Medical tourism is an vastly emergent industry where people travel to receive significantly less steep medical treatment, including dental, cosmetic, surgical, and general medical care. While traveling for health goals goes back to ancient civilizations, ‘medical tourism’ is a fairly fresh term coined by the mass media to advertise the burgeoning industry. It is often used interchangeably with medical travel, health tourism, healthcare travel, healthcare abroad, and overseas healthcare.
The history of medical tourism reaches back to 4,000 B.C., when the Sumerians built health complexes around geothermal springs that were patronized by health travelers. In Greece, a temple was built for Asclepius, the god of medicine, and the Temple of Asclepius became one of the pioneering health centers in the entire world. This led to the building of other Grecian health structures, such as Epidaurus, the most famed of all ancient health complexes. Epidaurus had a gymnasium, a snake farm, a dream temple, and thermal baths. Simultaneously, on the other side of the world was India, where healers were also inviting the health-conscious to receive the benefits of yoga and Ayurvedic medicine.
Different people have different reasons for choosing to travel to another country to receive medical treatment. The most compelling reason, however, is that medical operations in other countries cost significantly lower than those done in the United States and in the United Kingdom. For example, heart surgery in India may be priced only $12,000, but in the U.S., the cost can go up to $200,000. And even when the price is economical, the quality of healthcare that is received satisfies international standards enacted by the Joint Commission International (JCI). Health facilities and equipment are up-to-date and the medical practitioners, of whom many are trained in Western countries, are most of the time the very best in their own country. At the same time, the level of service is higher than the usual given in the U.S. and U.K. Private rooms, lavish accommodations, and a very friendly and attentive staff are often only on hand to those who can pay for them in the West. There is also the advantage of mixing recovery with a vacation, which allows patients to receive the recreation they deserve.
The costs of receiving treatment in other countries are greatly lower than having the procedure completed in the U.S. For instance, in India, a heart valve replacement surgery can be performed for $12,000. That is significantly lower than the $200,000 price tag American health providers put on this complicated heart surgery, so that even when other expenditures are included, there still is a huge amount of savings generated. These other expenditures include airfare, accommodations, local transportation, meals, recreation, souvenirs, etc. In South American nations, such as Brazil, Panama, and Costa Rica, treatment prices are generally a bit higher than in Asian countries, such as India, Thailand, and Malaysia, being only 50% lower than costs in the U.S. This is made up for, however, by the lower travel costs such as airfare.
There are quite a number medical tourism destinations to select from. India, undoubtedly, is at the top of the list when speaking of the lowest prices and highest quality of healthcare services. India’s health workers are among the best in the world and they do a vast assortment of treatments, from tummy tucks to dental cosmetics to knee replacements to heart bypass surgeries. Other noteworthy Asian countries are Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The industry is also thriving in South America, which pride themselves with the finest cosmetic surgeons and facilities in the entire world. It is not surprising, since this glamorous land is widely regarded for its fascination beauty and physical attractiveness. In Europe, other countries are jumping into the bandwagon. Hungary, Belgium, and Germany are ideal destinations for Europeans who want to receive less expensive treatments without flying across oceans or entire continents.
Medical tourism facilitators, also known as medical tourism agents, help people in making the appointments for their overseas treatments. They work much like tourism agencies. They coordinate the travel plan, make reservations, book tickets, arrange schedules, etc. The foremost variation is medical tourism facilitators also facilitate the communication between their clients and the chosen healthcare provider and specialist. A medical tourism facilitator is like a one-stop shop for all your healthcare travel needs.
Hiring a medical tourism facilitator that is sure to be worth your money can be taxing because many dubious parties have easily mushroomed on the Internet, taking advantage of the increasing popularity of this new medical trend. When searching for a facilitator, one of the first things to seek is accreditation from the Medical Tourism Association (MTA). The MTA is the leading and only international non-profit organization that encourages high-quality medical tourism services. It is also the only body that awards certification to facilitators that meet the criteria of outstanding service. It is also recommended to conduct research on the hospitals that your chosen facilitator has partnered with. Reliable international hospitals are those that have been certified by international bodies, such as the Joint Commission International.
One of the defining features of medical tourism is the use of telemedicine. Telemedicine, which was officially started in the late 1980s, involves the transfer of medical information via technological devices. Talking to the phone to discuss your symptoms with your doctor is considered telemedicine, and so are transmitting medical records via the Internet and having two-way videoconferences with your doctor. This enables the continuance of healthcare even after the operation and rest period have passed and the patient is back in his/her home country.
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