Medical tourism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Medical tourism is the act of traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental, and surgical care. The term was initially coined by travel agencies and the media as a catchall phrase to describe a rapidly growing industry where people travel to other countries to obtain medical care while at the same time touring, vacationing and enjoying the attractions of the countries which they are visiting.

Contents 1 Description 2 India 3 Thailand 4 Medical Travel Risks and Rewards 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Description

A combination of many factors has led to the recent increase in popularity of medical tourism: the high cost of healthcare in industrialized nations, the ease and affordability of international travel, and the improvement of technology and standards of care in many countries of the world.

A large draw to medical tourism is the convenience in comparison to that of other countries. Some countries that operate from a public health-care system are so taxed that it can take a considerable amount of time, sometimes even years, to get needed medical care. The time spent waiting for a procedure, such as a hip replacement, can be a year or more in Britain and Canada; however, in Bangkok or Bangalore, a patient could feasibly have an operation the day after their arrival.^[1]

Above all else, the real lure to medical tourism is saving money on costly procedures. According to research found in an article by UDaily:

the cost of surgery in Argentina, India, Bolivia, Thailand or South Africa can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less. A heart-valve replacement that would cost US$200,000 or more in the U.S., for example, goes for $10,000 in India—and that includes round-trip airfare and a brief vacation package. Similarly, a metal-free dental bridge worth $5,500 in the U.S. costs $500 in India, a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy costs about one-fifth of what it would in the States, and Lasik eye surgery worth $3,700 in the U.S. is available in many other countries for only $730. Cosmetic surgery savings are even greater: A full facelift that would cost $20,000 in the U.S. runs about $1,250 in South Africa."[1]

Medical tourists are generally residents of the industrialized nations of the world. The countries to which they travel are typically less developed and have a lower cost of medical care. This is, in some cases, due to favorable currency exchange ratios. Currently, many of the procedures accessed are considered "elective procedures," such as cosmetic surgery. Because elective procedures are rarely covered through health insurance plans, there may be greater incentive to find such care at lower costs.

The list of countries currently promoting medical tourism include:Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, The Philippines, and Thailand. Belgium, Poland and Singapore are also breaking into the business. South Africa is taking the term "medical tourism" very literally by promoting their "medical safaris": Come to see African wildlife and get a facelift in the same trip. ^[2] However, feelings towards medical tourism are not always positive. In places like the US, where most have insurance and access to quality health care, medical tourism is viewed as risky.

While the tourism component might be a big draw for Southeast Asia countries that focus on simple procedures, India is positioning itself the primary medical destination for the most complex medical procedures in the world. India's commitment to this is demonstrated with an ever growing number of hospitals that are attaining the US Joint Commission International accreditation.

Singapore has made international news for providing complex neurosurgical procedures. Currently Singapore boasts the largest number of US Joint Commission accredited hospitals in the region.

On the other hand, in South America, countries such as Argentina (number 5 in worldwide plastic surgery expertise) lead on plastic surgery medical skills relying on the vast experience their surgeons have in treating the style-obsessed Argentinians. It is estimated that 1 in 30 Argentinians had taken plastic surgery procedures, making this population the most operated in the world after the US and Mexico.

There are companies emerging to offer global healthcare options that will allow North American patients to take full advantage of dramatic reductions in air travel and access world class healthcare at a fraction of the cost. Companies that focus on 'Medical Value Travel' typically will have experienced nurse case managers to assist patients with pre- and post-travel medical issues. They will also help provide resources for follow-up care upon the patient's return. While these services will initially be of interest to the self-insured patient, several studies indicate that the rapid growth of Health Savings Accounts will also drive interest to healthcare in other countries.

[edit] India

India is one of the most touted destinations in the world for medical tourists. It is known in particular for heart surgery and hip resurfacing, areas of advanced medicine in which India is generally considered a global leader. Probably no country has been in the news for medical tourism than India in 2005-06, and the government and private hospital groups both seem committed to a goal of making the subcontinent a world leader in the industry. Indian medical industry's main appeal is low-cost treatment. Most estimates claim treatment costs in India start at around a tenth of the price of comparable treatment in America or Britain. ^[3]Morever Indian Hospitals also provides more personalized care than available in west.

For example, in April Madras Medical Mission, a Chennai-based hospital, successfully conducted a complex heart operation on an 87-year-old American patient at a reported cost of $8,000 (€7,000, £4,850) including the cost of his airfare and a month's stay in hospital. The patient claimed that a less complex operation in America had earlier cost him $40,000. Take the rising popularity of "preventive health screening". At one private clinic in London a thorough men's health check-up that includes blood tests, electro-cardiogram tests, chest x-rays, lung tests and abdominal ultrasound costs £345 ($574, €500). By comparison, a comparable check-up at a clinic operated by Delhi-based healthcare company Max Healthcare costs $84.

