Introduction
Did you know that you can explore a new part of the world all while receiving a medical treatment or procedure? This is the case for some medical patients who travel abroad. Welcome to the world of medical tourism. Most patients are involved in medical tourism for four major reasons that include; high quality of healthcare, access to unorthodox medical procedures, affordability and better availability. Medical tourism is a manifestation for globalization. High medical costs, a lack of new therapies and long waiting periods during treatment are some of the reasons that encourage medical tourism. Countries such as Canada and Western Europe seek medication from Latin America and Asia. The destination countries of medical tourism have positive developmental and economic impacts.
The Concept of Medical Tourism
Medical tourism refers to situations where people travel from one's nation to another to seek surgical and medical care. Individuals practice medical tourism with intentions of better care, affordability and in search of high-quality care (Connell 1). The patients receive better or equal treatment as those offered in their own country. Medical tourism is associated with many benefits such as; convenient transfer of medical information, international relationships with medical providers and one-stop medical tourism shopping (De Arellano et al, 14). Patients that engage in medical tourism have the advantage of access to information, various hospitals and procedures. The facilitator of medical tourism in the visiting country is responsible for taking care of the patient's transportation and logistics such as lodging and flights. However, there are certain risks involved in medical tourism.
Risks Associated with Medical Tourism
Travel after surgery is one of the many risks associated with medical tourism. After a surgery is done to patients, travelling for long distances may cause certain types of risks such as; pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. Patients who travel long distances after a surgery are likely to have clots deep in their veins. Doctors recommend that patients should exercise their legs while sitting and walking around each 2 to 3 hours after surgical procedures have been conducted (De Arellano et al 12).
Patients also risk minimum and less effective legal recourse just in case something goes wrong during surgery. Different countries have varying legal recourse procedures and if a complication occurred for example due to doctor's negligence, filing a case in court would be hard. In addition, most international hospitals outline that medical tourism patients that may want a legal recourse should sign waivers stating that surgery lawsuits should be filed in the countries where the surgery is conducted. Moreover, patients risk inappropriate aftercare healthcare once they return home. In most instances, doctors are required to make follow up on the customers in order to monitor the progress. However, in medical tourism, it becomes difficult for physicians and nurses to monitor the patient's progress and follow up. Varying standards in various countries also poses a risk to patients in medical tourism. Each country has its own regulation, certification and licensing protocols which differ from those in the United States. For this reason, the patient is left with the burden of conducting research to determine hospitals that are accredited or doctors that are licensed (Horowitz et al 16). Therefore, patients may sometimes face the risk of being treated by doctors that are not licensed or hospitals without licenses. An objective view of this argument is that medical tourism is worth the risk and patients should be encouraged to have medical procedures performed abroad by certified health care officials.
Affordability of Medical Tourism
One of the most advantageous characteristics of medical tourism is the affordable cost. Accessing medical care abroad is relatively cheaper than in the United States. Recently, medical care in America has continued to skyrocket and thus many patients are considering medical tourism. With the globalization of the healthcare sector, patients have the ability to receive expert health care in different countries at a lower cost (Mak, 2012). According to a recent article in the New York times, hip surgery in the United States is estimated to cost $10000 whereas in Belgium the surgery costs $13660 including travel expenses. This represents an 86% decrease in medical care costs. Some scholars have speculated that medical care is cheaper abroad due to the low quality of healthcare. However, most countries provide the same care as the one provided in America if not better. In fact, most developing countries have specified in a specific niche in the healthcare sector and thus obtaining the necessary skills to perform medical procedures with a high degree of expertise. For instance, Thailand has specified in cosmetic surgery and sex operations. With medical tourism, patients from the North have the opportunity to receive top-notch medical care from certified experts at a relatively affordable cost (Phogat, 2018). Furthermore, most hospitals in other countries are observing fewer government regulations as they are privately operated. As such, the cost of health care procedures is significantly reduced.
Efficiency and Effectiveness of Medical Tourism
Medical Tourism is significantly faster. Efficient and effective healthcare relies heavily on the concept of urgency. For instance, patients who need an organ transplant or blood transfusion need these operations to be performed in the soonest time possible. Nonetheless, due to the high demand for these services in the United States, patients are put on waiting lists for months and sometimes years before receiving the specific care they need (Phogat,2018). This move risky and it harbours the potential to take a serious toll in the quality of a patient's life. However, the development of medical tourism is significantly solving this issue. Medical tourism gives patient global opportunities rather being restricted to one region or country.
