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Medical tourism
By: Coren, Cina, MA, Salem Press Encyclopedia, January, 2016
Database: Deakin Library
Research Starters
Medical tourism
Last reviewed: August 2016
Medical tourism is the term commonly applied to people traveling outside
their home country for medical care. Patients pursue medical procedures
abroad for a number of different reasons, and most choose less-developed
countries for their treatments.
Over the last decade, medical tourism has become a multi-billion dollar
business worldwide, and it is expected to grow substantially in the next five to
ten years. An entire industry has developed around it with market analysts
estimating that the value of the global medical tourism sector will grow to
more than $32 billion a year by 2019.
According to the International Medical Travel Journal, six million people
traveled for medical treatment from one country to another in 2015, and with
the addition of those who travel within a country, the number exceeded ten
million.
More than 1.2 million Americans sought medical care outside the United
States in 2014 at an expense of $112.2 billion. Analysts predict that by
2017, that number will grow to more than fifteen million patients at a cost
of more than $228 billion.
Background
Medical tourism may seem like a new concept, but history proves otherwise.
Even in ancient times, the affluent members of society recognized the
therapeutic effects of mineral thermal springs and sacred temple baths and
would travel long distances to partake of their medicinal properties. Going
back five thousand years, medical travelers and spiritual students were known
to flock to India to seek the benefits of the thermal baths and temple spas that
were available there.
The Roman term salude per aqua or "health through waters" gave rise to the
word spa, which was first used in Ville dEaux, a village in Europe where
well-known visitors like Victor Hugo and Peter the Great visited during the
Renaissance.
During the post-Renaissance years, the city of Bath in England saw its fair
share of aristocrats from around Europe who came for the healing and
therapeutic cleansing properties of its waters. And during the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, Europeans and Americans traveled to spas and health
retreats hoping to cure various ailments such as tuberculosis.
By the twentieth century, health-care costs became prohibitive for most
citizens in America, and patients began to consider offshore options for dental
and medical problems. Cuba became popular for eye surgeries, heart, and
cosmetic procedures, and dental clinics in Central America provided low-cost
relief to those who could not afford it at home.
By the start of the new millennium, the world had shrunk considerably, and
one economic crisis affected others. The collapse of Asian currencies
following the Asian economic crisis in 1997 led the governments of some of
these nations to look for ways to boost their economic growth, choosing to
open their doors to tourists seeking affordable medical care.
Many other countries jumped on the lucrative bandwagon, and people from all
over the world took the cue, packing their bags and traveling across continents
to reap the benefits of global medicine at a fraction of the price of back home.
What was once a choice for the wealthy, medical tourism today offers services
for those who cannot afford medical care on their own turf and continues to
benefit more affluent patients who will travel miles to be treated by the most
experienced physician in the very best medical facility.
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Medical tourism has come a long way over the years, and what was once
looked at as an affordable venture taken only by wealthy aristocrats has
become a worldwide enterprise. Most patients travel abroad for medical care
because it is cheaper than in the country where they reside. Close to one
million US residents travel abroad for care annually. Among these medical
tourists are immigrants to the United States who journey back to their home
country where a familiar culture helps them feel more comfortable. Many
patients travel abroad for medical assistance because the procedure or therapy
they need is not available in their country of residence.
The most common procedures that people undergo on medical tourism trips
include cosmetic surgery, dentistry, and heart surgery although there has been
a surge in in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments for women in certain
countries.
When this happens, patients turn to their local health insurance to try to rectify
the problem, and this often ends up costing both the patient and the health
insurance company considerable money. Sometimes, the physical damage has
already been done and cannot be rectified.
A recent research report by five Canadian doctors showed what it cost a
medical insurance company in Alberta to deal with the aftereffects of people
going overseas for obesity surgery. The final analysis pointed to an outlay of
over $560,000 to treat fifty-nine bariatric medical tourists by twenty-five
surgeons in Alberta between 2012 and 2013.
In short, medical tourism can be both a boon to people with medical problems
and a risky endeavor that should be approached with utmost caution.

Despite the benefits, there are definite disadvantages to medical tourism. One
is the transmission of diseases from one place to another via the traveling
patient. Although there is little reliable epidemiologic data that can prove this,
there is no doubt that this is a major risk factor.
There are many other risks involved in medical tourism, and although many
of these depend on the specific area being visited and the procedure
performed, some general issues that should seem obvious should be taken
seriously before making a final decision on where to travel.
Misunderstandings occur if the patient does not know the language of the
country where he or she is receiving care. If the patient can only communicate
in his or her native tongue and this is not spoken at the medical facility, that
patient should choose to go elsewhere or find an interpreter before traveling.
In many emerging countries, where the care is cheap, hygiene may be taken
more lightly than it should be. Doctors may use the same needles for several
patients or have other harmful injection practices. Medication may be of
inferior quality in some countries. And often, the blood supply comes
primarily from paid donors and may not be screened properly, putting patients
at risk of HIV and other infections. Last, patients often forget that flying after
surgery increases the risk for blood clots and should not be undertaken too
quickly.
The main risk with medical tourism is that many procedures fail, and there is
no way of knowing beforehand which experience will end up a positive one.