Save Locally. Act Globally.
Join the medical tourism revolution.
The medical industry is changing rapidly. Join the elite group of informed individuals who know that excellent medical facilities and treatment can be affordable. Thousands of educated people have reaped the benefits of globalization. The world is flat, but what does that mean to you? You no longer need to go through a bureaucratic system of health care and spend your life savings to get a simple treatment that can lead to a happier, healthier life. There are many facilities around the world with top-notch medical professionals who offer the exact same, if not better, care as your local hospital. And, who knows? You might just discover a new vacation spot while you're there. Save locally. Act globally.
What is Medical Tourism?
Once associated with cheap cosmetic surgery and fringe medical therapies, medical tourism (also known as health travel, medical travel, or global health care) is now rapidly gaining acceptance by both the American public and the medical community at large (the latter if somewhat reluctantly), as a real solution to the high cost of healthcare in the United States. In fact, the American Medical Association recently issued guidelines and recommendations for medical tourism patients traveling outside the U.S. for medical care.
So what is medical tourism and why does this catchy term seem to be popping up in the media so often these days? First off it may be helpful to define what medical tourism is not. It is not a vacation package sold to doctors, nor is it a pastime for folks who like to tour hospitals. It is also not strictly tourism per se, although many aspects of tourism are engaged to some degree or another.
Simply put, medical tourism can be defined as the act of traveling outside oneβs own area of residence for health care. This can take the form of a two hundred mile drive to your parentβs birthplace, or it can mean flying half way around the globe to an exotic culture you know nothing about. For people without insurance or those needing medical procedures that insurance won't cover, medical tourism offers an attractive alternative to rising healthcare costs.
Traditionally medical tourism has been associated with elective procedures (procedures not seen as strictly necessary) such as cosmetic dental and plastic surgery. Destinations such as Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico have long catered to North American body worshippers in need of a nip or a tuck. Over the last few years however, non-elective procedures such as knee and hip replacements, cardiac procedures and neurosurgery have rapidly been gaining ground and are soon expected to overtake seemingly βtrivialβ pursuits such as searching for the perfect smile.
Asian nations such as India, Thailand and Singapore have taken the lead in marketing their hospitals and countries to this new wave of medical tourists, most of whom are baby boomers hailing from countries in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Not to be left behind, other countries in Asia, Latin America, and Europe are now catching up and have begun to successfully attract many of these same markets with enticing offers of cheaper prices, shorter flights and cutting edge technology.
For many years the U.S was a main receptor of medical tourism patients searching for the cutting-edge medical expertise and technology. This is still the case to some degree; however, the number of incoming medical tourism patients has diminished significantly due in part to the stringent immigration restrictions on visas following the tragic events of 9/11.
History of Medical Tourism?
Medical tourism is often thought of as a recent phenomenon. The truth, however, is that people have been traveling long distances to better their health for thousands of years. Granted, itβs hard to picture a swarthy chieftain traipsing across the desert on his camel to barter for a nicer set of pearly whites. Were clinics and hospitals even around that long ago, thousands of years ago?
Archaeological evidence from the third millennium B.C. suggests that ancient Mesopotamians traveled to the temple of a healing god or goddess at Tell Brak, Syria, in search of a cure for eye disorders. A few thousand years later the Greeks and Romans would travel by foot or ship to spas and cult centers all around the Mediterranean. The Asclepia Temples, dedicated in honor of the Greek god of medicine, were some of the world's first health centers. Pilgrims would sometimes spend several nights in the temple, hoping Asclepios would appear in a dream and suggest a diagnosis or treatment.
Later in the 16th and 17th centuries, spa towns such as St. Moritz and Bath became prime destinations for the European upper classes looking to soothe their ills. What kind of βproceduresβ were the ancients seeking? No butt lifts or hip and knee replacements, thatβs for sure. Many were looking for βhealingβ waters or the benevolence of the gods to cure common ailments of the time such as rheumatism, syphilis, gonorrhea, blindness and paralysis.
Modern medical tourism as we know it today has largely been the result of several factors including the high cost of medical care in first world nations, ease of long distance travel, and advances in information technology.
What kind of Medical Tourism are you looking for?
Medical tourism comes in many different flavors but can be grouped primarily under the following four branches:
Medical Tourism For βMajorβ Medical Procedures Also referred to as non-elective or critical procedures, these tend to be relatively complex surgeries that, due to their urgent nature, must be procured in a relatively short time period. They include but are not limited to orthopedic procedures such as knee and hip replacements, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, gynecology procedures and general procedures such as hernia repairs and gallbladder removals. These procedures tend to be characteristic of the baby boomer generation and are therefore expected to increase in popularity as more North Americans enter this demographic age group.
Medical Tourism for Plastic Surgery or Cosmetic Surgery Procedures From breast lifts to tummy tucks and buttock augmentations, these are the glamorous procedures most commonly associated with the term medical tourism. They are known as elective procedures as you elect or choose to have them done usually based on non life threatening considerations such as bettering your appearance. These procedures are normally not covered by insurance and its adherents are usually between the ages of thirty-five and sixty-five (though there are many exceptions to this rule).
Dental Tourism a Form of Medical Tourism As the heading suggests, this is the side of medical tourism that focuses on fixing your smile. Though the name may conjure up images of a tanned thirty-something brandishing a sparkling smile and strolling along a palm-fringed beach, the truth of the matter is that for many people, going abroad is the only way that they can afford to take care of sometimes complex dental problems. Popular treatments and procedures include teeth whitening and veneers all the way up to implants, crowns and complex cases such as maxillofacial surgery (correcting injuries and defects in the head, neck, face and jaw).
Health Tourism for Wellness & Alternative Treatments This is a rapidly growing sub-niche of medical tourism that has been around for many years. It is technically two sub-niches (though they do overlap) as we must differentiate between travel for alternative treatments and wellness tourism. The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) Section staff of the National Library of Medicine classifies alternative medicine under the term complementary therapies. This is defined as therapeutic practices which are not currently considered an integral part of conventional allopathic medical practice. Others would define it as any medical intervention not available at U.S hospitals. These βinterventionsβ include but are not limited to certain cancer therapies, homeopathy, chiropractic, naturopathy, mega-vitamin therapy, herbalism, acupuncture, massage, and new age healing. Wellness tourism, on the other hand, is characterized by generally healthy people seeking to preserve or promote their health through preventative care treatments such as medical check-ups, mega-vitamin therapy, yoga and meditation.
