Medical Tourism
The concept of medical tourism started thousands of years ago. People have been traveling across the continents in search of cures for any imaginable illnesses and making therapeutic trips for health wellness. In ancient Greece, pilgrims and patients came from all over the Mediterranean to the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios at Epidaurus, and from the 18th century wealthy Europeans have been traveling to spas from Germany to the Nile.
In recent years, medical tourism is becoming more popular with patients seeking treatment for health and well-being purposes abroad.
Why Are People Traveling?
If you can get your ailing heart cured or get your flat-nose fixed at home, why bother to travel across the globe for medical treatment? Patients seeking treatment abroad are motivated to do so by various reasons. Many are attracted by the low cost factor or they are simply dissatisfied with the existing medical care in their home country. Frustrated by the long waiting times, inadequate medical care and exorbitant medical expenses, many go abroad in search of medical care. The steep medical costs in America have contributed to many Americans flying to other countries in search of cheaper alternatives. According to the Census Bureau, as many as 46.6 million Americans were uninsured in 2005. As these uninsured Americans are not able to afford the costly medical care, many will jump at the opportunity of getting treatment abroad at a fraction of the price at home.
In the UK it is not uncommon to hear patients grumbling from having to wait for as long as six months to get treated by the public health service due to the system being too stretched to cater to everyone. Otherwise they will have to opt for private health services which is very expensive.
The Guardian wrote a classic case example on the medical care hiccups in Britain. George Marshall, a violin repairer from Bradford was diagnosed with coronary heart disease. He was told that he could either wait for up to six months for a heart bypass operation on the National Health Service or pay $38,000 to go under the scalpel immediately. He chose to outsource his operation to India instead. He went for an operation at the Wockhardt Hospital and Heart Institute and paid only $9,763.24 for surgery including travel expenses. Research and studies have shown support on the increasing trend in medical tourism. Dr Arnold Milsein, medical director of the United States based medical group Pacific Business Group, told a U.S. Special Committee on Ageing in 2006 that the typical combined hospital and doctor’s charges for operations in “technologically advanced hospitals in lower-wage countries” such as Thailand were 60 to 85 percent lower than charges in the US hospitals. An independent survey on medical tourism prices in 2006 by European Research Specialists commissioned compiled data from 108 clinics, hospitals and healthcare providers in 30 countries. Research revealed that patients from UK can save up to 80 percent by going overseas for surgery and medical treatment
Medical Tourism Takes off the Runway
Medical tourism is made possible and has gained popularity due to the advancement in medical technology, more affordable travel and the availability of information provided by the mass
media. As medical costs accelerate, patients are finding alternatives for low-cost treatment, and going abroad to get healthy seems very appealing. Lured by the promise of high quality, reliable medical care at a lower cost, patients are flying across the globe for medical treatment that they otherwise would not have access to easily due to prohibitive costs, long waiting time or unavailability of treatment in their home country. The promise of medical care and the attraction of exotic places are taking people places for medical care.(...) Medical Tourism Whetting Appetites
The spurt in the industry has created a vacuum that is quickly being filled with organizations or professionals eager to capture a share of the pie. Everyone from finance, insurance, travel, hospitality as well as health professionals, who have seen the potential of this industry with its growing audience, are looking for opportunities to fill in the gap in the medical tourism puzzle. Though many are eager to be the right pieces in the puzzle, many are still struggling to get the right fit. There are a number of concerns and risk factors for patients getting treatment much less seeking them abroad. Some additional concerns for patients include a consistent quality of care, lack of extensive dialog between the patient and the doctor, lack of post-op follow up, cultural differences and difficulty in obtaining sufficient insurance coverage. As this industry is driven by patients or travelers who become patients, it will be interesting to see whether the industry will meet their expectations.
Medical Tourism – The Other Side of the Story
Much have been said and claimed about the surging medical tourism industry and how its players are benefiting from it, however, not much is known about the other side of the story – the patients themselves.
The Medical Tourist
There are many testimonies supporting the claim of quality medical care and low cost expenses by those who have been there and done that, however what about the potential medical tourists. Where can they find quality information on the services provided abroad? How do they know who’s good and who’s not. Although there are a few indisputable medical centers who have already carved their name in the industry, there are a great many more that are less well known. Should this have a bearing on whether they are capable of providing quality healthcare?
Take for example India; there are thousands of hospitals sprawling across the country. Some have already been identified as the place to go for medical treatment, however, there are still many that are below the radar. The richer hospitals are able to afford to provide patients with the luxury of five star accommodation and service with equally advanced treatments
and services, but the hospitals that are less well funded are only able to provide medical care minus the other peripherals. So how do the medical tourists choose?
Medical Tourism Riding on the Waves
The term and concept of modern medical tourism may have been around for the last decade but it is still in its infancy stage. There are many challenges and obstacles ahead as with any burgeoning industry. There are a few players who are already paving the way and leading from the front but there is significantly more who are jumping onto the bandwagon. It is crucial that in this race to be the best and offer the most, the travelers/patients do not get ‘marginalized’ in the industry. Continuous training for healthcare workers to ensure consistent quality of care is essential as is consistency in the service that a patient receives before and after deciding on their doctor or the medical centre where they will be receiving treatment. Medical referrers and those providing concierge services need to have a strict understanding of the quality of medical care provided by those that they are affiliated with and ensure that that information as well as the risks is clearly brought across to the travelers.
