Red Flags to Watch For When Choosing a Clinic in Colombia

No single red flag automatically means a clinic is unsafe — but a cluster of them showing up together is exactly the kind of pattern patients wish they'd paid attention to sooner. Here's what to actually watch for.

Before you book

• Vague or evasive answers about SCCP certification or RETHUS registration. See our verification guide — this should be a quick, confident, specific answer.
• No willingness to do a video consultation before booking. A legitimate surgeon or clinic should be comfortable with this.
• A quote with no itemization — just one bundled number with no breakdown of what's included.
• Heavy pressure to book quickly, especially tied to a "discount if you decide today" framing.
• Marketing that leans entirely on social media presence rather than credentials, facility accreditation, or specifics about the surgeon's training.

During the sales process

• Being required to stay at a specific recovery house, with no explanation beyond "the doctor requires it." See our dedicated pushy sales tactics guide for more on this specific pattern.
• Pushback or irritation when you ask detailed questions, rather than straightforward answers.
• Encouragement to combine more procedures than you originally asked about, without a clear safety-based rationale — see our guide on safely combining procedures.

At the facility

• No clear answer about who administers anesthesia — see our anesthesia safety guide for the specific questions to ask.
• A facility that doesn't match what was described or shown to you beforehand.
• No clear pre-op consultation with the actual operating surgeon, only with a coordinator or sales representative.