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What is Medical Tourism

  • Patients going to a different country for wither urgent or elective medical procedures is fast becoming popular globally.
  • The reasons patients travel for treatments vary.

    1. Many medical tourists from the United States are seeking treatment at a quarter or sometimes even a tenth of the cpst at home.

    2. From Canada, people maybe frustrated by long waiting times.

    3. From Great Britain, patients can't wait for treatments by the National Health Service but also can't affort to see a Physician in private practice in England.

    4. For others, becoming a medical tourist is a chance to combine a tropical vacation with medical consultation and surgery. And more patients are coming from countries where treatment may not be readily available. 


Medical Tourism Today

Throughout much of recorded history, health travel was restricted either to the wealthy or truly desperate. But in today's flattening global economy, the physical, economic, and cultural barriers that once separated nations from one another are dissolving as international travel, mass communication, and more lenient trade policies make it possible for those with modest means to enjoy the benefits of world-class health care in the form of medical tourism. 


Benefits and Risks of Medical Tourism

Benefits

  • Receive medical treatments that may not be available in one's home country;
  • Receive medical treatments at relatively lower cost, for better service, while combining medical treatments with travel especially with family or loved ones;
  • Obtain additional medical opinions from medical experts in the region, e.g. Singapore, before selecting treatment options.

Risks

  • It is challenging to identify appropriate medical experts in another country.

Patients may want to get referrals from their general medical practitioners, friends, official medical agencies, Internet medical websites (e.g. www.emedihub.com ).

  • It may be more complicated to estimate costs for medical treatments, arrange for itinerary and lodging facilities, and transportation on the ground.

Patients may want to make arrangements prior to the trip. Travel agencies, friends, Internet, official medical agencies, Internet medical websites (e.g. www.emedihub.com ) should have relevant information available.

  • Additional:

When there are complications in treatments, it is more challenging to get support as the patient (and family) will be in a different social and regulatory environment(s);

There may be infectious diseases, e.g. Thailand, India, Malaysia, Costa Rica, that are different from those in Northern America and Europe. The patients may be weakened as they do not have natural immunity to these diseases.

Surgery or long flights are known to increase the possible risk of developing pulmonary embolism and blood clots. The risk is even greater when traveling is combined with surgery as in the case of medical travel. Therefore, the patients may be advised to wait for several days, depending on procedure type, to allow for recovery before travelling.