The reasons patients travel for treatment vary. Many medical
tourists from the United States are seeking treatment at a
quarter or sometimes even a 10th of the cost at home. From
Canada, it is often people who are frustrated by long waiting
times. From Great Britain, the patient can't wait for treatment
by the National Health Service but also can't afford to see
a physician in private practice. For others, becoming a medical
tourist is a chance to combine a tropical vacation with elective
or plastic surgery.
And more patients are coming from poorer countries such as
Bangladesh where treatment may not be available.
Medical
Tourism as an old method |
Medical tourism is actually thousands of years old. In ancient
Greece, pilgrims and patients came from all over the Mediterranean
to the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios, at Epidaurus.
In Roman Britain, patients took the waters at a shrine at
Bath, a practice that continued for 2,000 years. From the
18th century wealthy Europeans travelled to spas from Germany
to the Nile. In the 21st century, relatively low-cost jet
travel has taken the industry beyond the wealthy and desperate.
Countries
that promote Medical Tourism |
Countries that actively promote medical tourism include Cuba,
Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia
and Thailand. Belgium, Poland and Singapore are now entering
the field. South Africa specializes in medical safaris-visit
the country for a safari, with a stopover for plastic surgery,
a nose job and a chance to see lions and elephants.
India
as a medical tourist Country |
India is considered the leading country promoting medical
tourism-and now it is moving into a new area of "medical
outsourcing," where subcontractors provide services to
the overburdened medical care systems in western countries.
India's National Health Policy declares that treatment of
foreign patients is legally an
"export"
and deemed
"eligible for all fiscal
incentives extended to export earnings." Government
and private sector studies in India estimate that medical
tourism could bring between $1 billion and $2 billion US into
the country by 2012. The reports estimate that medical tourism
to India is growing by 30 per cent a year.
India's top-rated education system is not only churning out
computer programmers and engineers, but an estimated 20,000
to 30,000 doctors and nurses each year.
