Medical Tourism – Travel for Healthcare

Medical Tourism or Healthcare Tourism is a practice that has been rising in popularity due to rising healthcare costs in some countries, and comparatively affordable healthcare costs in others. In this article, we will talk about medical tourism: what it is, where to go for medical tourism, whether you should consider it, and more.

What is Medical Tourism (or Healthcare Tourism)?

Medical Tourism is the practice of obtaining medical treatment in another country by traveling. In the past, the idea of medical tourism was for those who lived in less developed countries to travel to another country (a highly developed one) in order to seek medical treatment due to a variety of reasons, including: more advanced medical equipment, more skilled doctors, specialized types of treatment, unavailable drugs or medical services in their home country, alternative medicine, etc.

In recent years, however, the practice of medical tourism has been used with the idea of seeking treatment in another country because of rising costs of healthcare in someone’s home country.

Medical Tourism Examples

As a practice, medical tourism has been done for a long time, with the earliest recorded instance of it dating back to when Greek pilgrims traveled to Epidauria (a small city in Ancient Greece) in the Saronic Gulf from the Eastern Mediterranean.

Modern examples of medical tourism are: for surgeries (cosmetic and otherwise), which is the most common type of medical tourism; dental tourism; or fertility tourism, the practice of traveling to another country or jurisdiction for fertility treatment.

Types of Medical Tourism

There are two types of medical tourism: International Medical Tourism and Domestic Medical Tourism.

International Medical Tourism

When you think about medical tourism, it is likely that this is the kind of medical tourism that comes to mind. It is when people who are living in one country travel abroad to seek medical treatment and medical care in another country. This type of medical tourism can further be divided into two types:

Inbound Medical Tourism – referring to tourists of outside origin who are entering a country in order to seek medical treatment.
Outbound Medical Tourism – referring to tourists who are traveling from the country of their origin to a another, foreign country.

Domestic Medical Tourism

The other type of medical tourism is Domestic Medical Tourism. It is when a person in one country travels to another city, state, or region in the same country to receive medical treatment while at the same time receiving better or equal care than in their home city, or for the reason of the affordability of the medical treatment given in another region.

Benefits of Medical Tourism

Medical Tourism has many advantages and benefits, not only to tourists who are traveling to another country or state to receive better quality treatment while saving on the cost of said treatment, but also for the economic development of medical tourism countries where tourists travel to for treatment. More healthcare jobs as well as healthcare facilities are created and supported by the practice of medical tourism, and the resulting exchange of knowledge also promotes an increase in global healthcare standards. Those who are traveling for the purpose of medical tourism also gain access to the latest technology in the medical sector. Thus, quality of life is improved for everyone involved.

Best Countries for Medical Tourism

Some countries are more popular destinations for medical tourism compared to other countries. To be concise, the top ten destinations for medical tourism are Japan, Korea, the United States, Taiwan, Germany, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, and India. Below are some (but not all) of the best countries for medical tourism, including more detailed information about their medical tourism industries:

Jordan – In 2014, Jordan won the Medical Destination of the Year Award from IMTJ Medical Travel Awards.
Iran – Medical services in Iran are low cost, particularly in the fields of cosmetic and plastic surgery, infertility treatment, and dentistry.
Tunisia – Tunisia is named the world’s second-best thalassotherapy destination (the use of seawater as a form of therapy, including the systematic use of sea products and shore climate), behind France.
United Arab Emirates – The Dubai Health authority has been promoting medical tourism into the UAE, especially Dubai, and the UAE has the distinction of having the maximum number of JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited hospitals. JCI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that identifies, measures, and shares best practices in quality and patient safety around the world.
Brazil – The first JCI-accredited facility outside of the United States was Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Since then, more than a dozen Brazilian medical facilities have been similarly accredited.
Canada – Patients can save from 30 to 60 percent on healthcare costs in Canada compared to the United States.
Mexico – Mexico has a reputation for advanced care in the fields of dentistry and cosmetic surgery. Los Algodones in Baja California (a state in Mexico) has become a popular destination for Americans and Canadians seeking dental services, leading to it being nicknamed “Molar City”, with roughly 600 dentists practicing in the city.
United States – While many medical tourists travel from the United States to other countries, the United States still boasts an advantage due to the availability of advanced medical technology and sophisticated training of physicians.
New Zealand – It was estimated in 2008 that surgical costs in New Zealand are on average around 15 to 20% of the cost of the same procedure in the United States
Thailand – Currently one of the most popular medical tourism destinations, Thailand is popular for tourists seeking medical care for everything, from open-heart surgery to fertility treatments.
Turkey – Turkey is quickly becoming a hub for hair transplant surgery.
Albania – Albania provides services to international patients for dental tourism, and there can be found over 200 dental clinics.
France – France has the distinction of being ranked as having the world’s leading health care system by the World Health Organization.
Serbia – The country is a major international hub for gender reassignment surgery, as well as having various clinics that cater to the fields of cosmetic surgery, dental care, fertility treatment, and weight loss procedures for medical tourists.

Conclusion

Whatever medical treatment you may need, or medical condition you may have, it is a good idea to consider the possibility of medical tourism in order to save on costs, or to receive higher quality medical treatment. The experienced and professional travel agents at Falcon Travel can take care of arranging all of your travel plans, including but not limited to medical tourism.

Contact Us

For more information, please contact us.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mobile: +974 5025 0208

Landline: +974 4435 4777