Medical healthcare is one of the most primary services required by mankind. Naturally, all countries in the world possess healthcare facilities; albeit in a varying degree of quality. Medical tourism is a term which refers to the travelling done by patients for seeking healthcare from their own country to another country.
There are various reasons for undertaking medical tourism. Along with the pros and cons of the term, a lot of myths have arisen as very few have a clear understanding of what actually constitutes ‘medical tourism’. Let us look at some of these myths.
People who undertake medical tourism aren’t logically justified
This point often stems from the fact that many people believe the leading nations like the United States to possess high quality medical healthcare facilities, superseding those of the other nations, which are the destinations of medical tourism.
No doubt about the fact that the medical healthcare facilities in countries like the United States is highly sought after and is excellent on the quality front. However, the cost factor is extremely high for these services. In addition to this, the hospitals cannot fully cater to the demands and thus waiting time increases. Thus, if patients can seek healthcare of a similar quality somewhere else at a fraction of the cost, it’s not a bad decision by any means!
The healthcare facilities in most of the countries have developed greatly and are catching up with those in the leading countries. Countries like India, Thailand, Costa Rica and many more are known to provide excellent healthcare service at a really affordable price.
Quality and facilities aren’t up to the standard
This is a wrong assumption, which stems from the belief that developing countries do not possess the healthcare facilities comparable to bigger economies. Developing nations are increasingly being noted for their excellent healthcare facilities which are comparable to those of the developed nations’ facilities in every aspect. Be it the latest arthroscopic surgeries or the newest cardiovascular treatment methods, developing nations are up there on top in terms of the quality and presence of the facilities. The myth created in this aspect is owing to the ignorance of a certain section, which hasn’t caught up with the medical development of some of the emerging nations.
Medical Tourism is certainly an excellent upcoming field, whose aim has primarily enabled many patients to seek quality healthcare at affordable cost.
