With global medical tourism sector booming, Brazil is doing great in establishing itself successfully as one of the top medical tourism destinations preferred by medical tourists. And why not? Since people are clubbing their vacationing program along with their medical treatments, countries are marketing their favorable factors to attract more global tourist who can undergo the best medical treatment in a relaxing way. Moreover, considering the infrastructure development that took place in recent years, medical tourism in this country is predicted to grow by 43% in the next five years.

In this medical tourism guide you will read about:Guide to Medical Tourism in Brazil – Facts, Trends, News, Services, Research, Business and Updates by Dr Prem

General information about Brazil
Language	Portuguese and indigenous language
Time Zone	BRT (UTC -2 to -4) summer BRST (UCT -2 to -4)
Dialing Code	+55
Electricity	110V/ 220V, 60Hz
Medical Tourism Status	Sao Paula, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Fortaleza
Currency	Euro
Clothing	Take natural fabrics and lightweight clothing, cotton linen and silk are comfortable even in the heat and humidity.
Health Related
Mortality Rate	6.35deaths/ 1,000 live births
Life Expectancy	M 71.0/ F 77.8
Patient: Physician Ratio	900: 1
Hospitals JCI accredited	63
Recommended Vaccinations	Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Hepatitis B, Rabies, Diphtheria- tetanus, Measles, Varicella, Poliomyelitis, Yellow Fever,
Other Infections	Plague, Brazilian purpuric fever, Lymphatic filariasis, Hepatitis D, Brazilian spotted fever, HIV, Lyme Disease

Tourism in Brazil
Population	201,032,714	Reliability of Police Services	116/140
Global Competitiveness	4.49/7	Physician Density	70/140
Tourism Competitiveness	4.4/7	Hospital Beds	73/140
GDP/Capita	11,875	Quality of Air Transport Infrastructure	131/140
Health and Hygiene	4.7/7	International Air Transport Network	74/140
Safety and Security	4.7/7	Quality of Roads	121/140
Air Transport Infrastructure	3.8/7	Hotel Rooms	60/140
Tourism Infrastructure	4.4/7	Tourism Openness	133/140
Cultural Infrastructure	5.6/7	Attitude of Population Towards Foreign Visitors	43/140
Visa Requirements	67/140

Known for its natural beauty and the famous Carnival, Brazil is one of the most popular tourist destinations that attract thousands of tourists throughout the year from all around the world. When we talk about Brazil, few things that conjure your mind are the great Amazon forest, fantastic beaches, great soccer players and the annual lively Carnival.

Officially known as the Federative Republic of Brazil, the South American nation is the biggest Lusophone, Portuguese speaking, country in the world, and the solitary one in the Americas, as Brazil was a colony of Portugal from 1500 to 1815, which greatly influenced their culture as well as language.

Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies of the world and tourism plays an integral part to the economy of a number of regions of the nation. Attracting over five million foreign tourists annually, Brazil is the second major tourist hotspot in South America and the third in Latin America. Combining ecotourism with leisure and recreation, Brazil presents a wide range of option to both foreign and domestic tourists. Continuous improvements over time with medical tourism investment has attracted thousands of medical tourists.

Travelers can visit various historical and cultural sites in Minas Gerais and it is an incredible place for adventure lovers. Tourists looking to explore Amazon Rainforest and dunes must visit Northeastern area, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina. Wherever you travel in Brazil, you must hire a local guide to explore the natural beauty and untouched places to make your trip memorable.

Location

Brazil is the fifth largest country, both by area and by population, in the world and the largest in South America as well as the Latin American area. Other than Ecuador and Chile, Brazil shares its borders with every South American country.

Surrounded by Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname in the north, Colombia in the northwest, Bolivia and Peru in the west, Argentina and Paraguay in the southwest and Uruguay in the south, Brazil features a huge coastline of 7,491 km (4,655 m), which offers some of the most beautiful and exotic beaches to the travelers.

People

The new race of Brazilians is a successful amalgam of African, European and indigenous strains, as more than half of the population is of European descent, while other 40 percent are a cross of African and European ancestry. The official language of Brazil is Portuguese that is spoken in different parts of the country, thanks to colonialism, while English is used as second or business language in São Paulo and different other commercial zones.

Events

The Carnival is the biggest annual event or festival celebrated throughout Brazil. This event takes place about a week before Ash Wednesday to mark the commencement of Lent, the forty-day long celebration period before Easter. The annual Carnival and the samba parades have become synonymous to fun and merrymaking in Brazil, as people from different sects of society wearing unique dresses participates in these parades. Other popular events of Brazil include the football league, which is the most popular sports in the nation, Christmas celebrations and Rio Fashion Week.

