Hospitals in Costa Rica
Hospitals in Costa Rica
As you know, Costa Rica has excellent healthcare. Costa Rica’s leading hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International, Ministro de Salud de Costa Rica (Costa Rican Ministry of Health), which issues local licenses for Habilitacien Hospitalaria, and local authorities such as the Municipio de Escazu in San Jose, which issue Funcionamento licenses. CIMA Clinic and several others are owned and operated by leading American medical corporations.
Costa Rica currently has 2 JCI accredited hospitals, both located in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.
CIMA Hospital – San Jose, Costa Rica
Received JCI accreditation in May 2008. This hospital is also ISO certified and was the first hospital to be certified by the Costa Rican Ministry of Health for quality processes. Costa Rica has several CIMA CIMA Hermosillo, CIMA Chihuahua and CIMA Santa Engracia clinics. However, it is CIMA San Jose that is the key clinic for medical tourism.
Clinica Biblica Hospital – San Jose, Costa Rica
Received JCI accreditation in October 2007. Clinica Biblica is the largest private clinic in Costa Rica, founded in 1929 by missionaries, and has since grown into a high-quality medical facility with 120 inpatients and a throughput of up to 5,000 outpatients per day. The clinic has a dedicated medical tourism department, whose staff is fluent in Spanish and English.
Costa Rica has some of the best healthcare facilities in Latin America. Immigrants can access two systems: the public universal health care system, the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, known as Caja, and the private system.
Both health systems in Costa Rica are constantly being upgraded. There are new hospitals, new equipment, and improvements in staff training.
Many doctors, especially those who work privately, speak English and have been trained in Europe, Canada or the United States. Many prescription drugs in North America can be bought without a prescription in Costa Rica.
Private healthcare in Costa Rica
Most immigrants use three large private hospitals: CIMA Hospital in Escazu, ClÃnica BÃblica in San Jose and La Católica Hospital in San Jose Guadalupe.
The country also has a full-service private hospital located in the center of Liberia called San Rafael Archangel, serving the Guanacaste province and nearby beaches such as Playas del Coco, Flamingo and Tamarindo, home to many expats in the region.
In this private system, you can pay in cash or use insurance, including some policies from the US and Europe, international policies and insurance from Costa Rica companies.
Statistics from the World Health Organization often rank Costa Rica among the top countries in the world in terms of life expectancy. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is the slower pace of life in Costa Rica. And, of course, healthy, fresh food without preservatives and a hospitable tropical climate. Costa Rica just seems like a healthy place to live.
