• Submitted by: admin
• Health and Medicine
• 01 / 17 / 2007

A Quebec company is offering to arrange speedy health-care services for a fee in Cuba, but patients have to book their own flights.

Services Sante International charges $200 per medical file and patients must make their own flight and insurance arrangements.

President and founder Lucie Vermette said today that hip replacements cost between $5,000 and $6,000 and cataract operations cost $2,000 in Cuba. The Cuban doctors also do esthetic surgery.

"The care is given by highly qualified doctors and in five-star hospitals," said Vermette, who has been to Cuba and added she has checked doctor qualifications.

She said the doctors speak Spanish and the majority also speak English, while some speak French, Russian and German. Translation can be provided, if needed.

Heart surgery and other complicated, riskier procedures aren't available.

Once the patient's file arrives in Cuba through the Quebec company, doctors can give a treatment recommendation and price within about three days, Vermette said.

Vermette said she was motivated to start the service after waiting six months to see a specialist.