Medical tourism (also known as health tourism, medical outsourcing, medical travel, health travel, etc.) is a developing concept whereby people travel to other countries to meet their medical needs at a fraction of the cost of healthcare in their own countries. Last year alone more than 500,000 US citizens traveled abroad for healthcare. The most common reasons for medical tourism were heart surgery, knee and hip replacement, cosmetic surgery, and of course, bariatric surgery. Since many people are reluctant to get into debt or sell their homes in order to afford an expensive operation in the US, medical tourism is quickly becoming a safe and viable healthcare option for North Americans.

Dr. Rodrigo Gonzalez created a bariatric surgery group in Guatemala in order to meet the needs of the increasing number of North Americans considering medical tourism to undergo bariatric surgery abroad. Our team consists of a multidisciplinary group of US-trained physicians with a bariatric surgery-oriented medical practice. We have shaped our bariatric surgery practice in order to become leaders in providing optimum medical standards in medical tourism. By doing this, we will be able to ensure satisfying the needs of our medical tourism international guests. After all, your safety is our priority. It is important to know that our group has a different philosophy on the concept of medical tourism (traveling abroad to undergo a surgical procedure). We understand the seriousness of providing high quality medical care and then allowing your body to recover from your surgery.

Our team consists of a multidisciplinary group of US-trained physicians with a bariatric surgery-oriented medical practice.We have shaped our bariatric surgery practice in order to become leaders in providing optimum medical standards in medical tourism.

Your safety is our priority.

Physicians in our program are all US-trained, which makes us unique from other medical tourism bariatric surgery programs around the world. This guarantees that you will be treated by a group experienced and well-trained medical professionals. We are not only offering affordable healthcare, we are offering premium medical treatment.

We not only offer affordable healthcare; we offer premium medical treatment.

However, don’t think for a minute that low prices are equal to low quality. Quite the contrary. Many of the most advanced medical facilities in the world exist outside of the United States, with specific programs carefully designed to attract international medical tourism travelers such as yourself. In fact, these hospitals have spent the last decade preparing for the explosive growth of medical tourism, specifically adhering to the same high standards that you have come to trust in the United States.

Additionally, most specialized bariatric surgery centers in the US have a long waiting list and you should feel fortunate if you have your surgery within one year of beginning your evaluation process. Therefore, you will be scheduled to the surgeon’s agenda, not your own. We offer to schedule your bariatric surgery as best as possible to comply with your own agenda.

We offer to schedule your bariatric surgery as best as possible to comply with your own agenda.

The reason why medical tourism in Guatemala is appealing to North Americans is its proximity to the United States. You do not need to travel long distances to have your bariatric surgery. Why travel all the way to Southeast Asia if we are within 3 hours from many major cities in the US? Additionally, our hospital is among the most advanced medical outsourcing facilities in the world, with specific infrastructure and technology carefully designed to meet every single medical need of bariatric surgery patients.

Finally, medical tourism offers other advantages. At the same time as having your surgery abroad, you can experience the excitement and adventure of the cultural attractions that our country has to offer. Guatemala is among the preferred tourist destinations of Americans. It is well known for its archeological heritage of the Mayan civilization, colonial cities, lakes, volcanoes, and beaches. It is also well known for its golf courses, surfing, fishing, and rafting. You could enjoy a “medical vacation” and take a tour around the country before having your surgery or you could go sightseeing, shopping, exploring, and relaxing afterwards. We guarantee you will be amazed by our natural wonders. (for more information visit www.visitguatemala.com)

WHY BARIATRIC SURGERY IN GUATEMALA?

It is important to bear in mind that you are not planning a simple vacation. You are seeking the best medical alternative in bariatric surgery in a foreign country that you are probably not familiar with. Therefore, it is important that you consider all the factors that will play a significant role in the total value of your trip.

Currently, there are hundreds of healthcare providers from all over the world advertising their medical tourism services on the Internet. Therefore, it might be an overwhelming and cumbersome process to assess all the information provided in order to find the best doctor and the best facility you could afford outside the US to have your bariatric surgery. As with most things in life, it would not be wise to decide your destination based solely on the lowest price available. Besides price, there are many other important factors to consider before uncovering the “best value” option, which include the following:

As with most things in life, it would not be wise to decide your destination based solely on the lowest price available.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: The proximity of the country to the US should also be part or your algorithm when considering your medical tourism destination. Remember that it is important to avoid long trips with multiple flight connections when recovering from a major surgery, such as bariatric surgery. Additionally, it is more expensive. Guatemala is located just south from Mexico. Flights arrive within 3 hours from several major cities in the United States (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and New York) and from many other locations around the country.

Remember that it is important to avoid long trips with multiple flight connections when recovering from a major surgery, such as bariatric surgery. Daily flights arrive to Guatemala within 3 hours from several major cities in the United States.

• Weather: Guatemala’s nickname is the “country of the eternal spring”. We only have to seasons, when it rains and when it doesn’t rain. Rainy season is between May and September. The weather all year long in Guatemala is between 60° F (15° C) and 80° F (25° C). Nevertheless, the hospital and hotel rooms are equipped with air conditioning for your convenience.