Experiential Advantages of Medical Tourism
Medical tourism offers experiential advantages. Health tourism gives pragmatic advantages as offers patients an unforgettable visitor experience. Medical tourism is planned carefully to inculcate coordinated travel to the health care destination, opportunities to experience and enjoy the hospitality of its people, culture and history (Veselova, 2017). Furthermore, patients experience the rest and rejuvenation needed to heal. They also experience unique local flavours and recipes as well as the precision and compassion of health care providers who work collaboratively. Moreover, patients receive the privacy and anonymity required as they receive their medical care (Carrera et al,2006). All these aspects combine to form a unique visitor experience that possesses a storytelling value.
High-Quality Healthcare in Medical Tourism
Medical tourism provides patients with an opportunity to receive high-quality health care. Naturally, people equate the amount they pay to the quality of care they receive. However, globalization and technological innovations have significantly even out the playing field in the healthcare sector (Carrera et al, 2006). Besides expertise, foreign hospitals offer exemplary care. Furthermore, medical tourism hubs such as Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong possess enough well-trained personnel to take care of patients (Horowitz et al 16). Whereas doctors in America are busy with commitments due to a high number of patients, doctors in tourist health care facilities have light workloads and thus have a lot of time for one on one patient interaction. As such, medical tourism assures patients utmost care as the reputation of any institution depends on how the patients are treated.
Economic Development through Medical Tourism
Among the benefits of medical tourism is economic development. Countries abroad benefit heavily from trickle down economy. With medical tourism, health care industries in other countries experience an increase in the inward flow of foreign currency and consequently, there is immense growth in the health, tourism as well as infrastructure industries (Johnston, Rory, et al.). The development of these sectors subsequently leads to the improvement of the aggregate economy and the sophistication of the healthcare facilities in these countries. According to economists, major Asian healthcare destinations earn substantial amounts from medical tourism (Johnston, Rory, et al., 10). Furthermore, medical tourism has made it possible for nations with smaller populations to sustain and subsidize innovative medical care, equipment and medical specialties with low internal demand. As such, these developments make it easier for patients abroad to access healthcare. Moreover, the main driver of medical tourism is the worldwide commercialization of healthcare (Johnston, Rory, et al., 10). Several healthcare destinations including India, Thailand and Nepal among others do not have strict restrictions on direct foreign investment as they hope to increase the levels of medical tourism and thus encourage the growth of the health sectors in these countries. Additionally, trade agreements have the potential to increase medical tourism.
Benefits for the United States from Medical Tourism
Medical tourism not only supports economic development in international countries but also in the United States. The Deloitte Center for Healthcare solutions reported that the number of medical tourists is bound to rise to 5.25 and 6.25 by 2010 in the United States (Goldbach et al, 10). For instance, Canada experienced a 450% increase in the number of patients from other countries between 2001 and 2008 (Hopkins, Laura, et al., 10). However, most of the patient care was done in the United States. The private health insurance industry in the United States heavily benefits from medical tourism. This is due to the fact that medical tourism brokerages working outside America discuss with insurance companies to enact policies for their patients as the non-portability of insurance covers is still a significant healthcare barrier (Hopkins, Laura, et al., 10). As such, self-insured companies and huge insurance firms benefit from the low-cost provider networks presented by the growth of medical tourism. Furthermore, insurance companies in America experience product expansion as they include medical travel in their policies as well as network expansion (Hopkins, Laura, et al.,10). Also, medical travelers from the United States get the opportunity to pursue procedures and technologies that may have not been approved in America. This move gives an opportunity for constructive innovation that eventually promotes the development of advanced medical procedures and thus improving medical care.
Conclusion
Medical tourism possesses various direct and indirect advantages to both the patient and the countries. Although there are several risks that come with this field, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. In fact, the less ill the patient is the better the time they experience while being treated abroad. The idea of health care tourism is appealing to any persons interested in high quality and affordable medical services. Every year, the number of medical tourists rapidly increases (Michael 2011). Due to the increased health care tourism benefits, technological innovations as well as improvements in the medical care standards, there is a high possibility that the advantages of medical care are the key to an array of healthcare problems. As such patients should be encouraged to pursue quality healthcare in internationally accredited hospitals as they will undergo treat fast and effectively. Furthermore, there are insurance companies that cover and facilitate medical travels as well as provide a link between patients and doctors.
Work Cited
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