation that might assist those who would seek to develop medical tourism here.

DECREE 35054-S-COMEX-COM-TUR

Declaration of National Public Interest the Activities and Initiatives related with Health Tourism

Of Public Interest are decreed the activities that:

1. Promote development and practice medicine of quality.
2. Contribute to the activities of scientific investigation and the development of life sciences while generating revenue to the State.
3. Promote productive linkages and synergies by and between national and international companies.
4. Attract the direct foreign investment and impel the use of national resources
5. Contribute to create direct and indirect employment.
6. Increase tourism and positions Costa Rica to a level of international standard in the industry.

The institutions of the Public or Private sector will be able to contribute with resources or alternative forms of collaboration with activities and initiatives related with the development of the health tourism industry, and are decree a simplification of applicable rules and regulations to create a suitable and sustainable environment to the health industry in Costa Rica.

The Executive Power of Costa Rica, aware of the necessity of articulating its efforts to promote CR as a world destination for the health tourism, stimulates the formation of social organizations of the medical sector to promote and to consolidate this form of tourism.

DECRETO 35054-S-COMEX-COM-TUR

Declaratoria de Interés Público Nacional las actividades

e iniciativas relacionadas con el Turismo Salud

Se decretan de interés público las actividades que:

1. Promuevan desarrollo de medicina de calidad.
2. Contribuyan actividades de investigación y desarrollo de ciencias de la vida y generen un efecto positivo en la balanza de pagos del país.
3. Promocionen encadenamientos productivos y sinergias entres las empresas nacionales y extranjeras.
4. Atraigan la inversión extranjera directa  e impulsar  la utilización de recursos nacionales
5. Contribuyan a crear empleos directos e indirectos.
6. Incrementen turismo y posicionamiento de Costa Rica a nivel internacional.

Las instituciones del sector Público o Privado, podrán contribuir con recursos o alternativas de colaboración con actividades e iniciativas relacionadas con el fomento del turismo de salud. Así como aplicar reglas para simplificar trámites y  participar con acciones para el desarrollo del turismo de salud.

El Poder Ejecutivo conciente de la necesidad de articular esfuerzos para promover a CR como un destino mundial de turismo de salud, estimula la formación de organizaciones sociales del sector para promover y consolidar este tipo de turismo.

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