Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is a name coined by travel agencies and the media to describe the ever-increasing practice of traveling to foreign countries to obtain healthcare. It is also called by different names like medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare. Although the concept is not new, it has gained immense popularity in recent times and more and more patients around the world are looking at lucrative options of getting medical treatments at cheaper rates coupled with a short vacation to exotic destinations.

            Medical tourism is offered by a collaboration of the health care industry and the tourism industry. It mixes leisure and fun coupled with a wide range of healthcare services. Common reasons for a surge in this sector are high costs of healthcare and long waits for non-emergency surgeries in developed nations. People who are taking the most benefits of medical tourism are citizens of the First World including the US, Europe, Canada, Middle East and Japan. To appreciate the enormous attractiveness of medical tourism, one has to understand the high costs involved in providing medical facilities in the developed nations. Healthcare costs in countries like India, Thailand, Korea can be less than one-tenth of what they are in the US. For example, a heart-valve replacement that would cost the patient $200,000 in the US would be less than $10,000 in India and that too including round trip fare and a short vacation thrown in.

            Today’s hot destinations for medical tourism are countries like India, Thailand, S. Korea, S. Africa, Singapore, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Hungary, Argentina, Brunei, Cuba, Colombia, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and New Zealand. Since quality standards in the healthcare sector are pretty high, many healthcare providers are trying to get themselves accredited by reputed agencies like Joint Commission International (JCI) and Trent International Accreditation Scheme to attract US and UK nationals.

            India is fast earning a glorious reputation in the field of medical tourism and the industry is slated to become a Rs. 9,500-crore industry by 2015. This is primarily due to the participation of Indian corporate hospitals that provide state-of-the-art facilities and technical know-how for a variety of areas like cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, joint replacement, orthopedic surgery, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, transplants and urology. Indian medical doctors are regarded as amongst the best in the world and the standards set and maintained by corporate-managed hospitals, the quality of its auxiliary staff and superiority of pre- and post-operative care is what attracts many foreign nationals. A major attraction is also the fact that India itself is an exciting tourist attraction. Thus, a cheap, yet quality healthcare experience along with a short vacation for rest and recuperation in Indian destinations is an enticing mix for foreigners.

            Another aspect of medical tourism which is offered in India is what is known as Wellness Tourism. This involves mind rejuvenation packages which include vacations in Ayurvedic Centres or spas. Tourists are assured of rejuvenation by yoga and ayurvedic treatments including special massages. This has seen a boom in specialised ayurvedic spas like Kerala Ayurvedic Therapy Centres and Panchakarma Therapy Centres. These centres target the mind along with the body to give a holistic wellness experience.

            The procedure for obtaining the facilities of medical tourism include sending of a query to the Service Provider, identification of healthcare provider by service provider, discussions with specialist doctors, finalization of treatment, options of pre- and post-hospitalization stays, arrival, checking-in, meeting with doctors, treatment, short vacation and travel back to the native country.

            Many medical, legal and ethical issues remain to be solved. But with the amount of money involved, it would only be natural for the government authorities to intervene and sort matters out.