In a place where you can’t drink the water, is it safe to go under the knife? I was surprised to learn that growing numbers of people from Texas and California are heading down to notorious Tijuana, Mexico, for medical tourism. Procedures range from cosmetic surgeries to more advanced stuff including gastric bypasses and even experimental treatments not approved in the U.S. Obviously price is a big factor. But is getting medical care in Tijuana – given the drug violence and long history of sleaze – a good idea? I checked things out while on a trip to Mexico and wrote about the experience for The Washington Post.
For Cheaper Medical Care, Try Tijuana
Remy Scalza: Special to the Washington Post
Adrian doesn’t look like a pharmacist. He’s not wearing a white lab coat and hasn’t shaved in a few days. He pats the breast pocket of his shirt to show me the best spot to stash pills when crossing back over the border.
“They won’t check here, and if they do, just tell them you have a medical condition,” he explains.
Out in front of his little shop, under his neon pharmacy sign, a busty mannequin done up in a skimpy nurse’s uniform and holding a heart-shaped sign for Viagra beckons more customers off the street. No prescription? No problem.
Tijuana, Mexico, just across the border from San Diego, has long been a favored destination for Americans in the market for cheap and illicit meds, among other things. The city was a seedy refuge for Hollywood pleasure-seekers during Prohibition, and then came decades as a playground for hard-partying co-eds and service personnel too young to imbibe north of the border.
But times are changing. Discount pharmacies such as Adrian’s are slowly disappearing as Tijuana turns its attention to American medical tourists looking for more than painkillers and sex pills. Savvy comparison shoppers, they stream in from California and beyond for deep discounts on everything from cosmetic and weight-loss surgeries to hip replacements and stem-cell transplants. Some are uninsured in the United States. Others are hoping to save on the high cost of elective procedures back home.
And then there’s me, just here to do a little browsing.
To read the full article on the Washington Post website, click here.
