Medical tourism, also known as universal medical care, refers to traveling to another country to have treatment. It's estimated that a considerable number of people travel abroad to seek medical care each year. Among all the factors that usually influence candidates' decisions, having better care than they would have in their own country, getting easier access to a higher level of quality of care with affordable prices and undergoing an operation or therapy which is not available in their country can be mentioned as the major reasons. Interestingly, the most typical procedures that people undergo medical tourism trips are cosmetic operations.
At this time, the latest statistics show that 750,000 or more Americans will seek healthcare outside of the U.S next year. Many of them will desire to get the surgery at a lower cost with high quality.
A. Why is Medical Tourism so popular these days?
Medical tourism is attractive because of a wide variety of reasons, ranging from the cost of operation at home to being an immigrant who tends to have surgery with the latest technology implemented in another country.
Some of the main reasons are explained in the following:
Affordability of Medical Tourism: The cost of treatment is remarkably lower in some foreign countries compared to others. For those having an operation which isn't covered by health insurance, such as plastic surgery, or people who don't have any health insurance, the difference can be considerable. The way, why is surgical and medical care abroad much reasonable?
The most significant issue is that the cost of labor, whether it is nurses, aides, surgeons or pharmacists, is often drastically lower. Consequently, as long as the cost of labor is low, everything is less expensive, from the facilities provided for healthcare to the price of food offered in the medical center.
Luxurious and Private Nursing: Some individuals seek a luxurious environment that some foreign medical centers offer. They see this opportunity as an additional benefit of an inexpensive surgery. Moreover, some facilities provided by hospitals such as private rooms are more like a hotel suite than a traditional hospital room. Other hospitals offer you extra individual nursing care, which is far more generous and watchful than the regular staff program most hospitals set.
Having a vacation in a Foreign Country: It sounds wonderful; you travel to an exotic location on the other side of the world to enjoy a vacation in a foreign country while receiving medical treatment. A tour is often planned immediately before or after the medical procedure to make the best out of your experience. This is a reasonably inexpensive way to travel aboard because you pay for the flight and the cost of staying while receiving your favorable treatment. It seems logical to recover in a cozy and beautiful location for the days following your procedure, especially when the expenses of staying are often lower compared to your own country.
Getting around the Rules and Regulations: Some people seek treatments abroad to avoid rules that are strictly made by their governors, insurance companies, or hospitals. Although these rules are usually in place to protect the patient from harm, getting around some of them isn't always harmful. For instance, a patient may be told that some required conditions for having a special kind of surgery do not exist, while a surgeon in a foreign country may have a different standard for those who qualify for that operation. This is especially true with transplant operations.
Talented Surgeons: Surgeons in some countries are internationally famous for their talent in a specific field of treatment. Therefore, if you consult with them in advance, you can make sure that you are a suitable candidate for the operation, and the cost will be reduced significantly. Additionally, these surgeons perform such procedures frequently, which can help you effectively achieve your desired results.
It is often essential to many medical tourists to have an experienced physician trained in developed countries. Not all of them, of course, but a high number of these physicians working in different medical fields abroad are trained in English-speaking medical centers or residency programs and have come back to their home country afterward. These experts can mostly speak multiple languages and might be board-certified either in their home country or foreign country.
It's important to note that medical tourism isn't limited to developed countries. Many people seek care in different areas of the world because of the cutting edge technology that is available, as well as the prescription medicine supply and safety of healthcare.
B. Probable issues related to Medical Tourism
As tempting as medical tourism sounds, there are some issues that should be considered before booking your medical or surgical treatment abroad. The financial benefits are clear, but the drawbacks can be serious in some cases.
Possibility of Poor Quality Surgery: Just as there are great experts abroad, there are also ones that are far less experienced. It is mostly hard to be informed of the skills of physicians and the quality of their work from afar. Unlike developed countries, some information may not be as readily available with foreign providers and may make the process of choosing the right expert more difficult.
Physicians should be highly trained about the newest and less harmful methods in their area of expertise, ones that are suitable for your surgical and medical needs. It isn’t good enough to be a surgeon; they must be experienced as well.
Undergoing the operation, you should know your surgeon’s credentials, where they were trained, what specialty(s) they were certified. Do not rely on testimonials from previous patients since these are easily made up for a website, and even if they are correct, one right surgery doesn’t mean they will all be successful.
Plastic surgeons have spent countless hours repairing the scars and surgical damage done by another surgeon. A quick search on the internet will provide you with a large number of photos and stories of individuals who were permanently damaged by a poorly trained surgeon. Besides, having an operation performed by well-trained experts who use low-quality materials can lead to terrible eventual results.
Quality of nursing: The staff working in a specialized clinic plays a significant role in healthcare because the care they provide is a crucial factor in differentiating between a great result and a terrible one. A well-trained nurse can identify a potential issue and fix it before it truly becomes a severe problem. However, a poorly trained nurse might not detect a problem until it is too late. The level of quality of the nursing staff will have a considerable direct effect on the quality of your treatment.
Difficulty in Transportation: This is indeed a significant issue that travelers have to deal with. They are not aware of the available transportation system in the destination country and may even get lost. Besides, depending on the operation they aim to have, all transportation services might not be suitable for them. Selecting the wrong type of vehicle for transportation may raise serious problems.
Language Barrier: If you are receiving operation in a country where English is not the primary language, communication with the staff will be among important problems as well. You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that the staff speaks your primary language fluently. If not, then you will need to consider how you will make your needs and wishes known to your surgeon, the staff, and others you will meet during the procedure.
Accommodation: Considering the type of surgery, candidates should carefully think of the most appropriate accommodation beforehand for the period they stay in a foreign country. This is so crucial since they do not know the neighborhoods and cannot mostly choose the closest hotel to the hospital or specialized clinic in which they want to undergo the operation. Another significant point which should be considered is air pollution. While some hotels are located in clean environments in the safest parts of the city, others may be polluted and full of noise. Therefore, patients staying in such areas may suffer from discomfort, infection, breathing problems, etc.
Quality of the Facility: Facility and technologies where your operation will be performed are vital factors for getting the best possible results without facing any dangerous problem. Most of the time, the hospital is prepared to help you with the recovery process after surgery. However, in some cases, you need to be sent to a different facility or center for a higher level of care. The isolation of a hospital or surgical center and the distance from a major hospital should be seriously considered. Because should a problem occurs during your operation or recovery procedure, a major hospital must be easily accessible so that you can be transferred quickly.
Why should we seek help from a company for these kinds of trips?
Fortunately, there are several companies that can help you go through this process without any problem. Indeed, they can:
- Predict and address all types of issues you may face.
- Book the tickets in advance and take on all responsibilities in this regard to avoid potential difficulties in the airport, Visa, departure time, etc.
- Provide you with an excellent accommodation to ensure that the trip will be enjoyable in all aspects.
- Determine the most suitable transportation system based on your needs.
- Choose the most suitable hospital with modern facilities considering your aim.
- Help you get to know all experts in your required field and recommend the most experienced surgeon.
- Help you communicate easily with your medical team and people in the city.
In a broad sense, medical tourism can eradicate borders between nations in terms of science, technology, facilities, and the economy. In addition, it plays an essential role in facilitating communication among people because when tourists are attracted to a particular country, inhabitants will gradually become aware of others’ cultures and learn how to interact with them easily. In this case, we can feel free to live in a global village and enjoy our life in the best way possible.
.jpg)