Evolution as industry:
The 21st century marked a complete turn of events in the history of medical travel. Remarkable advancements in specialized medical science sowed the seeds of intense competition to grab more medical tourists and gain international reputation and prominence as healthcare destinations. Several commercial aspects such as competition, trade, tourism, insurance benefits, and per capita income started altering the purpose of this phenomenon and moulded it to take shape as an international industry rather than just a therapeutic experience abroad.
Rise of developing nations:
With technology no longer a constraint, medical tourism rapidly gained repute as a progressive industry. Developing nations offered outstanding healthcare facilities at a fraction of the cost of developed western countries. Developing nations like India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Costa Rica, Turkey, Malaysia and even some African countries were the new medical tourism centres of eminence. Most of these countries had acquired the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation and assured superior quality, specialized, economic and personalized healthcare along with the much sought after advantage of health insurance. Thus national income and international tourists started pouring into these nations in the order of several millions with the numbers multiplying every year.
World Wide Web:
The onset of the World Wide Web has produced in its wake, exciting new dimensions of knowledge—revolutionizing humankind completely. It has increased our competence at acquiring, extracting, disseminating, storing and utilizing health information like never before.
No longer is a traveller from a far flung nation the only source of information about treatment options available overseas. The internet has made it feasible for the average patient to consult a foreign doctor, see him on video, book the date for surgery, pay for the hospitalization in advance, avail loans, insure himself, arrange the travel formalities etc—all from the comfort of one’s home.
The click of a button is all that is needed to get the facts regarding the entire medical regimen, instantly. Such facilities have totally changed the face of international medical tourism, making it easy, affordable and secure for people of all generations in the current times.
