Finding a good healthcare facility abroad

You might have spun the globe and chosen the perfect destination for you to engage in medical treatment and are thoroughly satisfied with your choice. Now that the decision of where you are going is made, it is time to face another crucial selection—which hospital or clinic will you receive the medical treatment from. The wrong choice of medical facility could affect your entire treatment, which in turn could end up affecting you for the rest of your life.

Most patients are clueless about the factors to look for in selecting the ideal hospital. In your hometown you may be accustomed to accessing medical care through your local physician or in terms of emergency care. Even with more specialized treatment, you likely depend on the facility where your family physician practices. However, in this new generation of overabundance of information and resources, you should attempt to be an informed consumer and familiarize yourself with what to look for in a well-respected treating facility.

This section will help a medical tourist understand everything they need to know from accreditations to international affiliations. Hopefully, it will help to guide your thinking process on the important factors to consider prior to selecting the right healthcare facility for you, and your condition.

Hospital accreditation

All medical institutions have a system of quality measures that they implement within their facilities, with some demonstrating a higher level of quality than others. In each country regulations are set by governments; in some countries providers follow these regulations stringently and in others more loosely. In some countries or segmented sectors, governments have launched mandatory accreditations, for instance Dubai Healthcare City has its own regulation body which enforces that all providers operating within Dubai Healthcare City to follow standard practices set by DHCC, which are based on international standards and as part of ISQUA. The body that ‘accredits the accreditors’ is known as ISQuA which ensures that that the accrediting organizations are also following strict guidelines and international codes.

It is strongly suggested that you choose to visit a healthcare facility which operates on an international code of quality practice. Patients coming in from the UK or the US are accustomed to a certain level of treatment, and will not settle for anything less than that. So, if hospitals in India and Thailand want to compete with these highly technologically advanced facilities around the world, they need to step up their game.

Accrediting organizations

A foreign facility can demonstrate the fact that they take the issue of quality health-care seriously by ensuring their accreditation by one of the esteemed accrediting international bodies. Organizations such as Joint Commission International (JCI) have stringent requirements that must be adhered to before they grant a hospital a JCI accreditation stamp. Other influential accrediting bodies are QHA Trent Accreditation based in the UK, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Accreditation Canada.

JCI and other such organizations go through thorough inspections and examine each and every component within a hospital—from the ventilation systems to the food being served. If the hospital or treating facility you have selected has been accredited by an international organization, you can breathe a sigh of relief as this demonstrates the facility’s excellent quality standards. 

Important note on quality of non-accredited medical facilities

Even though international accreditation is a sure-fire way to demonstrate that facilities are practicing high quality standards, it is important to note that a non-accredited facility could be operating at a high level too. There are several popular medical tourism facilities that have not yet applied for an accreditation as it takes a lot of preparation and commitment. These organizations are usually accredited by a local accreditation body (usually through the country’s local health authority). This also demonstrates that they have displayed a high level of quality practices within their facilities and are safe for patients to receive treatment from.