Medical tourism is traveling to another country for medical treatment.
Many factors influence the decision to go abroad for medical treatment. For some, it may be down to affordability. Other medical travelers may seek treatment abroad because a certain procedure or therapy is not available in their home country.
In the past, medical tourism was promoted by people from less developed countries to highly developed countries for care that was not available in their own countries. However, nowadays it is becoming more and more common for people from developed countries to come to developing countries to get medical treatment at a more affordable cost.
In some cases, there may simply be no choice but to seek treatment if necessary medical services are only available in certain parts of the world.
The majority of medical tourists pay for their care at the time of service. Private companies or paramedics are often used to find healthcare facilities abroad.
Medical tourism is now a multi-billion dollar global phenomenon. It is a market driven and shaped by medical, economic, social and political forces.
Patients Beyond Borders estimates the size of the medical tourism market to range from $45.5 billion to $72 billion. This estimate is “based on approximately 14-16 million cross-border patients worldwide spending an average of $3,800-6,000 per visit.”
The main reasons why patients go abroad for medical treatment
According to “Medical Tourism – Health Care in the Global Economy”, by Michael D. Horowitz, MD, MBA and Jeffrey A. Rosensweig, PhD, the reasons patients seek care in travel destinations Medical calendar includes:
- Low cost – especially in the US for those with little or no adequate insurance.
- To avoid waiting lists – this is common among people living in countries with national health services, such as the UK and Canada.
- The procedure is not available in the country of origin
- Travel and holidays
- Privacy
Risks of medical tourism
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), medical tourism carries a number of specific risks.
Risks include:
- Communication problem. Misunderstandings can occur if a patient receives medical care in a facility in a country where they are not fluent in the language.
- Poor quality or counterfeit drugs in some countries.
Famous medical tourism destinations
According to Patients Beyond Borders, the top medical tourism destinations are: Costa Rica, India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States.
International healthcare accreditation
There is a worldwide effort to ensure that health services are up to a certain standard. International Medical Accreditation is the process of certifying health care programs for patient safety.
For the medical traveler, an internationally certified healthcare facility provides insight into the quality of treatment.
In the United States, the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation group was established in 1994. JCI certification is considered by many healthcare professionals to be the benchmark for global healthcare. According to JCI, it “identifies, measures, and shares quality and patient safety best practices with the world.”
A complete list of JCI-accredited organizations can be found here.
