Fertility care has undergone remarkable advancements in recent years, revolutionizing the field of reproductive health and offering hope to millions of individuals and couples worldwide. These innovations, driven by cutting-edge technology, groundbreaking research, and patient-centered approaches, have significantly improved success rates and expanded access to treatments. These and more have positioned Reprotec International Fertility Center as a choice destination for advanced fertility treatments globally. In this interview with MTA, Eliana Valderrama, the Coordinator of Reprotec's International Patient Program, shares the giant strides of the organization in the healthcare industry over the last three decades and how it continues to deliver quality results for patients around the world.
What do you do and how has your experience in the healthcare industry been?
Reprotec has recently celebrated its 30th year of existence. It has a long history of providing excellent care for international and domestic patients. Reprotec started with three doctors more than three decades ago but now has up to 10 specialists in the field of advanced fertility treatments. In 2023, we opened three new facilities in Colombia - Pereira, Cartagena, and Cali - to expand our reach and services, particularly for international patients.
Reprotec leverages cutting-edge technology to offer excellent care. We were the first fertility center, and currently one of the only two centers in Colombia to implement the Witness System, a tool for tracing biological samples (egg, sperm, and embryos) through all points of the fertility process. Reprotec was also the first, and currently one of only three centers in Colombia, to utilize the time-lapse imaging technology to incubate embryos and provide continuous monitoring of embryo development. This technology ensures embryos are incubated in the best environmental conditions to optimize embryo quality and pregnancy rates for our patients.
Consequently, we have found that international patients are drawn to Reprotec, moreso in the last few years, because of the excellent service and quality of results we get at an affordable price compared to other parts of the world that deliver comparable results.
How many international patients do you receive per year?
About 25 percent of our patients come from abroad, particularly from the United States, Germany, Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, Dominican Republic, the Carribeans, and Australia. Some of these patients are also Colombians living abroad.
These patients could have visited fertility clinics in those countries, but because of the drive for excellence and adoption of state-of-the-art technologies at reasonable costs that Reprotec has demonstrated over the years, more and more international patients are leaving their home countries to get the best fertility care here in Colombia. Some of these patients also choose Reprotec because of the speedy delivery of care at an affordable price, compared to the long wait lists in their home countries.
What is something that stands you out as a medical tourism hub?
We deliver high and stable pregnancy rates with the best of advanced reproductive technologies. We have 10 renowned fertility experts who are continuously involved in research and collaborations with other fertility experts around the world to implement cutting-edge reproductive techniques to deliver superior results to all our patients. We practice evidence-based fertility care, ensuring our techniques, procedures, and protocols are all based on global practices and up-to-date research.
Our doctors are well-trained and many of them have received their post-graduate training qualifications in top institutions abroad and are, therefore, knowledgeable and well-informed about treatment protocols and processes that meet global best practices.
Reprotec has advanced certifications that assure patients of our commitment to quality and safety. We have the ISO 9001 Certification in addition to other accreditations that demonstrate our quality and compliance with statutory and regulatory standards.
International patients, particularly the English-speaking ones, need not worry about language barriers, as all our doctors are fluent in the English language; our contracts, consent forms, and other documents are also presented in English Language, and patients can navigate our website easily as it also has a version entirely provided in the English Language.
What medical procedures do you offer?
We offer In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), egg donation, egg freezing, frozen embryo transfer, genetic tests, fertility preservation, ovulation induction, surrogacy, and many more.
Do you have any patient stories to share?
One comes to mind easily: A case of a young 32 year-old lady, who came all the way from the U.S. for an egg freezing procedure. She not only had positive things to say about her care experience in Reprotec, but also her overall experience in Bogota.
We have also received lots of testimonials from couples from around the world. Patients coming back to us joyful and thankful not only about the gift of pregnancy and fertility, but moreso about the quality of care, dignity, and respect they received throughout their care journey in Reprotec.
How do you see the future of medical travel?
In the next few years, there will be expansion in awareness of patient safety of medical tourism destinations around the world. This will drive more outbound medical tourism as patients recognize destinations in different parts of the world that offer advanced treatments that are offered with cutting-edge technologies by some of the best healthcare professionals around the world.
In the field of fertility treatments as well, more patients will recognize how diverse and safe fertility treatments are and how they can get excellent results with high pregnancy rates at a fraction of the U.S. cost in Colombia and other countries.
We will also see more technological advancements, with the development of topline technologies to drive medical procedures, including fertility treatments, to deliver much more efficient care and get better results.
Why do you think Better by MTA is so great for the industry?
We are so excited about this new membership as Better by MTA expands our visibility, brand, and reach. It also stands to demonstrate our commitment to patient safety and quality of care, which is what MTA stands for. We are looking forward to the enormous opportunities this partnership brings.
