In the most recent inform of World Sanitary Systems, done in year 2000 by the WHO (World Health Organization), Colombian health system is valued as one of the best systems in the world, number 22 in 191, surpassing countries like Canada, United States, Germany and Australia. In the 17 year that have passed from that measurement, the Colombian health system have systematically improved in all indicators. This is evidenced, for example, in the recent publication in the specialized portal of medical truism internationalliving.com, based on the 2017 Global Retirement Index that placed the Colombian as the third best health system in the world for 2017. In this article, reproduced by prestigious media like CNBC in United States, defined the South American country system as “economic and high quality”, emphasising the benefits for the foreign patients for its good relationship between cost and benefit. The pocket expense (measured as the total expense percentage) is one of the lowest in Latin America and in the in-development world.
Previously, the CNBC also published an article where it was mentioned that more than 50,000 foreigners travelled to Colombia for receiving medical treatment in 2013, more than 60% increment with respect of the last year. In this publication, the North American media specialized in economics and finances presented Colombia as an alternative for United States citizens to receive 40% cheaper medical treatment than in their country, without sacrificing quality. In the other side, the magazine America Economics (the most influent publication about business, economics and finances in the region), in its annual ranking of hospitals and clinics, placed 22 Colombian medical centres among the 43 best hospitals and clinics of the region (more than 50%). This places Colombia, by a wide margin, as the Latin American country with the best offer in health services. This has been recognized by some medical tourism specialist doctors worldwide, that had reviewed the South American country as an excellent option for receiving medical treatments.
To this we can add the numerous significant achievements in the public health field. In 2014, Colombia was declared as the first country in the world onchocerciasis (river blindness) free. Also, it was recognized as the first country free of indigenous measles and rubella circulation. The vaccination programs in Colombia against malaria and human papilloma virus, among others, are considered worldwide reference. All this achievements are part of a tradition that has been slowly consolidating systematically, over various decades ago. An arduous work that have given notable results.