Bariatric Surgeries | Angels Abroad

Welcome to the Angels Abroad. The best affordable solution for obesity!

We help our obese patients to make medical trips and we give them the best solution: Dr. Rodrigo Gonzalez, a U.S. board certified bariatric surgeon, his also U.S. board certified Multidisciplinary Bariatric Team and a follow-up team in USA.

We help our patients to communicate directly with Dr. Gonzalez. He will answer our patients’ questions and doubts promptly via a call conference (free of charge) or e-mails. We also provide our patients with Dr. Gonzalez’s CV and Las Americas Hospital pictures, so they can know more about our surgeon’s background and where will they have surgery.

Las American Hospital
At Las Americas Hospital you will find state of the art medical equipment and luxurious suites where you will recover the way you deserve.

Our professional personnel had been trained to offer you service with excellence.

Just 4 steps to improve your health!

1. Sign up.  Send us your contact information and we will contact you soon. Fill out a medical intake formand send us your medical exams.
2. Meet the doctor.  You can choose the doctor of your preference on our website. We will send the doctor all your information and arrange a phone call so you can ask him about doubts and concerns.
3. Get a quote.  If you feel comfortable with the doctor, then we will send to you a list of our hotels and tourism packages. When you make a decision, we will be ready to send you the more approximate price.
4. Come to Guatemala!! 

Medical trip to Guatemala
Guatemala is a beautiful country located in a convenient geographical area for people living in Canada and the United States, as it is from 6 to 2 hours of flight distance.

Guatemala has many tourist attractions, as archeological places, Mayan and colonial cities, virgin rainforests; regions where you get involved with indigene culture, 5 stars-hotels at low prices and much more.

Please Click Here to request more information about Bariatric Surgery from Angels Abroad. 

About Guatemala

Where is Guatemala?
Guatemala is a country in Central America, bordered by Mexico to the north, El Salvador to the Southeast, and, Honduras and Belize to the East.

How is the weather in Guatemala?
Guatemala has a warm, tropical and subtropical weather.

What is the official language of Guatemala?
Official language of Guatemala is Spanish.  There are 23 regional languages (21 are Mayan languages as Kaqchiquel, Quiche, Mam, Q´eqchi, Garifuna and Xinca).

What kind of food is there in Guatemala?
Food varies in Guatemala, you will find from traditional food from different regions of Guatemala, to usual franchises from the United States (McDonald´s, Burger King, Dominos Pizza, Friday´s and so forth).

About charges of medical trip to Guatemala

How much is charged by Angels Abroad for their services?
Angels Abroad charges US$425.00 for the following services:

1) Submission of documents to the physician of your preference (tests, medical history)
2) Direct communication, by phone with physician selected
3) Hotel booking
4) Tourist package booking (if applies)
5) Land transport (airport-hotel and hotel-airport)
6) Medical trip guide (one person will assist you during your stay in Guatemala)
7) Use of mobile phone with credit (approx. $100)
8) Transport to all appointments with physician.

While you are in Guatemala

Will someone pick me up at the airport?
Yes. You will receive a picture of the medical trip guide assigned to you, so you can find them easily.  The guide will pick you up at the airport and take you to the hotel.

Where can I change dollars to the currency of Guatemala?
Medical trip guide will take you to a safe bank or to an ATM in case you want to use your card.
 
How do I get contact with Angels Abroad, physician and medical trip guide?
Medical trip guide will take to Angels Abroad office on the first working day, where you will be welcomed.  You will be provided with a mobile phone with credit to make calls.  Phone numbers of your physician, medical trip guide, offices of Angels Abroad, and relatives or friends of your country of origin are saved on this phone.

Who will take me to physician appointments?
Medical trip guide will be responsible for it.  This person will arrange a schedule with you for each appointment.

Terms of payment

When do I have to pay?
When your medical trip guide takes you to the offices of Angels Abroad, you will be able to pay a percentage of the total amount quoted by Angels Abroad.

What are the terms of payment accepted by Angels Abroad?
Angels Abroad accepts all international credit cards and cash.

Are Checks and Money orders accepted?
Checks and money orders are not accepted.

About Physicians

How Angels Abroad created its physicians network?
There are personnel at Angels Abroad responsible for creating specialist physicians networks. The personnel investigate said physicians by searching information at Internet, to verify if there is any pending lawsuit against them, or any experience report.  Angels Abroad searches for widely experienced physicians, who have continuously been studying in different countries, and those who have a pleasant and appropriately located clinic. After the doctor is contacted, he/she is interviewed and an assessment is carried out regarding clinic conditions, ways physician express themselves, and technology.  It is mainly required that physician speaks fluent English.

How do I know if physician is licensed to exercise in Guatemala?
Angels Abroad provides some evidence.  There are some college links stated on the information of each physician, listing phone numbers, e-mails and websites of the University they graduated from.  Using this data, you will be able to ask for information about the physician of your election.

