Tijuana: the Mexican city become the foreigners' operating room

One, two or even ten hours of travel on the road was not an obstacle to millions of foreign tourists "migrate" to Tijuana, Baja California, in search of medical treatment.

Ramsés Q., who was offered a ophthalmic surgery 70% cheaper than in San Jose, California, traveled for 8 hours to a hospital in the Mexican city bordering the United States.

His son Andrés needs surgery that will cost him $ 3,500 in Tijuana. place of 11 000 USD announced in dispensaries in the San Francisco area.

"The reality is that there is not much to think about … He (E.U) this can cost you thousands and thousands of dollars, and here it's cheaper", said the father of the family BBC.

The SIMNSA clinic, located in Paseo Tijuana, It is one of the centers that receives hundreds of tourists every day, most Americans coming to Mexico for surgery.

The phenomenon says "Medical tourism" has been so important in recent years that it has only accommodated about 1.2 million patients in 2018 who came for health treatment.

Gilberto Leyva, chairman of the Tourism and Congress Committee, told the BBC that "Although they have always welcomed strangers, the phenomenon has increased dramatically".

The low cost of the procedures, consultations, drugs and surgeries (prices between 30 and 70% lower than in the United States) they make this city claim the title of world capital of medical tourism.

According to experts, in addition to affordable prices, a friendly, warm and personal treatment, The choice of Tijuana as an operating room is a great attraction for foreigners.

But the "boom" of the service has not escaped criticism, At present, US health authorities have warned of the case of serious infections, allegedly caused by a hospital in Tijuana.

Add to that, The people of Tijuana are stigmatized and considered the most violent community in the world, according to the Citizens Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice.

Antonella R. is one of the many Americans who visit Tijuana will practice one of the most requested surgical procedures: bad implants.

In your country, surgery can cost more than $ 10,000 and in the Mexican city about $ 3,500 on average.

"Although it involves an extra expense for the trip and the hotel, I trust the procedure and I like the options offered and the treatment in general", he mentioned.

The most requested treatments by "tourists" are: dentistry, which 5000 practices present foreign demand; cosmetic surgery, which performs 350 reconstructive interventions and beautifying the body daily; and Bariatría, surgeries against obesity, 80 performed daily.

"Blindan" with foreign cops

Although walking in the touristy streets of downtown Tijuana is nice, the residents themselves warn visitors that one must be careful in the north area near the fence.

Clbadification "The 50 most violent cities in the world in 2018" led by the Public Security and Criminal Justice Council, has made Tijuana one of the most violent cities in the world, with a rate of 1,388.26 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

Gilberto Leyva, president of Cotuco, rejected the methodology of the study and ensured that in the region bilingual police officers reinforce the locations of the clinics.