Abstract

DE LA PUENTE, Mario. Health tourism sector: The Colombian case. rev. econ. Caribe [online]. 2015, n.16, pp.129-161. ISSN 2011-2106.  https://doi.org/10.14482/ecoca.15.7192.

This article analyzes the dynamics of health tourism in Colombia through a theoretical-descriptive method. Collection of primary and secondary data on the global health tourism and wellness sector serve for the analysis of the medical and wellness tourism services positioning in Colombia. It was found that the momentum of this sector is due mainly to the contribution of private agents through the use of competitive advantages in terms of price, ease of access to the country, and the support of national agencies for the promotion of health and wellness tourism. However, factors such as the low level of bilingualism in physicians and nurses, the lack of foresight of some clinical entities regarding attention to international patients, and the limited flow of information between the patient, the doctor in the country of origin and the doctor in Colombia, create a series of obstacles for international patients, which creates market distortions.

Keywords : Health Tourism; International Economics; Investment; International Trade.

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