Medical Tourism: It's Not as Difficult as You Think

Traveling abroad for medical treatment is known as medical tourism. Because the treatments they need can be completed in other nations at a comparatively low cost and without the delay and inconvenience of being placed on a waiting list, many patients participate in medical tourism.

Furthermore, some individuals journey to particular locations to receive medical treatments that are unavailable in their nation of origin. Stem cell transplants and gender reassignment surgeries are two instances of these operations.

Known also as health tourism, medical tourism is a massive and rapidly expanding global industry. The worldwide health tourism industry was estimated to be worth US$54 billion in 2020, but it is projected to nearly quadruple to US$207 billion by 2027. 

But if you're considering going on a medical tourism trip of your own, what can you anticipate? Which global locations currently provide the greatest opportunities for medical tourism? We'll cover all you need to know about medical tourism in this article.

The Origins and Development of Medical Travel

People have traveled great distances for medical attention throughout history. Worshippers of the Greco-Roman god of medicine, Asclepius, for instance, traveled to his temple in Epidaurus in ancient Greece to undergo therapeutic procedures known as "incubation rituals,".

which were based on ceremonial, fasting, and prayer. Similarly, spas and public baths have long been favored locations for people looking for health benefits. Rich people from all over Europe were drawn to the spa towns that began to spring up in the 17th century, especially in picturesque locations like the Pyrenees.

As travel and tourism grew in subsequent centuries, spas and health resorts across the globe frequently drew foreign guests. Furthermore, the opening of institutions like the charitable Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, gave patients in need of surgeries and treatments that weren't offered elsewhere additional options.

However, the practice of traveling abroad for surgery is a relatively new development. For instance, in the 1980s, Costa Rica saw a boom in the number of foreign patients seeking dental and cosmetic procedures. By the 1990s, doctors there were aggressively trying to draw in foreign patients by providing affordable plastic surgery procedures, such as liposuction and facelifts. 

An estimated 20,000–25,000 medical tourists arrived in Costa Rica towards the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, a considerable rise over the previous years. 

This expansion seemed to coincide with the global surge in medical travel that occurred in the early years of the twenty-first century. For instance, around 1.5 million Americans left the nation in 2010 to receive medical care—nearly twice as many as in just three years earlier.

Which Nations Offer the Finest Medical Travel Experiences?

Numerous considerations will determine the best location for a medical tourism trip. Among them are:

1. Care Quality

Forty percent of medical tourists go abroad in quest of better care than what they can get at home, according to McKinsey. Because of this, medical tourists frequently seek out nations with highly developed healthcare systems, easy access to top-notch physicians and medical equipment, and short waiting lists for medical care. 

It might be challenging to determine which nations are the absolute "best" for all varieties of medical tourists because different nations may specialize in different kinds of medical care.

2. Cost

Medical tourists naturally go toward nations with less expensive healthcare. To ensure they receive high-quality care, many medical tourists deliberately look for private healthcare in other nations, albeit this is typically more expensive. 

However, many medical tourists believe that these expenses are justified given the availability of quicker wait times and better care, particularly when compared to the cost of treatment in their home nation.

3. Travel Opportunities

As a medical tourist, you can find yourself recuperating and receiving treatment in another nation for a few weeks or even months. Because of this, medical tourists frequently travel to safe, enjoyable nations that may even present prospects for them to work overseas. 

Many people who travel for medical purposes choose tourist hotspots as their destinations since they can combine their medical care with a vacation. 

Having said that, the following nations are among the top 10 worldwide for medical tourism, per data from the International Medical Travel Journal:

1. Malaysia: 1,100,000 

2. Thailand:  632,000

3. Turkey:  400,000

4. South Korea:  400,00

5. Dubai:  350,000

6. Vietnam:  350,000

7. South Africa:  300,000

8. Mexico:  300,000

9. Taiwan:  300,000

10. India:  200,000

Other nations with high rankings for medical tourism in 2019 included the USA (200,000), Belarus (150,000), Spain (140,000), Poland (100,000), Germany (100,000), Russia (200,000), and Belarus (200,000).

But it's crucial to keep in mind that the most well-liked nations aren't always the greatest. Various nations have varying healthcare standards and may have distinct specializations in medical fields.

Sorts of Treatments

The availability of various treatment categories plays a significant role in the decision to participate in medical tourism. Elective cosmetic surgery, dental operations, organ transplants, cardiac surgery, and orthopedic surgery are the most prevalent procedures that patients seek out when traveling for medical tourism. 

Nonetheless, medical tourism offers a vast array of services, from different types of standard and alternative treatments to numerous necessary treatments. 

Reproductive tourism, also known as reproductive outsourcing, refers to the trend of going overseas to undergo in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, and other assisted reproductive technology procedures.

Access is another important element driving the rise in medical tourism in addition to cost. Medical tourism may result from its absence, which may be brought on by a prohibition in the home nation or by the technology's unavailability. Stem cell treatment and cytoplasmic transfer are two such instances.

Growth of Indian Medical Tourism

In the last ten years, India has established a reputation for offering medical tourists from all over the world top-notch care at affordable prices. However, the number of medical tourists has decreased due to the travel restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 epidemic. 

The Tourism Ministry reports that India's growth in 2020 was 79.4% less than that of 2019. Despite this, things appear to be improving again because of the measures taken to manage the pandemic crisis. According to market research, demand is expected to rise at a strong 19% CAGR in 2022.

Why is India becoming a more well-liked destination for patient care? India is unique among nations in that its healthcare system provides both modern and traditional medical treatments. 

First of all, compared to other nations, it offers treatment for a fraction of the cost thanks to its network of top-notch physicians and hospitals. Second, the oldest medical systems in the world, Ayurveda, Yoga, Panchakarma, Rejuvenation Therapy, etc., are being adopted by people all over the world. These systems are known as AYUSH. Recently, PM Modi also revealed plans to introduce the AYUSH Mark.

A seal of approval to give AYUSH products in India legitimacy and to advance the country's medical tourism industry. The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) also support other medical facilities and services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the demand for the healthcare sector will undoubtedly rise in the post-Covid era. India has a great deal of potential to seize this opportunity and work hard to become a major hub for medical tourists from throughout the globe, especially the Americas and Europe. 

Given the government's emphasis on making India the center of medical tourism, the country will undoubtedly become the hub for all medical tourists in the future due to its initiatives and the growing demand. India will not only lead the world in saving millions of lives, but it will also produce over $13 billion in foreign exchange and worthwhile jobs simultaneously.