Tijuana – According to data from the region’s medical cluster, more bariatric surgeries are performed each year in Tijuana than in the entire United States.

“At first I didn’t know what to look for and where to go, I knew I wanted to do it in Tijuana but I didn’t know where to look because I don’t live here,” said Daysi, a bariatric patient.

Originally from the United States, she made the decision to take a radical turn in her life and her health.

“Very excited to be able to have these new experiences in a new body without having weight limitations…I decided to come here because I thought it would be easier and they would pay more attention to me and yes, it was.” added.

And according to data from the Baja California Medical Cluster in Tijuana, bariatric surgery for weight loss is one of the most requested procedures, with approximately 1,200 gastric sleeve operations per week.

Dr. Ariel Ortiz of the Institute of Metabolic Medicine told Telemundo 20 that in the United States about 200,000 surgeries are performed each year across the country. “We do that here in Tijuana every year. So virtually more surgeries are performed in this city than in the entire United States,” he said.

99 percent of patients treated at the Tijuana Institute of Metabolic Medicine come from the United States and Canada. This institution has 5 international certifications that seek to raise the quality of medical services in the region, which is why international cooperation is sought to strengthen health tourism.

“We seek to make Tijuana and Baja California a primary destination for Americans and Canadians for medical purposes. There are many opportunities in the area for needed health care, procedures are less expensive, or there are procedures that are not available in the United States for people who can come to Mexico in the Baja California area and get the treatment they need. , mentioned Pramod Goel, CEO of PlacidWay Medical Tourism during his recent visit to this border

So they are looking to create a network of international medical service providers to care for patients flown directly from the United States to Tijuana.

“A network of Mexican medical service providers serving the American patient, not health tourism as such, but hospital organizations in the United States that have an overload in their system and can rest when they start to send patients to Mexico,” added Ariel Ortiz.

A task that is not easy, as international accreditations from organizations such as the International Joint Commission and Global Health Accreditation are required, where the infrastructure, regulations and international standards must be in place for patients to be referred. directly from the United States to this center. side of the border.

“And a certification does not imply a stamp, not a piece of paper, but that I follow a process or a series of processes for the benefit and safety of the patient, so if you feel that you are in a certified hospital, that means that the care processes are in good condition.” of the patient and they are checked if you are treated by a certified medical specialist, this means that you have not only studied the specialty that you hold, but that you also keep yourself up to date in the exercise of the new practices that exist”, has said Abraham Sánchez, of the Medical Health Cluster.

Well, the fundamental objective is patient safety.

“We, as doctors and hospitals, of course seek to obtain accreditation and certification of our specialties, to comply with the regulations and to minimize the risks that still exist”, stressed Abraham Sánchez.

Currently, in Mexico, only 8 hospitals in the whole country have these international certifications, including two in Baja California.