Escorts Heart Institute and Research Center in Delhi and Faridabad, India performs nearly 15,000 heart operations every year, and the post-surgery mortality rate is only 0.8 percent, which is less than half of most major hospitals in the United States.^[1]

Estimates of the value of medical tourism to India go as high as $2 billion a year by 2012.^[4] In 2003, Indian finance minister Jaswant Singh called for India to become a “global health destination".^[5]

[edit] Thailand

Medical tourism is a growing segment of Thailand's tourism and health-care sectors. Lower labor costs translate into significant cost savings on procedures, compared to hospitals in the United States, and a higher, more personalized level of nursing care than Westerners are accustomed to receiving in hospitals back home. In 2005, one Bangkok hospital took in 150,000 treatment seekers from abroad. In 2006, medical tourism was projected to earn the country 36.4 billion baht.^[6]

One patient who received a coronary artery bypass surgery at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok said the operation cost him US$12,000, as opposed to the $100,000 he estimated the operation would have cost him at home in the US.^[7]

Hospitals in Thailand are a popular destination for other Asians. Another hospital that caters to medical tourists, Bangkok General Hospital, has a Japanese wing. When Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala needed medical care in 2006, he went to Bangkok.^[8]

While it is not commonly known outside Thailand, the modern Thai medical system had its origins in the United States when Prince Mahidol of Songla, the King's father, earned his MD degree from Harvard Medical School in the early 20th century. Prince Mahidol and another member of the Thai Royal Family paid for an American medical education for a group of Thai men and women. Prince Mahidol also convinced the Rockefeller Foundation to provide scholarships for Thai citizens to study medicine and nursing. Funds from the Rockefeller Foundation were also used to help build modern medical training facilities in Thailand. The men and women who studied medicine and nursing as a result of Prince Mahidol's efforts became the first educators for the modern Thai medical system.

Today many Thai physicians hold US professional certification. A number of Thai hospitals have relationships with facilities in the US. The US Consular information sheet gives the Thai healthcare system high marks for quality, particularly facilities in Bangkok. In Thailand, there is modern infrastructure, with clean, safe streets. According to the US Consular information sheets, the crime rate in Bangkok is lower than that of many US cities. Personal safety is another factor to consider when traveling abroad both for vacation as well as healthcare. Thailand offers everything from cardiac surgery to organ transplants at a price much lower than the US or Europe, in a safe, clean environment.

Thailand has long been a destination for medical tourists, and has a growing number of hospitals with JCAHO accreditation. Over one million people per year travel there for everything from cosmetic surgery to cutting edge cardiac treatment. Don Ho, the famous Hawaiian entertainer, recently received cutting-edge adult stem cell cardiac treatment at a Bangkok hospital. Six weeks later he had recovered sufficiently from his nonischemic cardiomyopathy and was able to return to the stage.

[edit] Medical Travel Risks and Rewards

Medical tourism does carry risks that local medical procedures do not. Should complications arise, patients might not be covered by insurance or be able to seek adequate compensation via malpractice lawsuits, though it should be noted that the malpractice insurance is a considerable portion of the cost in the West.

For some living in remote rural areas, travel to another country is almost as expensive as travel to a large city in their own country.

Nations such as India or Thailand have different infectious diseases, and different prevalence of the same diseases, than home nations such as the US, Canada, UK. Exposure to foreign diseases without having built up natural immunity can be a hazard for weakened individuals, specifically for gastrointestinal diseases (e.g Hep A, amoebic dysentery, bacteria) which could weaken progress, mosquito transmitted diseases, and influenza, TB, etc. (75% of South Africans have latent TB)

Also, travel soon after surgery can increase the risk of complications, as can vacation activities. For example, scars will be darker and more noticeable if they sunburn while healing. ^[9] Long flights can be bad for those with heart (thrombosis) or breathing related problems (low oxygen environment), not to mention uncomfortable.

However, because in poor tropical nations diseases run the gamut, doctors seem to be more open to the possibility of any disease, including HIV, TB, and typhoid, there are cases in the West where patients were consistently misdiagnosed for years because it is perceived to be "rare" in the West ^[2], a famous case of the misdiagnosis and death of a CDC researcher from TB, something that few would rule out in India or Thailand.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Guardian Unlimited: Buenos Aires or bust.
• The Medical Vacation a Travel + Leisure Magazine article about medical tourism.
• Time.com on "Outsourcing Your Heart"
• CBC News on "Medical tourism: Need surgery, will travel"
• India Fosters Growing 'Medical Tourism' Sector by Ray Marcelo (The Financial Times)
• Businesses May Move Health Care Overseas (AP)
• A Cut Below: Americans Look Abroad for Health Care (ABC News)