Weather

Brazil offers a wide range of weather patterns, together with an awesome mixture of cultures and races. Brazil is essentially a tropical country, but it also features a wide range of weather conditions in different parts, thanks to a varied topography, of the nation. Different regions in Brazil have diverse microclimates that can be categorized into five climatic subtypes, i.e. equatorial, tropical, semiarid, highland tropical, temperate, and subtropical. Visitors can enjoy diverse climate conditions of equatorial rainforests in the north and semiarid deserts in the northeast, temperate coniferous forests in the south and tropical savannas in the central part of Brazil.

In addition, Brazil has the longest tropical beach coast of the world with some incredible tropical beach resorts, and the most secret rain forests around the Amazon River. Flaunting hot and humid summers from December to February, Brazil’s tropical climate props up frequent rain showers throughout the year, but there are some dry interiors with scant rainfall as well. Winters in Brazil lasts from June to August with temperatures between 13 °C and 18 °C, but the weather gets colder south of Rio.

Healthcare system in Brazil

Quality of healthcare services varies from region to region in Brazil. The ratio of doctors per 1000 patients is 3.28 in the urban areas but it is only 0.63 in rural areas. Private surgeons or owners own approximately 60% hospitals in Brazil, while the remaining 40% percent includes public hospitals. Around 80% of urban inpatients as well as foreign patients use privately owned health facilities.

Quality of Healthcare

There are 63 JCI accredited hospitals in Brazil, which assure quality healthcare services to medical travelers from all across the world. Usually, cosmetic surgeons practicing in Brazil get training in the US. Therefore, the American Board of Plastic Surgery certifies most of the surgeons while a few of them are associated with the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.

Medical tourism growth in Brazil is founded on the super healthcare quality, which further reflects in higher average lifespan expectancy. JCI accredited hospitals channelize the reliability of the country’s healthcare facilities to international patients who can opt for this destination without any apprehension. Junior doctors after completing their internship compulsorily appear before Brazilian Federal Counsel of Medicine to achieve the ‘specialist’ accreditation. This speaks strongly about the country’s strict compliance to the regulation upholding the quality of this noble and dedicated profession.

Medical Tourism in Brazil

Brazil boasts some of the leading hospitals in the world, especially in the growing private sector. Offering the best facilities in cosmetic surgery with constant flow of medical tourism investment, Brazil has become a prime medical tourism destination for people looking to enhance their looks and body shape.

Aside from featuring high quality, accredited hospitals and state-of-the-art clinics, Brazilian healthcare system also flaunts low treatment costs, almost half when compared to other developed countries like the UK and US. Many of the main hospitals offer bilingual staff and translator options to attend or manage international patients.

Often dubbed the international hub of cosmetic and plastic surgeries, Brazil is the second largest destination for tourists seeking plastic surgery in the world, after the US. Medical treatment in Brazil is not only cheap but of the highest quality, thanks to highly qualified medical professionals.

Tourist hotspot in South America

Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies of the world and tourism plays an integral part to the economy of a number of regions of the nation. Attracting over five million foreign tourists annually, Brazil is the second major tourist hotspot in South America and the third in Latin America. Combining ecotourism with leisure and recreation, Brazil presents a wide range of option to both foreign and domestic tourists.

Travelers can visit various historical and cultural sites in Minas Gerais and it is an incredible place for adventure lovers. Tourists looking to explore Amazon Rainforest and dunes must visit Northeastern area, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina. Wherever you travel in Brazil, you must hire a local guide to explore the natural beauty and untouched places to make your trip memorable.

Factors that make Brazil one of the hottest medical tourism destinations

There are definitely certain factors that have turned this country into one of the prime medical tourism destinations in the world which can be summed up as follows:

Best healthcare system in Latin America

Brazil being the 5th largest country in the world has the best healthcare system in Latin America which has been accredited by WHO as well. 60% of the Brazilian healthcare clinics and hospitals are privately owned and 40% are in public domain, but the robust healthcare system runs neck to neck with the developed countries. The ratio of doctors per 1000 patients is 3.28 in the urban areas but it is only 0.63 in rural areas. Private surgeons or owners own approximately 60% hospitals in Brazil, while the remaining 40% percent includes public hospitals. Around 80% of urban inpatients as well as foreign patients use privately owned health facilities.

The country houses the world’s first non-US JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited hospital in Sao Paulo, and today with more than 60 such accredited hospitals, the country’s medical tourism sector is progressing by leaps and bounds. Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre continue to attract numerous medical tourists all year around.

