Medical tourism has been growing for more than a decade. It started with people who chose cosmetic surgery abroad in search of better prices and anonymity. Since then, it has inevitably moved into the non-cosmetic area. Patients from various regions of the world now travel for orthopedic and cardiac surgery, dentistry, hernias, cataracts, and almost any type of elective surgery.
One of the most popular destinations is India. What makes India an attractive medical tourist destination is the low-cost treatment. Treatment costs in India are estimated to start at about a tenth of the price of analogous procedures in the United States or Britain. Many of the doctors were educated or practiced in the West, so their experience is equally impeccable. In many countries, people have to wait a long period of time to have surgery, so these countries have developed ties with India for quick treatments for their citizens. The Indian government has created incentives such as a fast-track visa for foreign patients. However, India has competitors. Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore – they all have government-backed medical tourism programs.
Thailand has long been a huge draw for medical tourists. More and more hospitals are accredited by JCAHO (the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations), and the number of medical tourists is increasing. More than a million each year go there for medical procedures ranging from cosmetic surgery to heart treatments.
The Philippines also has some of the best hospitals that offer the best experience, facilities of the highest standard and warm hospitality. There are also some of the best resorts and tourist destinations in the world in the region.
Singapore, another medical hub, is planned to become a leading health care destination in Asia. Although there are no official figures yet, industry experts estimate that more than 400,000 foreigners visited Singapore for medical care last year, maintaining a steady growth of an average of 20 percent in recent years.
Latin American countries offer hospital and tourism packages to residents of the United States. In Central America, nations are marketing their plastic surgery, dentistry, and certain surgical procedures, along with “getaway” vacations.
Then there are the Eastern European countries, which offer the lowest prices in Europe. For example, cataract removal in Poland or Lithuania would cost £650, compared to £2,350 in the UK.
Clinics are also springing up in transit areas: there is one at Munich International Airport; Dubai plans to open Dubai Health City by the end of the decade.
South Africa, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey – all have entered the lucrative market or are trying to, and the list of countries is expanding every year.
