The term ‘medical tourism’ refers to traveling to another country to receive medical care. As per a recent estimation, thousands of US residents travel abroad each year for medical care.
Medical care in developing countries is often similar to that in more economically advanced countries but can be received at a cheaper price. Many commercial companies make both medical and accommodation arrangements for patients considering medical treatment abroad.
Patients choosing to travel abroad for a medical procedure should discuss the arrangements in advance with a general practitioner as a sensible precaution to confirm fitness to travel. They should also obtain a letter from their medical consultant at home giving details of any relevant medical history. These precautions are helpful for the patient if follow-up is needed after return home.
Why Do People Seek Treatment Abroad?
Several factors influence people’s decision to seek medical care overseas. Most people travel for medical care as the treatment is cheaper in another country. Immigrants staying in the United States return to their home country for health care. Many a time, people travel abroad for a particular treatment procedure or therapy that is not available in the United States like termination of pregnancy, stem cell therapy or specific fertility procedures. Popular procedures that people undergo medical tourism trips are:
- Cosmetic Surgery
- Dentistry
- IVF and Surrogacy
- Stem Cell Therapy, and
- Heart Surgery
Increasing demand for overseas treatment in several parts of the world is due to several factors like:
- Worsening of the global environment
- The appearance of previously unknown diseases and illnesses
- Unreliability of doctors in local medical centers
The other reasons for patients choosing to pursue overseas treatment include:
- Financial incapability: Patients who seek medical treatment abroad spend usually cannot afford to pay for the same treatment in their own country. Apart from this, most health insurance companies do not cover the costs of the specific procedure that also prompt patients to seek overseas treatment.
- Long waitlist: Certain medical procedures have a very long waitlist for the patient in her own country. This prompts her to seek overseas treatment to be treated in time and avoid delay in medical attendance.
- Unavailability: Unavailability of certain medical procedures in the country where the patient currently lives also prompts the patient to seek treatment overseas.
- Holiday Abroad: The best incentive to choose medical care abroad is the holiday that comes with it and to avoid long waiting lists to receive the treatment in their own countries.
What Are The Risks Of Doing Medical Treatment Abroad?
The specific risks of traveling abroad for medical care depend on the procedures performed and the country being visited. The general issues have been identified:
- Communication challenge/barrier: Receiving medical care and facility at a country where you do not fluently speak the language might increase misunderstandings about your care.
- Poor Quality Treatment: There is a possibility that your medication may be counterfeit or of poor quality in some under-developed countries.
- Resistant Bacteria: Resistant bacteria may be more common in countries you have chosen to travel for your medical care as antibiotic resistance is a global problem today.
- Flying to Home Soon After the Surgery: Flying after surgery or some particular treatment procedures can increase the risk for blood clots.
What You Can Do To Combat These Risks?
- While planning to travel overseas for medical care, always consult a travel medicine provider before 4 to 6 weeks of the trip and vital risks related to the procedure before and after the procedure as you travel.
- Make sure that any current medical conditions you have are well controlled, and that your regular health care provider knows about your plans for travel and medical care overseas.
- Check the health care provider’s qualifications and facility credentials as per the foreign standards for health care providers before you register for any treatment.
- Make sure to have a written agreement with the health care provider defining the treatments, supplies, and costs covered in the trip.
- In case you are traveling to a country where they do not speak your language, think about the means through which you will communicate with the doctor and other medical attendants.
- Carry copies of medical records with you including prescriptions, a list of all the medicines you take, the laboratory reports and other diagnostic studies related to the condition and any allergies you may have. The list of medicines should include the generic names, brand name, dosage and manufacturers’ details.
- Attend follow-up care with your local health care provider before you leave for medical tourism abroad.
- Check whether the activities such as sunbathing, drinking alcohol, or swimming are permitted after surgery or not.
- Get copies of all your medical records from the health care provider before you return home.
What Should You Consider In Choosing the Destination Country and the Right Clinic For You?
Choosing a Destination Country: After deciding to pursue overseas treatment, the first thing you have to do is to choose a suitable hospital in a suitable country. You need to decide on a country that can meet your medical needs before choosing a hospital. Besides knowing the basics about the country, your decision to finalize the country should be based on the factors listed below:
- Current Political Condition of the Country: The most important thing to consider a country is its safety. Specific regions of a country can be unsafe to enter for foreigners. Have a thorough grasp of the country and the city you are traveling to before embarking on your journey. Also, consider the current weather conditions and prepare yourself accordingly.
- Quality and Specialization: Consider the specialization of the country you are considering in regards to common healthcare standards and its reputation for a particular field or procedures.
- Distance: You should consider the distance of the destination country when choosing a medical procedure to be performed there. Make sure that the country is close enough to yours to avoid sitting on a plane for too long. In many cases, it saves you some money.
- Cost: We firmly believe in the fact that healthcare quality should never be compromised at any cost. However, the cost of accommodation, transportation, and living should be considered before traveling as these expenses vary from country to country. It is wise to choose a country that is relatively less expensive and at the same time does not decline in comparison.
Choosing a Medical Center: Once you have few countries in mind, the next thing to do is to ‘choose a medical center’. Your decision of hospital should be based on the vital factors listed below:
- Accreditation of the Hospital: The hospital you are considering for your treatment procedure should be locally or internationally recognized in the form of accreditations by international accreditation bodies.
- Cost of the Medical Procedure: Cost of a particular medical procedure usually varies between different hospitals. Compare the price range of different hospitals while considering your medical procedure to find out which one is the most financially beneficial for you, provided that you do not compromise for the sake of cheaper costs.
- Affiliation of the Medical Center: Affiliation of the hospital indicates its quality. Hence, confirm the affiliation before actually finalizing the medical center.
- Facility, Equipment, And Technology of the Medical Center: Make sure that the hospital you are going to choose has all the required facilities and technology to accommodate your treatment. Inquire about new methods of treatment at the hospital, and follow-up care for its patients before making the final decision.
- Doctors, Surgeons, And Hospital Staffs: Thoroughly check the information of the doctors/surgeons offering the treatment and make sure that they are adequately qualified, trained and licensed. Check the previous experiences of patients in performing the same treatment procedure that you are planning to have. Also, confirm if the hospital staff and doctors/surgeons can communicate with you in a mutually understood language.
- Safety Profile: While choosing a hospital, thoroughly check for their safety profile including Statistics, Success rates, and previous accidents (if any). Also, look for reviews and feedbacks of patients who have previously been to the hospital for further reference.
So, the important thing is to research and research! Research optimally and experience great medical tourism!
About the Author:
With 27 years of experience in clinical practice and teaching gynecology, Dr. Girija Wagh is an expert Gynecologist. As a renowned academician, she has many research papers published. She always keeps herself updated with the current knowledge and latest trends. Dr. Girija through her position in FOGSI has advocated for women’s health issues to the government. She has been a member of the CSB PCPNDT Act and national mentor under the LaQshiya initiative. She also specializes in complicated pregnancy conditions and infertility. Not limiting to just this, Dr. Girija is a compassionate doctor and counselor.