Top hospitals offering medical tourism in Brazil

Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital

Image Source : timesofisrael.com

SItuated in San Paolo, this is the first JCI accredited hospital in the world outside US, in 1999. It is famous for the Disease or Condition-Specific Care (DCSC) program as well as the Stroke Program.

Hospital do Coração

This hospital is also situated in San Paolo and is known for its philanthropic activities as well as for being a reference health facility in entire South Africa. There are 37 specialties available in the facility with advanced techniques and technology. Medical tourism facilitator companies send foreign patients here regularly, as there is low language barrier – the medical staff can converse in Spanish, Portuguese, English and Arabic.

Sociedade Hospital Samaritano

Image Source : americastourvirtual.com

This hospital was established in 1894 by immigrants from Great Britain, US and Germany and now is famous for exporting healthcare globally.

Popular treatments sought by medical tourists in Brazil

Medical tourism business in Brazil is driven by foreign patients seeking healthcare for medical treatments such as cosmetic and plastic surgery, ophthalmology, general surgery, fertility treatment, neurology, obesity/weight loss surgery and procedures, cardiac surgery, dental treatments, dermatology, hair transplants, etc.

Cost comparison of medical treatments with US

Medical tourism facilitator companies are able to send global patients to Brazil especially from developed countries such as the US and UK due to the hefty cost difference. For example, gastric bypass or bariatric surgeries cost $8,500 to $13,000 cost only up to $3,800 with cost savings upto 70%.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery such as tummy tuck costs upto $10,000 in the US and the Brazilian cost is around $4,800 leading to savings of upto 52%. Other procedure such as Face lift, Breast Augmentation, Breast Reduction, Nose Surgery, Complete liposuction also cost much less in Brazil, with savings upto 75%. However, the price might vary based on many factors.

Brazil – The world capital of plastic and cosmetic surgery

With unmatched expertise in plastic and cosmetic surgery, Brazil stands just next to the US in providing the best support in this domain. Even the number of cosmetic surgeons per capita in Brazil is higher than the US, and the country has gained worldwide recognition for performing the maximum cases of plastic surgeries in the world. The major cosmetic surgical undertaken by medical tourists in Brazil include butt lifting, tummy tucking, vaginal reconstruction, breast reconstruction, penis enlargement, and so on. On the heels of plastic surgery boom, cardiac and orthopedic surgeries also began attracting global medical tourists.

Usually, cosmetic surgeons practicing in Brazil get training in the US. Therefore, the American Board of Plastic Surgery certifies most of the surgeons while a few of them are associated with the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.

In 2019, 1.49 million plastic surgery procedures were performed. Breast augmentation, liposuction, abdominoplasty, eyelid surgery, and breast lift are the most common cosmetic surgeries in Brazil.

Brazil’s leading cosmetic surgeon – A celebrity at par with Pele

Image Source : ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sounds unbelievable? Especially, in a soccer-crazy nation, would you find it credible enough to have a celebrity who joins similar status as that of the soccer-idol Pele? Dr Pitanguy, the nonagenarian, considered as the philosopher in plastic surgery by the Brazilians, made immense contribution in the field of plastic surgery to help Brazil emerge as the world leader in cosmetic surgery surpassing US.

Low treatment cost

The biggest draw is no doubt low treatment cost that continues to be the driver in Brazil’s medical tourism growth just like in other countries. Medical treatment cost in this country can be lower than 50% than that in the US and other European countries.

World class clinical support

Low cost treatment does not imply compromising with quality as the Brazilian private hospitals are excellent. They tout high-end technology for providing the best comfort and quickest recovery to the patient. Continuous upgrade of the staff and professionals with regular training features leave no room for patient grievance.

Government support

Brazil – already a world reputed tourism destination – made its presence felt in the medical tourism sector too that has provided a great boost to its national economy. Government spending on infrastructure and showcasing the idyllic locations along with the attractive medical tourism features are also enhancing the country’s reputation as a prime global medical tourism destination.

Overcoming the language barrier

In spite of Portuguese being the first language in Brazil, efforts to hire English speaking persons are being made in order to answer the demands of global tourists. Hence, English speaking medical professionals are also available in the top clinics. If required, language translation service is also offered to ensure a hassle free communication between the doctors and patients.

Brazil being one of the attractive global tourism destinations and the capital of world’s cosmetic surgery has turned out to be a prime medical tourism destination.

Recuperating in Brazil

Brazil is one of the leading destinations which has the best hotels and resorts that cater to recovering patients. Once doctors allow patients to travel, there is plenty to see and explore in Brazil. Wellness spas and treatments abound in Brazil as well as scenic vacation spots that heal with serenity and beauty.