I can’t believe spring break has come to an end and I’ve experienced my last trip with the PLA. Puerto Rico was absolutely amazing, and it was an awesome way to finish up my senior year with the academy. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to travel with the PlA and thankful for all of work that our PLA staff puts in to make these trips successful. Highlights of the trip for me were exploring El Yunque rainforest, kayaking in bio bay (despite the fact that it poured), watching flamenco dancing, walking through the cavern and drinking from the ‘fountain of youth’, touring historical buildings in Old San Juan, hanging out with old friends, and making new ones in the sophomore class. I also really enjoyed touring the sugar cane plantation and learning how slavery in the Caribbean was different from slavery in the United States. Actually being on the land where so many slaves were abused and put to work in the intense heat was somewhat eerie and depressing. Nonetheless, I appreciated having the chance to learn about the different historical methods used for sugar production, and acknowledge the suffering and hardship of the men, women and children whom were slaves at that time.
I also found the history of the industrialization of Puerto Rico and the focus on pharmaceuticals interesting as this was something I had not known before the trip. I find the healthcare system unique because while Puerto Rico is a United States territory and must abide by certain aspects of Obamacare, they do not vote in the presidential election. Also the fact that Puerto Rican taxes are so high means that nurses and doctors can generally make more money in the United States than in Puerto Rico, so most move away. To incentivize healthcare professionals to come back to Puerto Rico, the nation started to provide tax breaks for physicians. As Puerto Rico is a beautiful island nation, as well as a United States territory, with many of the same healthcare certifications and the same legal system as the US, the nation’s lower health service costs have made it a premiere medical tourism destination for US citizens. According to our speaker, Vanessa Marzzan, costs can be up to 60% lower in Puerto Rico that in the United States. With more elaborate procedures and higher costs, the savings of having the service done in Puerto Rico easily outweighs the cost of travel and stay in the nation during recovery. Vanessa told us that her hospital is just beginning to market medical tourism and they are mostly reaching out to the Hispanic population in the United States. Since Puerto Rico has a Spanish speaking population there is more of an incentive for Hispanic people to come to Puerto Rico for medical care. Promoting medical tourism in Puerto Rico also stimulates other sectors of the economy like the tourism and travel industries. While Puerto Rico has industrialized, their economy is still largely dependent on tourism. I hope that as the nation continues to develop, that Puerto Ricans see the value in their history and preserve their architecture, land, and environment. In addition to promoting growth in industry and tourism, I believe that it is very important to prevent development and destruction of valuable historical sites, but I hope that the nation’s economy continues to thrive as a medical, tourism, and business locale. This was an awesome trip and I learned so much about Puerto Rico, their people, government, politics, industry, history, culture, and environment. I can’t wait to return one day with my family!
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