Medical Tourism

     

Medical Tourism (also called medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare) is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across international borders to obtain health care.

Such services typically include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries.
Factors that have led to the increasing popularity of medical travel include the high cost of healthcare, long waiting times for certain procedures, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in both technology and standards of care in countries offering medical tourism.

Medical Tourists can come from anywhere in the world, including Europe, the UK, Middle East, Japan, the United States, and Canada. This is because of their large populations, comparatively high wealth, the high expense of healthcare or lack of healthcare options locally and increasingly high expectations of their populations with respect to healthcare.

A large draw to medical travel is convenience and speed. Countries that operate public healthcare systems are often so taxed that it can take considerable time to get non-urgent 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 India, a patient could feasibly have an operation the day after their arrival Additionally, patients are finding that insurance either does not cover orthopaedic surgery (such as knee/hip replacement) or imposes unreasonable restrictions on the choice of the facility, surgeon, or prosthetics to be used. Medical tourism for knee/hip replacements has emerged as one of the more widely accepted procedures because of the lower cost and minimal difficulties associated with the traveling to/from the surgery.

India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine. The government and private hospital groups are committed to the goal of making India a leader in the industry. The industry's main appeal is low-cost treatment. Most estimates claim treatment costs in India start at around one tenth of the price of comparable treatment in America or Britain. India is becoming the destination of choice for US citizens seeking complicated, high-end medical procedures. Estimates of the value of medical tourism to India go as high as $2 billion a year by 2012.

According to an article by the University of Delaware publication, UDaily:

“ ...The cost of surgery in India, 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 $200,000 or more in the US, 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 US 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 US 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 US runs about $1,250 in South Africa.

Cost comparison for some medical procedures in India with other countries

* approximate retail costs, US figures based on HCUP data. International figures based on hospital quotes in named countries

* does not include travel and lodging expenses
Some of the major hospitals in Delhi which are being increasingly considered for Medical Tourism are:
Escort Heart Institute& Research Centre Ltd., New Delhi
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Apollo Hospital, Delhi
Apollo Cancer Institute, Delhi
Max Healthcare, New Delhi
Fortis Healthcare, New Delhi

Heart Surgery in India - A Testimonial
"I have just returned from India after a heart operation. The Medical Tourist Company recommended a specialist hospital in Mumbai and not only did they make all the arrangements for me, arranged visas, a car to collect me from the airport, but they also put me in touch with the surgeon who would perform the operation and sent me his full CV. I even spoke to the surgeon before leaving. Everything went exactly as arranged. The hospital was fantastic, like a 5 star hotel with service to match, the staff and doctors second to none. Operation over, the hospital and the Medical Tourist Company arranged a short holiday to Goa for me and my partner and kept in contact all the time. I never felt alone through all this and feel very lucky to have found the Medical Tourist Company. They even sent representatives to visit each day. My total bill was about a quarter of the UK projected cost. I heartily (forgive the pun) recommend the Medical Tourist Company and welcome any questions from prospective medical tourists." Also read about my experience on BBC news.

- Mike Cook

The Process
The typical process is as follows: the person seeking medical treatment abroad contacts a Medical Tourism Provider. The provider usually requires the patient to provide a medical report, including the nature of ailment, local doctor’s opinion, medical history, and diagnosis, and may request additional information. Certified medical doctors or consultants then advise on the medical treatment. The approximate expenditure, choice of hospitals and tourist destinations, and duration of stay, etc., is discussed. After signing consent bonds and agreements, the patient is given recommendation letters for a medical visa, to be procured from the concerned embassy. The patient travels to the destination country, where the medical tourism provider assigns a case executive, who takes care of the patient's accommodation, treatment and any other form of care. Once the treatment is done, the patient can remain in the tourist destination or return home.