As B.C. residents continue to face record-high wait times for healthcare, a growing demand for private health care has proved to be a lucrative business for entrepreneurs and foreign medical professionals looking to help relieve Canada's health-care woes.
Langford-based Canela Health Connections, created by Jorge Canela, helps B.C. residents access Mexico's growing medical tourism sector as more and more Canadians seek quick and affordable private healthcare abroad.
"I mean, every time I go to Mexico, there are lots of Canadians going there to Puerto Vallarta, to Cancun, Los Cabos, to all the touristic places," Canela said. "If there's so many Canadians coming to Mexico for vacations, why don't they come to fix their issues?"
According to the B.C. government, as of Sept 30, 5,038 people were on a waitlist for hip replacement surgery and 9,464 were on a list for knee replacement surgery, both of which can see wait times of up to 18 months for surgery.
Canela, who has a master's degree in occupational health and worked as a physician in Mexico, says he was inspired to create Canela Health Connections when his dad needed knee surgery while they were still living there.
His dad first went to a public hospital for a consultation, but due to the surgery wait time, which was eight months to a year, they decided to go through the private health-care system in Guadalajara, Mexico's second biggest city.
"He was in so much pain that he couldn't even walk for a block," he explained. "He got scans, X-ray, all the labs, all the blood tests, everything. He went to the specialist the next day with all the results from the scans, and two days later, he was already getting his first surgery, and six months later, he went to get the other surgery."
Medical tourists look to countries like Mexico for private health care due to more affordable prices, quicker access to medical care and to receive medical care that may not be available in Canada.
"I was asking [a Mexican cardiologist] specifically about restrictions for travel right after surgery, the time for recovery and how long they have to stay. He told me [medical tourists] can take a flight on Monday, do all the scans on Tuesday, be in the operation room on Wednesday, and be back home on Friday," Canela explained.
The process starts with Canela, the initial contact, who will refer the patient to a specialist in Mexico after a few virtual meetings with doctors and specialists. After the initial consultation with Canela, a patient can have surgery and be on a plane back to Canada in less than one month, he said.
Partnered with Guadalajara's Puerta de Hierro hospital, Canela, a Guadalajara native himself, also looks to help Canadians navigate the sometimes predatory medical tourism industry in Mexico.
The Government of Canada has warned medical tourists of risks associated with accessing foreign health care, including low quality of care and lack of infection control and continuity of care. Canela agreed with this warning, pointing out there is a risk when getting care in Mexico.
"People can run into a lot of concerns, into a lot of risk. There's a risk of getting involved in scams, or some issues about malpractice are really high because [they] don't know anything, because [people] are blindly just checking in the internet without any guidance," he said. Canela mentioned he aims to help guide people to high-quality care at the partnered hospital, which he said is one of the top hospitals in Latin America.
According to Patients Beyond Borders, Mexico joins Thailand, Turkey and Singapore among the top destinations for medical tourists. Global Health Intelligence analysts say as many as three million foreigners visit Mexico annually for private health care, a number that has more than doubled since 2019.
Though cosmetic surgeries, dental surgeries and pharmaceuticals are especially popular among foreigners in Mexico, Canela sees people from all walks of life accessing a wide range of operations.
Though some Canadians he speaks to have reservations, mainly due to prices, he says health-care prices in Mexico can actually save people money in the long term, especially those with more serious ailments.
He used a hypothetical example of a middle-aged construction worker with knee problems who requires surgery. In Canada, he would need to wait a year to get surgery and over that year he would probably take time off work, and he would also get prescribed a cocktail of painkillers which could lead to addiction if used consistently over a long period.
"The cost will be more expensive in all senses waiting here, right? Economically, emotionally, mentally," he said, "We can provide affordability, high standards, quality of care and availability."
Overall, Canela thinks he will see more and more Canadians trying to access foreign care as there seems to be no end in sight for the nation's ongoing health-care anguish.
"It's very frustrating to live with pain, to stop doing what you love to do every day," he concluded. "That's why we are here to help, to help them to resolve their issues related to health, and to [let people know] there is an alternative."