Each player must play their part in ensuring that the medical tourism industry will continue to grow and benefit those that are in it – both patients and providers.
fragments of the article "The Lure of the Medical Tourism in Asia" by GERALDINE CHEW & NORZILAWATI MT issued at the Medical Tourism Magazime (issue 1), Dec 2007
The concept of medical tourism started thousands of years ago. People have been traveling across the continents in search of cures for any imaginable illnesses and making therapeutic trips for health wellness. In ancient Greece, pilgrims and patients came from all over the Mediterranean to the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios at Epidaurus, and from the 18th century wealthy Europeans have been traveling to spas from Germany to the Nile.
In recent years, medical tourism is becoming more popular with patients seeking treatment for health and well-being purposes abroad.
Why Are People Traveling?
If you can get your ailing heart cured or get your flat-nose fixed at home, why bother to travel across the globe for medical treatment? Patients seeking treatment abroad are motivated to do so by various reasons. Many are attracted by the low cost factor or they are simply dissatisfied with the existing medical care in their home country. Frustrated by the long waiting times, inadequate medical care and exorbitant medical expenses, many go abroad in search of medical care. The steep medical costs in America have contributed to many Americans flying to other countries in search of cheaper alternatives. According to the Census Bureau, as many as 46.6 million Americans were uninsured in 2005. As these uninsured Americans are not able to afford the costly medical care, many will jump at the opportunity of getting treatment abroad at a fraction of the price at home.
In the UK it is not uncommon to hear patients grumbling from having to wait for as long as six months to get treated by the public health service due to the system being too stretched to cater to everyone. Otherwise they will have to opt for private health services which is very expensive.
The Guardian wrote a classic case example on the medical care hiccups in Britain. George Marshall, a violin repairer from Bradford was diagnosed with coronary heart disease. He was told that he could either wait for up to six months for a heart bypass operation on the National Health Service or pay $38,000 to go under the scalpel immediately. He chose to outsource his operation to India instead. He went for an operation at the Wockhardt Hospital and Heart Institute and paid only $9,763.24 for surgery including travel expenses. Research and studies have shown support on the increasing trend in medical tourism. Dr Arnold Milsein, medical director of the United States based medical group Pacific Business Group, told a U.S. Special Committee on Ageing in 2006 that the typical combined hospital and doctor’s charges for operations in “technologically advanced hospitals in lower-wage countries” such as Thailand were 60 to 85 percent lower than charges in the US hospitals. An independent survey on medical tourism prices in 2006 by European Research Specialists commissioned compiled data from 108 clinics, hospitals and healthcare providers in 30 countries. Research revealed that patients from UK can save up to 80 percent by going overseas for surgery and medical treatment
Medical Tourism Takes off the Runway
Medical tourism is made possible and has gained popularity due to the advancement in medical technology, more affordable travel and the availability of information provided by the mass
media. As medical costs accelerate, patients are finding alternatives for low-cost treatment, and going abroad to get healthy seems very appealing. Lured by the promise of high quality, reliable medical care at a lower cost, patients are flying across the globe for medical treatment that they otherwise would not have access to easily due to prohibitive costs, long waiting time or unavailability of treatment in their home country. The promise of medical care and the attraction of exotic places are taking people places for medical care.(...) Medical Tourism Whetting Appetites
The spurt in the industry has created a vacuum that is quickly being filled with organizations or professionals eager to capture a share of the pie. Everyone from finance, insurance, travel, hospitality as well as health professionals, who have seen the potential of this industry with its growing audience, are looking for opportunities to fill in the gap in the medical tourism puzzle. Though many are eager to be the right pieces in the puzzle, many are still struggling to get the right fit. There are a number of concerns and risk factors for patients getting treatment much less seeking them abroad. Some additional concerns for patients include a consistent quality of care, lack of extensive dialog between the patient and the doctor, lack of post-op follow up, cultural differences and difficulty in obtaining sufficient insurance coverage. As this industry is driven by patients or travelers who become patients, it will be interesting to see whether the industry will meet their expectations.
Medical Tourism – The Other Side of the Story
Much have been said and claimed about the surging medical tourism industry and how its players are benefiting from it, however, not much is known about the other side of the story – the patients themselves.
The Medical Tourist
There are many testimonies supporting the claim of quality medical care and low cost expenses by those who have been there and done that, however what about the potential medical tourists. Where can they find quality information on the services provided abroad? How do they know who’s good and who’s not. Although there are a few indisputable medical centers who have already carved their name in the industry, there are a great many more that are less well known. Should this have a bearing on whether they are capable of providing quality healthcare?
Take for example India; there are thousands of hospitals sprawling across the country. Some have already been identified as the place to go for medical treatment, however, there are still many that are below the radar. The richer hospitals are able to afford to provide patients with the luxury of five star accommodation and service with equally advanced treatments
and services, but the hospitals that are less well funded are only able to provide medical care minus the other peripherals. So how do the medical tourists choose?
Medical Tourism Riding on the Waves
The term and concept of modern medical tourism may have been around for the last decade but it is still in its infancy stage. There are many challenges and obstacles ahead as with any burgeoning industry. There are a few players who are already paving the way and leading from the front but there is significantly more who are jumping onto the bandwagon. It is crucial that in this race to be the best and offer the most, the travelers/patients do not get ‘marginalized’ in the industry. Continuous training for healthcare workers to ensure consistent quality of care is essential as is consistency in the service that a patient receives before and after deciding on their doctor or the medical centre where they will be receiving treatment. Medical referrers and those providing concierge services need to have a strict understanding of the quality of medical care provided by those that they are affiliated with and ensure that that information as well as the risks is clearly brought across to the travelers.
Each player must play their part in ensuring that the medical tourism industry will continue to grow and benefit those that are in it – both patients and providers.
fragments of the article "The Lure of the Medical Tourism in Asia" by GERALDINE CHEW & NORZILAWATI MT issued at the Medical Tourism Magazime (issue 1), Dec 2007
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