Hundreds of thousands of people pass through the doors of the country's public hospitals each year to receive services and medicines made available to them by the Costa Rican government.

The 67-year-old health care giant dispenses a cross section of services on a slim budget, and it still maintains one of the healthiest populations in the Americas.

Yet, many Costa Ricans agree that their health care system would fall short were it not balanced by its private arm. For all the acclaim the Costa Rican Social Security System ( Caja) has received over the years, private services plug the holes that the government-run entity can't reach, and it does so with agility the lumbering Caja can't match.

Whether it's the day-bright halls and up-to-date facilities of Escazú's CIMA Hospital or the wooden floors and homey common spaces of Hospital Bíblica in downtown San José, Costa Ricans celebrate the fact they have private health care alternatives.

“Many people come here because Social Security hospitals and clinics have long waiting lists,” said Jorge Cortés, chief medical officer at the Hospital Clínica Bíblica. “So if they need an exam or if they need a diagnosis, they can get it here today.”

See the Aug. 28 print or digital edition of The Tico Times for more on this story, the second in a series on health in Costa Rica.