Treatment abroad: Costa Rica 

Costa Rica, renowned for its natural beauty and eco-tourism, has also emerged as a sought-after destination for medical tourism, offering high-quality healthcare services in fields such as dentistry, cosmetic surgery, and wellness retreats amidst its lush landscapes and tranquil surroundings.

Costa Rica draws well over a million visitors every year. The country has a wide and varied geography. You can cruise through a cloud forest one day, climb a volcano the next, and finally relax on a beautiful beach.

Tourism in Costa Rica is one of the fastest growing economic sectors of the country. Since 2004, tourism earns more foreign exchange than bananas and coffee combined. The tourism boom began in 1987, with the number of visitors up from 329,000 in 1988, through 1 million in 1999, to a record 2.34 million visitors during 2012. Around 5 per cent of Costa Rica’s gross domestic product is now generated by tourism.

Medical treatment in Costa Rica – Why consider Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is located in the heart of Central America, between Panama to the south, and Nicaragua to the north and is an extremely bio-diverse country with an abundance of wildlife, flora and fauna. Touching both the Atlantic and the Pacific seas, the country is divided into three main regions; the Central Valley, Guanacaste/Nicoya Peninsula and the Central Pacific Coast.

The country’s economy has enjoyed a fairly steady growth and over time it has become a popular choice with medical tourists, particularly from the US (tourists from the United States make up almost one third of all visitors), who are combining private treatment with a fabulous holiday in an exotic country full of natural wonders. Costa Rica is now also becoming a destination attractive to Europeans seeking medical procedures. International patients have their treatment, recover in luxury hotel accommodation and return home, rested and content, having spent less than the procedure alone in their own country.

Costa Ricans are known as Tico’s and are known for being very hospitable. With stunning natural landscape and scenery, top class medical teams who spend many years qualifying (sometimes abroad in countries like the US, Mexico or Spain), Costa Rica offers the medical tourist excellent value. The private hospitals are first class and standards of health and hygiene are among the highest in Latin America.

The best time to visit is during the dry season (between December and April). The rainy season (also known as the ‘green’ season for obvious reasons) is the hottest time of the year (between May to October). The weather is influenced by altitude, and the hottest months are March and April. The Pacific coast is drier while the Atlantic coast has the most rainfall (approximately 300 days a year).

Spanish is the official language, but English is widely spoken.

Reasons to choose Costa Rica

A popular choice with medical tourists, particularly from the US

A hot location for high-quality cut-price medical care

Combine private treatment with a fabulous holiday

Tourism is a key industry bigger than bananas and coffee combined

Costa Rica is one of the most bio-diverse countries on earth

Easy to access Central American location

Cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica – Doctor training and accreditation

Qualifying as a doctor or surgeon in Costa Rica requires long and intensive training. Doctors study for seven years for their medical degree followed by a further four to five years to become a specialist in their particular field of medicine.

Four or five years are spent studying basic and clinical sciences (involving theory and practice) in university hospitals, followed by one year of internship with rotation in Medicine, Surgery, GynOb, and Paediatrics. To get their license to practice in Costa Rica doctors must do an additional year of Social Services in rural areas. Only when this has been completed is the candidate recognised as a physician and post graduate studies can begin.

Post graduate general surgery takes five years, and certain specialties (depending on requirements) need a general surgery degree prior to initiating a surgical subspecialty. Others require at least three years of general surgery prior to initiation of the subspecialty. Surgical subspecialties are no less than three years, and can go up to six years.

Most doctors/surgeons train in Costa Rica, but some also train abroad for their subspecialty, such as in the US, Mexico, Argentina or Spain, gaining professional memberships with these countries. In order to practice in Costa Rica all physicians need to belong to the Costa Rican Medical Association (including those who have trained abroad). There are other professional associations for different specialties but the important accreditation is with the Medical Association, which is based in the capital city, San Jose.

The Costa Rican Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud) is responsible for hospital safety and accreditation, while the College of Physicians and Surgeons is responsible for physician accreditation and recognition.

All plastic surgeons should be registered (board-certified) with the Costa Rica Plastic Surgery Board and will likely be members of professional associations such as the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Before committing to treatment compare services, treatments, costs and credentials of a handful of providers and read some patient testimonials. Check out the medical team’s credentials and qualifications with the Costa Rican Medical Association (all doctors and surgeons must be registered and have permission to practice) and find out all you can about a hospital or clinic and any international accreditations, for example, you could ask about mortality rates, success rates, infection rates and arrangements for follow-up care.

Cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica – Travel and accommodation

Costa Rica is well connected by air to the US, other Central and Latin American countries and to major European capitals.

Most international visitors from the region arrive at San Jos’s International Airport, Juan Santamaria, which is located around 20 km northwest of San Jos. Coaches depart regularly from the airport and buses go to city centre every 15 minutes, with a journey time of around 20 minutes. Taxis are also available to the city, with a journey time of around 15 minutes.

Other international flights arrive at Liberia’s Daniel Uduber International Airport, which is about 8km west of Liberia, in northern Costa Rica. Regular buses serve the airport and connect Liberia with Playas del Coco and other beach resorts. The national airline is called Lacsa, and this is part of the Central American Airline group known as Grupo Taca). Lasca flies to numerous places in the US, Latin America and Cuba.