Other evidence is that Angel Abroad provides a picture section for each physician, showing photographs of their university diploma.

How do I know if physician speaks English or its English level is appropriate?
There are two ways to prove it.  The first and easiest one is using web site of Angels Abroad, where there is a video section, showing one or more videos of the physician and you will be able to hear them speaking English.
You can prove physician’s good English level, when Angels Abroad arranges an appointment by telephone between you and the physician.

How do I know if clinic or hospital has clean and modern facilities?
You can see some pictures of clinic or hospital where physicians work at Angels Abroad web site.  Angels Abroad requires that physician's clinic meets cleaning standards demanded by Ministry of Health of Guatemala.

Our New Partner: iBariHealth
Our company specializes in post operative support programs specifically for US patients traveling abroad to obtain bariatric surgery. We partner with international bariatric surgeons to become the medical support team for their patients once they return home to the US to recover from their bariatric surgery. This gives the surgeon, staff and patient the peace of mind of continued care once they return home.

Our home care team of bariatric trained nurses, dieticians, and exercise specialists go right to the homes of our patients to monitor the patient's recovery and then design nutritional and exercise plans of treatment for the post op patient to follow to prevent relapse, improve long term outcomes and maximize weight loss.

Please Click Here to request more information about Bariatric Surgery from Angels Abroad. 

Our services

Angels Abroad all-inclusive packages include:

• Laparoscopic or Open Gastric Bypass Surgery or Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery and Adjustable Gastric Banding System (Lap Band).
• Bariatric Surgeon fees.
• Anesthetist fees.
• All pre-op tests.
• All pre-op consultations with the Multidisciplinary Bariatric Team (nutritionist, psychologist, internist and neumologist).
• Las Americas Hospital (the best hospital in Guatemala City. Please ask for pictures)
• All post-op medicines (we buy them for our patients).
• 24hrs Nurse Service (The nurses even cook special diets for our patients, while in the hotel).
• Flight reservation and airfare (We can help buy tickets for our patients at the lowest rates).
• Hotel reservation (We have a wide selection of hotels of every type. (Bed & Breakfast, 4 and 5-star hotels).
• Meal plans (For patients and companions).
• Ground Transportation (airport-hotel-laboratory-clinics-hospital)
• Cell phone (Our patients will have Dr. Gonzalez cell phone number, U.S. embassy phone number, our central office phone number, their concierge’s phone number and relatives phone numbers).
• Concierge Service. We will assign a person to take care of all needs our patients may have. This includes, transportation, translation, communication with all physicians, coordination with hospital and surgeon and a companion.
• 24hrs. phone assistance for our patients.
• Tours before or after surgery. (this is part of the recovery of our patients)
• Follow-up service. We have a partnership with a group of American bariatric surgeons in the U.S. to give follow-up to our patients.
• Financing. We also give our patients financing for up to 60 months. It’s an easy and quick process.

Please Click Here to request more information about Bariatric Surgery from Angels Abroad. 

Dr. Rodrigo Gonzalez Toledo, MD

• General Surgery Residency (1994-1999)
• Francisco Marroquin University, Guatemala City, Guatemala
• Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Biliary Surgery Fellowship (2000-2001)
• Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France
• Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery Fellowship (2001-2003)
• Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
• Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal & Bariatric Surgery Fellowship (2003-2004)
• University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA

After finishing his General Surgery Residency training, Dr. Gonzalez traveled to the University of Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, where he completed a two-year fellowship-training program in Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Biliary Surgery.  He started his gastric banding surgery experience with the Sweedish Adjustable Gastric Band. 

Afterwards, he joined the Advanced Laparoscopic Fellowship training program for two years at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA where he was first exposed to the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure. 

Finally, he completed a one-year Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal & Bariatric Surgery Fellowship training program at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, USA where he performed over 400 bariatric operations that year alone, including gastric bypass, LapBand, sleeve gastrectomies and revisional surgeries (converting failed or complicated bariatric operations to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass).

During the last 8 years, Dr. Gonzalez has completed hundreds of bariatric operations in 3 different countries (France, the United States, and Guatemala).  These operations include gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, and revisional bariatric operations. 

Since his return to Guatemala, Dr. Gonzalez has dedicated most of his practice to bariatric surgery.  He is actively involved in research, teaching, and publishing his experience in international medical journals.   
 
Member of the following Surgical Societies:

• French Society of Digestive Surgery (SFCD), 2000
• Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), 2002
• Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS), 2002
• Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), 2002
• American Hernia Society (AHS), 2003
• Guatemalan College of Surgeons (ACG), 2003
• American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), 2004
• Guatemalan Gastroenterology Association (GGA), 2005

Please Click Here to request more information about Bariatric Surgery from Angels Abroad.  