US-TRAINED MEDICAL TEAM: The most important factor to consider when deciding your destination is the training, quality and experience of the surgeon. It is important to remember that, although Bariatric Surgery was born in the 1950’s, fellowship training in Bariatric Surgery as a medical specialty was recently created in the United States. The selection of your surgeon should be based both on training and experience.

All the physicians who will take care of you during your stay in Guatemala have completed their training in a University-affiliated hospital in the United States and most of them are Board Certified in their different medical specialties. US-trained physicians include the surgeon, the cardiologist, the pulmonary care specialist, the endocrinologist, the dietician, and the psychologist. Also, there is an on call U.S.-trained Intensive Care specialist who will be available for better monitoring patients during the hospital stay. These are the credentials you should trust when choosing your destination.

All physicians in our team received their training at a University-affiliated hospital in the United States. These are the credentials you should trust when choosing your destination.

EXPERIENCE: Including our training in the United States and our practice in Guatemala, we have taken care of hundreds of patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Our experience includes preoperative evaluation and preparation of clinically significant obese patients for bariatric surgery, the actual surgery, and postoperative care. We are proudly one of the most experienced bariatric surgery centers in Latin America.

We are proudly one of the most experienced bariatric surgery centers in Latin America.

MEDICAL FACILITIES: The quality of the medical facilities is a significant factor to consider. You need to make sure you undergo your bariatric surgery at a state-of-the-art hospital with the highest quality standards available. In Guatemala, we have a recently built, fully equipped, bariatric surgery-oriented hospital with the latest in technology available. It was built in order to meet the highest contemporary international medical standards.

EQUIPMENT: In order to guarantee quality, we use only FDA approved bariatric surgery equipment shipped from the United States. We use the LapBand system for our gastric banding patients to ensure that physicians in the United States are familiarized with this type of band and that you can continue your follow-up with them without any problem. For our gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy patients we use exactly the same FDA approved bariatric surgery staplers used in hospitals all over the United States.

VARIETY: We are one of the few bariatric surgery centers outside the United States who will offer more than one type of bariatric operation. We are fully trained and experienced in performing gastric banding, open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, revisional surgeries, conversion of failed or complicated bariatric operations, and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Depending on your individual evaluation, the multidisciplinary group will be able to recommend you the type of bariatric surgery with the best chance of success.

We are one of the few bariatric surgery centers outside the United States who will offer more than one type of bariatric operation.

COSTS: Our prices are at least 50% less expensive than the cheapest available bariatric surgery programs in the United States. Although our hospital is affiliated to international insurance companies, bariatric surgery is not covered by insurance companies in Guatemala.

• The $6,000 Rule: There is a simple rule you should follow to determine if you would actually save money by having your surgery abroad. It is called “The $6,000 Rule.” It implies that you may not save if your operation costs $6,000 or less in the US. Even if the surgery costs much less abroad, when you add the airfare, hotel accommodations, transportation, and other expenses of traveling to another country, you may only break-even. That being said, many people still choose to travel abroad to achieve complete privacy and anonymity, peaceful recuperation, and the avoidance of daily hometown distractions

Our prices are at least 50% less expensive than the cheapest available bariatric surgery programs in the United States.

SURGERY SCHEDULE: You can pick your own bariatric surgery date. You can even have your surgery scheduled right away. You don’t need to wait for months to have your bariatric surgery. You will have your complete work-up done by the multidisciplinary bariatric surgery team on one single day, the day following your arrival to Guatemala. If everything is OK, you can have your operation the very next day.

LANGUAGE: Tourism is a major industry in Guatemala. Almost everybody here speaks in English fluently. Despite that, you will have a translator available at any time during your stay so you will be able to ask for anything you need without any problem.

Almost everybody here speaks in English fluently. Despite that, you will have a translator available at any time during your stay.

EXPERIENCE IN MEDICAL TOURISM: We have a high level of commitment for our international patients. Our bariatric surgery team has trained and worked in the United States and has accumulated enough experience to imitate the American medical programs. We have contacts with many prestigious healthcare organizations that are constantly referring us their patients. Therefore, medical tourism is part of our daily job and we make our best effort to remain as pioneers in this evolving medical field. We have agreements with airlines, hotels, translators, transport services, etc., that will helps us make your trip as smooth as possible.

Therefore, medical tourism is part of our daily job and we make our best effort to remain as pioneers in this evolving medical field.

COMMUNICATION: Communication with family and friends back home is essential. We therefore provide you with a cell phone where you can be reached at any given time during your stay in Guatemala. This cell phone will also allow you to communicate with Dr. Gonzalez. You will be a speed dial away from talking to Dr. Gonzalez himself, not his answering service, not his assistant, not the resident, not his secretary.

TOURS: Before your bariatric surgery you will have the option to visit some of the tourist areas in our beautiful country, including Antigua Guatemala (colonial city and former Capital City of Guatemala), Tikal (former Capital of the Mayan Empire), lake Atitlan, Chichicastenango, and many, many others. For more information visit www.visitguatemala.com