Medical Tourism or Health Tourism signifies traveling across international borders to obtain health care where the medical cost is high or there is lack of health care options locally. Health Tourism basically includes elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement, (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries. Over 50 countries have identified medical tourism as a national industry. Popular medical travel worldwide destinations include: Argentina, Brunei, Cuba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Tunisia, New Zealand. Popular cosmetic surgery travel destinations include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Turkey.
The Process:
The process of this tourism is also simple and easy. The person seeking medical treatment abroad contacts a medical tourism provider. The provider requires the patient to provide a medical report, including the nature of ailment, local doctor’s opinion, medical history, and diagnosis, and may also request on some additional information. Certified medical doctors or consultants then advise on the medical treatment. The approximate expenditure, choice of hospitals and tourist destinations, and duration of stay, etc., is discussed. After signing consent bonds, the patient is given recommendation letters for a medical visa, to be procured from the concerned embassy. The patient travels to the destination country, where the medical tourism provider assigns a case executive to take complete care of the patient’s accommodation, treatment and other details. Once the treatment is done, the patient can remain in the tourist destination or return home.
Indian Medical Tourism:
India has originated as one of the most important hubs for medical tourism. As per most estimates treatment in India starts at around a tenth of the price of comparable treatment in America or Britain. The most popular treatments sought in India by medical tourists are alternative medicine, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac bypass, eye surgery and hip replacement. India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine. Hospitals like Apollo and Fortis have increased their presence in the field of medical tourism.
