Am listing to a great segment on "The Breakfast Club", radio talk show regarding the potential of medical tourism for Jamaica.

Check out the following link for further information.

http://www.privatehealth.co.uk/news/january-2007/jamaica-hospitals

I think if Jamaica wants to develop this sector of the market it must improve it's medical facilities and reputation. Most Jamaicans with the financial means seek serious medical treatment abroad as their view is that abroad there are better facilities and treatment. Countries such as Brazil, Cuba and Argentina are known for EXCELLENT socialized medicine for its citizens and therefore inexpensive(comparitively CHEAP to US prices)treatment for foreigners. Dominican Republic is also known for very cheap cosmetic surgery(eg, abdominal liposuction for $500USD compared to $3000~$5000USD in the US). I think further study on this topic may show that many of the countries with medical tourism have lower cost of living which is passed on to this market.
Can Jamaica offer this considering JA has a relatively high cost of goods and service?

Hey I like the Liposuction for $500 USD. I read an article in the Jamaica Gleaner a while back about concerns over large stomach among men and women. Price is really good

Be exremely careful in your choice of medical procedure,and wher it is performed.A friend of my had a prostrate surgery done in Columbia and almost died, he has to come back to USA to have it re-done, almost died of massive infection. Money is not everything when it involve you life and serious infection. There a lot of horror stories of botched surgeries,that does not see the light of the day, death and dismemberment, disfigurement of limbs, stomach, hips, face, lips,breast and noses. Research the doctor that you plan to use, his or her educational background, speciality, i know you do not want a Protologist giving you a face lift, ask for references, talk to the former patient both satified and unsastisfied, and why. How many of this procedure has he or she done. How many of this procedure have to be re-done. What is your legal and the doctors obligations to you. Does your doctor have insurance.Will your insurance pay for the surgery perfomed aboard. In case you die on the the operating table, will you body become an experiment,shipped home or dumped somewhere. I am not a naysayer, but when it come to your health, use you head. All that glitters are not gold. We all love to save money, but you only have one body guide it with you life and try not to pay for the same procedure twice, because on the long run you save nothing and have more to loose.A most of all the life you save may just be yours. A word to the the wise.

WHAT I WILL SAY IS THIS....IF IT IS NOT AN EMERGENGY LEAVE YOUR BODY ALONE.IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TAKE A TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES.

I agree, nurse debby. Why go under the knife if you don't have to?

I will say that when it comes time for my knee replacement surgery, I'll be having the surgery with my wonderful doc here at home, but flying to JA for my weeks of recuperation! I'm not looking forward to the surgery (and it's still a ways off, thank goodness), but I will definitely love spending weeks healing in TB!

I agree that much adjustment would have to be done to offer reasonably priced medical treatment here.

When it does happen we should be the first beneficiaries.

We could offer visitors locations designed to teach/encourage preventive medicine.

Introduction to a diet based on organic whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes; guided excercise; relaxation methods etc.

There are already some moving in this direction. Shirley Genus-Duggan with her Zareba is one such in TB. Dr Vendreyes in Mobay another.
Is Sister P in Portland still operating?

A guide to these facilities would be an encouragement.

There are several top class facilities offering care on par with or superior to many US facilities. I can name the Heart Institute of the Caribbean for example. They have sites in both Kingston and Mandeville. All their physicians are US or Canadian trained and board certified. The facility is unbelievable.
The thing is unless you have the kind of money that very few people have you can't run back and forth to the States for care. Also even Americans can't afford their care muchless.
Not to mention; try having a heart attack and waiting on a flight to Miami....
It behooves us to invest in top class health care locally. If it attracts tourism so much the better.

Is Mental Health a part of the consideration here ?