Doctors in Baja ask state to promote their services as business slumps

SAN DIEGO (Border Report) -- The medical community in Baja California has seen a big drop in visitors from north of the border and is asking the state for more promotion and marketing to highlight their services.

Abraham Sánchez Frehem, president of Tijuana's Medical Health Cluster, says the region needs to be seen as a destination for medical services and procedures.

"In spite of the proximity, there is a need to promote our services to people on the other side of the border," he said. "We've detected doctors and hospitals needing to promote their available treatments."

About half of the procedures done in Tijuana include dental procedures and cosmetic and bariatric surgeries.

Sánchez Frehem said another area of concern is how the drug Ozempic is being distributed and made available in Baja.

The medication is intended for diabetics who need to lose weight, but it's being given to others as a weight-loss option, according to Sánchez Frehem.

"It needs to be sold to those with a prescription from a specialist as part of a medical treatment," he says. "You shouldn't be able to walk into a pharmacy and just buy it without a complete medical evaluation due to the risks involved with any medication."