Getting to Costa Rica from the US, the Americas, and Australasia

Over a third of all visitors to Costa Rica come from the US, so it is easy to find a flight from major US cities. There are scheduled flights to Costa Rica with Delta and United. Grupo Taca, the regional airline of Central Americas, has scheduled flights from major US cities. The flight journey from New York to San Jose is around seven hours.

Air Canada offers direct flights from Toronto to Costa Rica, and flies from other Canadian cities via the US. There are no direct flights from Australia or New Zealand so passengers need to travel via the US or Mexico. Flightcentre and STA Travel are two good resources for fares to Costa Rica from Australia and New Zealand.

There are three border crossings for visitors travelling overland by car, or bus from the Americas: Penas Blanas (between Costa Rica and Nicaragua), Paso Canoas and Sixaola (between Costa Rica and Panama).

Getting to Costa Rica from the UK and Europe

Most flights from Europe connect with the US, or Mexico City. Some of the main airlines flying include Continental, Virgin and American Airlines, as well as British Airways, Iberia, Air France, Delta, and KLM. Good deals can be found via websites like Cheapflights and Lastminute. The flight time from London, Paris or Amsterdam to Liberia airport is around 11 and a half hours.

Getting around Costa Rica

The best way to get around the country is by domestic flight. SANSA operates domestic flights between San Jos International Airport and provincial towns and tourist resorts, as does Nature Air. Check out their websites for routes and time-tabling.

Alternatively, a choice of private bus companies offer comfortable, air conditioned seats and link San Jos with major towns and villages. Buses between larger cities are comfy large buses, while local travel is done on smaller, more basic buses. The ‘directo’ buses do what they say, and travel fast and direct, while the ‘corriente’ buses are slower and stop at more places.

Driving in Costa Rica offers an opportunity of getting off the beaten track to view the vibrant, multi-coloured landscape and you will find international car hire companies (and local firms) in San Jos, other towns and cities, and of course at the airport. Driving is on the right side and the quality of road surfaces does vary – so watch out for potholes.

National rail operators, INCOFER, run a daily, scenic train journey from San Jos to Caldera, near Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast, which takes four hours, but generally speaking, buses are the better mode of public transport, or taxis which can be hired for the whole day if required. Licensed taxis are red (orange at the airport) and metered, but it is wise to agree a price beforehand.

All visitors need a passport for Costa Rica (valid for at least three months). Australian, Canadian, US and Western Europe do not require a visa, just a passport. Visit your country’s embassy office to find out about visa requirements.

In terms of accommodation Costa Rica offers the visitor an array of reasonably priced accommodation. Hotels are graded according to quality, with A being top class, and D being budget. The capital city, San Jos has a wide selection of hotels, from family run establishments to chain hotels. Around the country you can also choose to stay in a wilderness lodge, or cabina, and the national parks have designated camping areas. A double room in an ‘A’ graded hotel in San Jos is likely to cost between US$70 and 150. Most hoteliers speak English. Your medical tourism representative may be able to recommend and organise hotel accommodation for you.

The currency in Costa Rica is the Coln. US$1 is equal to approximately 500 Costa Rica Colns, and €1 equal to approximately 660 Colns.

The country code for Costa Rica is + 506 and the time: GMT – 6. Costa Rica is one hour behind New York EST.

Cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica – About the country

Costa Rica literally means ‘rich coast’ (so named by Columbus), and is one of the most bio-diverse countries on earth. When you think of Costa Rica tropical rainforests, misty waterfalls, stunning coastline and probably coffee will spring to mind (the coffee industry began in the eighteenth century in Costa Rica, and is the nation’s major export).

The Republic of Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. With cascading waterfalls and deserted beaches, national parks and interesting colonial towns, the country offers a kaleidoscope of attractions for the tourist.

Costa Rica boasts a mild climate and a very varied landscape. From dry tropical forest along the Central Pacific Coast to the misty cloud forests of Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, medical tourists can enjoy tropical beaches and breathtaking natural beauty and take advantage of competitively priced private treatments in the country’s top class private hospitals.

As well as agriculture, tourism is also one of its main sources of income, especially eco-tourism, and there are many Community Rural Tourism projects underway. Much of Costa Rica’s land is heavily forested with almost a third of the country being protected. The country’s national parks are a top attraction, and the Tortuguero National Park is a particular highlight, attracting many tourists to watch sea turtles nesting between July and October.

The country has many mountains and volcanoes and the coastline is surrounded by mangrove swamps and stunning white (or black) sand beaches. In the Caribbean part of Costa Rica there is a diversity of aquatic ecosystems while the Pacific coast is where you should head with your surf board – beaches like Esterillos, Jaco, Hermosa and Boca Barranca are super hot on the surfing circuit.

The capital city is San Jos, a bustling city with colonial neighbourhoods and a mish mash of modern and traditional architecture. Many different cultures have settled in Costa Rica, adding their unique essence, and Costa Rica gained its independence from Spain in 1821.

Priding itself on being a peaceful democracy Costa Rica is one of the few countries to operate without the assistance of a military force. In 1987 President Oscar Arias Sanchez made great headway in history and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping nearby countries find peaceful solutions to civil war.