Characterization of cross-border medical tourism in Ciudad Juarez motivated by the crisis derived from COVID-19

ABSTRACT

The work links cross-border mobility and medical tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to analyze the behavior of medical tourism in Ciudad Juarez during October 2020 to July 2021 of this pandemic. The contextual variable is regular mobility compared to the activity of the trade in health services in border cities. It is a qualitative and exploratory study of 34 semi-structured interviews of real cases. Cross-border patients who come to Ciudad Juarez in search of health care for COVID-19 disease in public and private hospitals and for the care and follow-up of the related sequelae were found. The conclusions expose the vulnerability of people who carry out medical tourism and the institutional deficiencies that contribute to the challenges of the welfare state during the COVID-19 pandemic. The notion of the functionality of borders is identified.