Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is a term involving people who travel to a different place to receive treatment for a disease, ailment, or condition, and who are seeking lower cost of care, higher quality of care, better access to care, or different care than they could receive at home. Bottom line: Undertaken by people who are sick. (Definition by Global Spa Summit LLC 2011).

Medical Tourism is nothing new, but old wine packed in a new bottle. We can even take it this way; Medical Tourism has become popular amongst commons due to the advent of Globalization.

The History of Medical Tourism dates back to ancient times:

• The Sumerians(circa 4000 BC),constructed health complexes around hot springs
• The Ancient Greeks erected temples, which became one of world’s first health centers.
• India has enjoyed a rich history of providing Yoga instruction as well as Ayurvedic healing    to patients from around the world.

• In Medieval Japan, hot mineral springs called ONSEN became popular throughout the nation due to their healing properties. The warrior clans soon took notice of these springs and began using them to alleviate pain, heal wounds, and recuperate from their battles.
• During the 14^th Century, there was a town called Ville d'Eaux or Town of Waters became very famous in Europe, because iron-rich hot springs were discovered in this region. The word “spa”, derived from the Roman term “salude per aqua” or health through waters, was first used here.

With the advent of Globalization, people started looking out for destinations providing quality medical care at a minimal cost. In America, several healthcare and insurance companies started healthcare outsourcing. These offered their members the possibility to get non-emergency procedures and surgeries in other countries. Many are also considering foreign medical procedures as part of health plan coverage. By outsourcing the medical care, especially non-emergency health care to countries like India, they save a huge amount. It’s purely a cost cutting mechanism adopted by health care providers in US.

Medical Tourism has become a boon for middle class people from US and European Countries, where the cost of undergoing a single procedure is expensive. In countries like India, they can afford to get the same high quality treatment including two way air fare at almost 40%-70% less, than what they get in their home countries. As the prices of receiving good health-care soar, and the insurance cover becomes poor, the waiting period becomes longer; one is inclined to explore the avenues. If the same (sometimes, even better health-care) is available, it’s human and wiser as well, to go for it. This is how the modern Medical Tourism came into existence.

Benefits of Medical Tourism in India:

•         Affordability
•         High Quality treatment
•         No waiting period or short waiting periods

Risks of Medical Tourism in India:

•       Except for top-notch hospitals, not many are accredited
•       Post-medical care is poor
•       Post operation travel alone by the patient may be a risk in certain cases, so the patient need to accompany someone to take care of him during travel, which again increases the cost.

The most popular treatments sought in India by medical tourists are:

·   Alternative medicine(Yoga,healing methods like meditation, Ayurvedic treatments etc.,)

·   Bone-marrow transplant

·   Cardiac bypass surgery

·   Eye surgery

·   Orthopedic surgery

·   Dental Care

·   Cosmetic Surgeries

·   Spa

·   Rejuvenation therapies with yoga and meditation as a part of the package

India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine.

Poornima

The South Indian city of Chennai is considered to be the healthcare capital of India as it is home to some of India's best medical centers.

Though, there are many advantages of undergoing treatment in India as a Medical Tourist, India does not have many hospitals accredited to International standards like JCI. This proves as a major setback factor for the growth of Medical Tourism as a flourishing industry in India. Singapore is the number one health care provider and is the number one choice of foreigners because of having over dozen hospitals which are JCI accredited and also Singapore acts as a world-class, cosmopolitan destination for receiving high end treatments. These factors make Singapore an attractive destination for medical tourism, though the cost is comparatively on the higher side than in India.

If the Government takes further steps and measures to improve, say if they encourage many more health-care providers to get proper accrediting to international standards like JCI, ISO etc., Medical Tourism in India is sure to flourish and is sure to grab a lion’s share from the neighboring countries like Singapore to become the market leader in Asia, thereby improving the economy of the country.