Medical tourism is a term that is slowly gaining a lot of prominence in today’s age. While many doubted the existence of a quality factor in this process, the development of the sector at a rapid pace has served to answer quite a lot of the skeptics.
The term was coined traditionally for patients who sought treatment from other destinations, apart from their home country. The primary reason was to get good healthcare facility at an alleviated cost, a fraction of amount it would cost the patient in his or her native country. Thus, newer and newer destinations started appearing on the map as potential medical tourism spots, owing to the attractiveness of the industry. Many emerging nations built a competitive advantage in providing quality healthcare at either an affordable price (ex. India) or skilled medical expertise at a higher cost (ex. Singapore). Thus, the proliferation of this sector may not have necessarily caused a quality increment but the competition has certainly caused those involved to cut down on their costs significantly in order to remain competitive. Thus, medical tourism is now available to patients across the world at a reduced cost, a significant reduction that too; as compared to the price in one’s home country. Naturally, patients seek treatment in these emerging medical tourism destinations. So what are some of the other reasons for seeking treatment in some of the unknown locations of the world?
- Quality of the treatment
While the quality of the treatment may always remain an issue, certain organizations such as the JCI provide important information on the accreditation of the hospitals. These hospitals provide almost the same kind of technically superior service as provided by the hospitals in most leading economies. They have trained staff at their disposal and possess some of the best facilities in the world.
- A relaxing environment
The natural endowment of beauty to most of medical tourism destinations is another factor in their ability to attract potential medical tourists. It gives patients a chance to relax and recuperate away from the normal life of hustle and bustle in their own home country. Thus, many tourists often visit these medical tourism destinations in order to avail the benefits of a relaxing atmosphere.
Medical Tourism is often chosen by tourists as a means of cutting down on their budget, but other factors are also significantly important if not as important!