Mrs. Margaret Mckenzie, a nurse from Grass Valley, California, made a trip to Guatemala. She contacted a company named, Angels Abroad, and through them, contacted Dr. Rodrigo Gonzalez Toledo, a bariatric surgeon trained in the US. She had an open gastric bypass on September 6th 2008, at Las Americas Hospital in Guatemala city.

What is interesting about this story is that, Mrs. Mckenzie has a health insurance, and they can cover a gastric bypass. The problem is that she didn't had enough money to pay a co-payment and deductible. Co-payment was US $24,000.

It was cheaper to pay an air ticket to go to Guatemala, plus, ground transportation, cell phone, concierge service, meals, hotel, all medical expenses including 4 nights at a 5-star hospital, nurse service, a tour to a tourist attraction and she paid for her companion expenses. All these was less expensive than using her own health insurance. She saved US $10,000.

Due to her weight loss, Mrs. Mckenzie is going to be able to have a better life.

With tears in her eyes, she told that if she had surgery in the US, she probably had to mortgage, for second time, her house. This is a reality americans are considering, to travel abroad to have invasive surgeries, not just cosmetic. Though it is a hard decision to travel to a called "third world country", and find physicians trained in the US, using state of the art technology, it is becoming necessary, for americans to survive and not loose all of their money in the process.

Please Click Here to request more information about Bariatric Surgery from Angels Abroad. 

-         March 26 2,008. Angels Abroad will provide ambulance service to pick up international patients at the airport on April 2,008.

-         December 2,007. Angels Abroad, becomes member of the Medical Tourism Association (www.medicaltravelauthority.com)

Please Click Here to request more information about Bariatric Surgery from Angels Abroad. 

Hotels for tourism:

Camino Real Tikal
Camino Real Tikal opening fifteen years ago is a tropical five star retreat, set in the heart of the Petén jungle with all the comfort and facilities to assure an unforgettable experience.

Camino Real Tikal will be the perfect starting point of the Mayan Adventure. At only a 45 minute drive you will be able to explore and experience the history, culture and tradition of the ancient Maya civilization, at Tikal National Park.

The Hotel is located at a 30 minute flight from Guatemala City and inside the Cerro Cahuí Natural Reserve and on the banks of Lake Petén Itzá;  close to El Remate, a farmers village offering hardwood souvenirs and the Island of Flores with its cobblestone streets.

Hotel Del Patio
Located in Santa Elena Petén, Hotel del Patio, with its colonial architecture offers the best location  for an unforgettable stay in the Petén area and Tikal National Park.

Green Bay Hotel
Green Bay Hotel is an All Inclusive Resort surrounded by exuberant  vegetation and exotic animals. The hotel has an impressive history about pirates and sunken ships which will fill your trip with adventure, ecoturism and the Garifuna Culture.

The Hotel is located in the Amatique Bay, in front of the "Devil Keys" better known as "Cayos del Diablo". It is 8 kilometers on the Highway to Livingston, in Santo Tomás de Castilla, one of the most important ports of Guatemala.

Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza
Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza is a full service Caribbean style hotel situated in the quiet and serene residential area of Bella Vista on the northern outskirts of Belize City. This Belize hotel is perfect for meetings and conferences, and is easily accessible on the Mundo Maya route, between Mexico and Guatemala on the Northern Highway. It is 3 miles from downtown Belize City and 7 miles from the Phillip Goldson International Airport.

For the vacation traveler, The Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel is ideally located for day trips to the nearby Maya ruins and sanctuaries where endangered creatures roam freely in the wild. Belize World Heritage sites, such as the Blue Hole and the Barrier Reef, are easily accessible.

Sun Breeze
As the crystalline blue waters of the majestic Caribbean Sea caresses the shores of Ambergris Caye, SunBreeze Hotel is the perfect vacation hideaway with all the comforts of home from which to enjoy the many charms of San Pedro Town.

Belizean waters are home to 3 living atolls; Turneffe, Lighthouse (home of the Blue Hole) and Glovers Reef. These sites are excellent for the novice diver, yet interesting to the more experienced diver. Shark Ray Alley, Hol-Chan Marine Reserve, Mexico Rocks and many other snorkeling areas are only a short boat ride away from the SunBreeze Hotel pier.

Ambergris Caye, the largest of Belize's more than 200 offshore Cayes is approximately 35 miles from the Belize mainland and the main destination for travelers to this friendly and unspoilt Caribbean nation. Ambergris Caye is Belize's paradise and features many attractions for the entire family, especially those interested in diving and snorkeling, which makes the island the premier dive and water sports capital of Belize and Central America. Enjoy the wonders of the worlds second longest Barrier Reef (186 miles), one-half mile east of the shoreline and runs the entire 25 mile length of the island.

Traveling to Ambergris Caye from the Belize mainland is made easy by a short boat ride or plane ride. Maya Island Air and Tropic Air have regular flights every hour, on the hour during the daylight hours.

Please Click Here to request more information about Bariatric Surgery from Angels Abroad.