Bariatric Tourism

Why bariatric surgery in Guatemala?

It is important to bear in mind that you are not planning a simple vacation. You are seeking the best medical alternative in bariatric surgery in a foreign country that you are probably not familiar with. Therefore, it is important that you consider all the factors that will play a significant role in the total value of your trip.

Currently, there are hundreds of healthcare providers from all over the world advertising their medical tourism services on the Internet. Therefore, it might be an overwhelming and cumbersome process to assess all the information provided in order to find the best doctor and the best facility you could afford outside the US to have your bariatric surgery. As with most things in life, it would not be wise to decide your destination based solely on the lowest price available. Besides price, there are many other important factors to consider before uncovering the “best value” option, which include the following:

As with most things in life, it would not be wise to decide your destination based solely on the lowest price available.

Location

The proximity of the country to the US should also be part or your algorithm when considering your medical tourism destination. Remember that it is important to avoid long trips with multiple flight connections when recovering from a major surgery, such as bariatric surgery. Additionally, it is more expensive.

Guatemala is located just South from Mexico. Flights arrive within 3 hours from Florida, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico, California and several major cities in the United States (Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York) and from many other locations around the country.

Remember that it is important to avoid long trips with multiple flight connections when recovering from a major surgery, such as bariatric surgery. Daily flights arrive to Guatemala within 3 hours from several major cities in the United States.

Weather

Guatemala’s nickname is the “country of the eternal spring”. We only have to seasons, when it rains and when it doesn’t rain. Rainy season is between May and September. The weather all year long in Guatemala is between 60° F (15° C) and 80° F (25° C). Nevertheless, the hospital and hotel rooms are equipped with air conditioning for your convenience.

Us-Trained Medical Team:

The most important factor to consider when deciding your bariatric surgery destination abroad is the training, quality and experience of the surgeon.

It is important to remember that, although Bariatric Surgery was born in the 1950’s, fellowship training in Bariatric Surgery as a medical specialty was recently created in the United States. The selection of your bariatric surgeon should be based both on training and experience.

All the physicians who will take care of you during your stay in Guatemala have completed their training in a University-affiliated hospital in the United States and most of them are Board Certified in their different medical specialties. US-trained physicians include the surgeon, the cardiologist, the pulmonary care specialist, the endocrinologist, the dietician, and the psychologist. Also, there is an on call U.S.-trained Intensive Care specialist who will be available for better monitoring patients during the hospital stay. These are the credentials you should trust when choosing your destination.

All physicians in our team received their training at a University-affiliated hospital in the United States. These are the credentials you should trust when choosing your destination for your bariatric surgery.

Experience

Including our training in the United States and our practice in Guatemala, we have taken care of hundreds of patients undergoing bariatric surgery.  Our experience includes preoperative evaluation and preparation of clinically significant obese patients for bariatric surgery, the actual operation, and postoperative care.  We are proudly one of the most experienced bariatric surgery centers in Latin America.

We are proudly one of the most experienced bariatric surgery centers in Latin America.

Medical Facilities

The quality of the medical facilities is a significant factor to consider. You need to make sure you undergo your bariatric surgery at a state-of-the-art hospital with the highest quality standards available. In Guatemala, we have a recently built, fully equipped, bariatric surgery-oriented hospital with the latest in technology available. It was built in order to meet the highest contemporary international medical standards.

Equiment

In order to guarantee quality, we use only FDA approved bariatric surgery equipment shipped from the United States. We use the LapBand system for our gastric banding patients to ensure that physicians in the United States are familiarized with this type of band and that you can continue your follow-up with them without any problem.

For our gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy patients we use exactly the same FDA approved bariatric surgery staplers used in hospitals all over the United States.

Variety

We are one of the few bariatric surgery centers in Latin America who will offer more than one type of bariatric operation. We are fully trained and experienced in performing gastric banding, open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, revisional surgeries, conversion of failed or complicated bariatric operations, and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Depending on your individual evaluation, the multidisciplinary group will be able to recommend you the type of bariatric surgery with the best chance of success.

We are one of the few bariatric surgery centers in Latin America who will offer more than one type of bariatric operation.

Costs

Our prices are at least 50% less expensive than the cheapest available bariatric surgery programs in the United States. Our prices are competitive throughout Latin America. Although our hospital is affiliated to international insurance companies, bariatric surgery is not covered by insurance companies in Guatemala.

Our prices are at least 50% less expensive than the cheapest available bariatric surgery programs in the United States. Our prices are competitive throughout Latin America.

Surgery Schedule

You can pick your own bariatric surgery date. You can even have your surgery scheduled right away. You don’t need to wait for months to have your bariatric surgery. You will have your complete work-up done by the multidisciplinary bariatric surgery team on one single day, the day following your arrival to Guatemala. If everything is OK, you can have your operation the very next day.

Language

Tourism is a major industry in Guatemala. Almost everybody here speaks in English fluently. Despite that, you will have a translator available at any time during your stay so you will be able to ask for anything you need.

Almost everybody here speaks in English fluently. Despite that, you will have a translator available at any time during your stay.

Communication

Communication with family and friends back home is essential. We therefore provide you with a cell phone where you can be reached at any given time during your stay in Guatemala. This cell phone will also allow you to communicate with members of BARIATRIC TOURISM, especially your surgeon. You will be a speed dial away from talking to Dr. Gonzalez himself, not his assistant, not the resident or his secretary.

Tours

Before your bariatric surgery you will have the option to visit some of the tourist areas in our beautiful country, including Antigua Guatemala (colonial city and former Capital City of Guatemala), Tikal (former Capital of the Mayan Empire), lake Atitlan, Chichicastenango, and many, many others. For more information visit: www.visitguatemala.com