Blurred Borders - International Community Foundation

Pharmaceuticals
It is estimated that 10,000-15,000 people cross the border to Los Algodones every day, to
receive primary care or homeopathy services, or to go to a dentist or an optometrist, but,
most of all, to purchase prescription drugs for the more than 20 pharmacies in this small
Mexican border town. 282 Current FDA regulations allow U.S. citizens to purchase and reimport
a three-month supply of prescription medications with a valid Mexican or U.S.
prescription. Prices in discount drug stores in Tijuana can be as low as 40% or even lower than
the price for the same medication in San Diego.
Although the prescription drug market in Baja California is more cost-efficient than in San
Diego, regulation is far less stringent. In some cases, over-the-counter drugs sold in Tijuana
pharmacies require a prescription in the United States. Though many residents on both sides
of the San Diego/Tijuana border benefit from affordable medication, without accredited medical
consultation, this practice can lead to serious medical consequences. Existing policy leaves it in
the hands of the consumers to exercise judgment and to follow the advice of their physician
and/or pharmacist. According to one 52-year-old male National City high school teacher who
was born in Rosarito:
“I have insurance in the United States, but forget about it! I only use it when it’s really
necessary … the parents of my students take them to the doctor in Tijuana because
over there you pay from 3 to 20 dollars per visit, and that’s including the prescription
and the medication sometimes. Here you pay 100, 150 dollars when you have a flu,
and most of the times they don’t give you any drugs for it.” 283
Inter-Governmental Collaborative Efforts
In addition to collaborative non-profit initiatives under way in the border region, government entities are
also seeking to cooperate.
California Office of Binational Border Health
In 2000, in order to address the significant disparities in health and the practical
interdependence of Americans, immigrants, migrant workers and Mexicans nationals on each
other’s health care delivery systems, the California Office of Binational Border Health
(COBBH) was created. It was originally intended to be a clearinghouse for existing and
emerging border health projects by federal, state, and county health agencies. COBBH has
assisted in the implementation of a multi-pronged strategy to improve disease surveillance and
prevention efforts at the border and is currently planning to build a health care facility near the
border.
282 California Connected (KPBS May 22, 2003)
283 Luis Escala Rabadán and German Vega, “Cross-Border Commuters in the Tijuana-San Diego Region: Insights
from Case Studies” presented at Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego, November
14, 2003.
101