Categorized as an export product, medical tourism is basically marketed to people in the First World countries who are not insured or people who cannot afford private healthcare in the US. The phenomenon of medical tourism is conservatively projected to grow to $40 billion by 2010.
Outsourcing of healthcare becomes an attractive alternative because non-First World prices are more affordable. The technology and quality gaps have also been eradicated. Developing countries now boast of improved medical technology, as well as competitive healthcare prices. The Internet has compressed the world, offering a wide array of comprehensive information. International travel is easy and affordable. Add to all these is the prospect of fun and relaxation in a new land.
Citizens from developed countries now opt to travel abroad to avail of healthcare services or medical treatments. In the process of availing healthcare in a foreign land, the patient takes the opportunity for rest, recreation, and leisure. The medical patient thus becomes a medical tourist. Medical tourism is for either a leisure tourist who happens to want or need a medical check-up or a medical tourist with a hospital or clinic as destination and wants sightseeing and shopping on the side.
Several key factors have brought about the phenomenon of medical tourism. There are aging populations in Japan, US, and Europe. Healthcare is expensive in developed countries, such as those in North America and Europe. Patients have experienced a long waiting period in the national health system of some western European countries. Private and social benefit schemes are getting expensive, forcing patients to look for an alternative. At times, the individual ends up paying for his own healthcare. Often, some surgeries are not covered by insurance and will, therefore, be out-of-pocket expenses.
Via MedGenMed
