What is Medical Tourism?

Medical tourism is the direct product of the widespread globalization of healthcare. The increased integration of global economies and cultures has resulted in the extensive circulation of products and services between countries. Several industries, including the healthcare sector, have expanded their horizons to benefit from the global market. This in turn, has created a niche segment of the healthcare industry where patients travel across the globe to avail healthcare and medical services.

‘Medical tourism’ is a term interchangeable with Global healthcare, Medical travel, Healthcare travel and Health tourism. However, each of these terms can be used to define specific segments of the global healthcare industry. The definitions in the next section should help clear out the confusing terminology.

Medical tourism can also be referred to as the growing global industry of healthcare providers, doctors, clinics and hospitals who are marketing themselves to overseas patients. Medical tourism provides a range of healthcare benefits and options to individuals which will be highlighted later on in this chapter.  

The medical tourism sector is rapidly developing and is changing the way people, insurance companies and governments look at healthcare options for its citizens. The growth of the industry will increasingly have an impact on individuals and healthcare budgets as governments, health insurance companies and individuals continue to explore different ways to access high quality, low cost treatment.

Popular elective medical services include knee or hip joint replacements, cardiac surgery, cosmetic surgery and dental surgery. Patients in need of emergency procedures are also attracted to this concept as certain countries have long waiting times for certain medical services, while medical tourism destinations provide quality healthcare and eliminate availability issues. To read more details on common medical tourism procedures, we encourage you to read the ‘Medical tourism procedure’ guidebook which provides all the information a patient would need.

Medical tourism fills a valuable niche that is desperately needed in countries with bureaucratically flawed or unaffordable healthcare. This industry looks set to expand at an escalating pace over the next decade as more and more people begin to trust the quality and see the advantages of having their surgery performed in developing countries that provide quality healthcare.

This chapter explains what medical tourism is in all its different manifestations and the advantages and disadvantages of travelling abroad for medical treatment.



Medical Tourism Terms & Trends

Medical Tourism is often interchanged with the terms “Medical Travel”, ‘Health Travel” “Healthcare Travel” “Health Tourism” and “Global Healthcare”. Although each term has a specific meaning, they all fall into the description of individuals travelling abroad for any type of medical, quasi-medical or health treatment. It also describes the growing global industry of healthcare professionals, clinics and hospitals who are marketing themselves to overseas patients.

I have recently conducted a survey based on the terms and trends of medical tourism and invited leading medical tourism experts to participate in the research.  The preferred term for 85% respondents for this particular sector of the healthcare industry is ‘Medical Tourism,’ with 35% selecting this option. ‘Global Healthcare’ was the next most popular term at 22%, with ‘Health Tourism’ running a close third at 21%. ‘Medical Travel’ was identified by 10% of respondents as their preferred description, with ‘Healthcare Travel’ and ‘Value Medical Travel’ both at 6%. (Survey available at www.DrPrem.com)

Note: In Dr Prem's Guidebook - Medical Tourism, we have used the term “medical tourism” as a generalized term that could be interchanged with similar terms such as “Medical Travel” “Health Tourism” or “Healthcare Travel”.



Developments in Medical Tourism

The medical tourism sector is rapidly developing and is changing the way people, insurance companies and governments’ look at healthcare options for its citizens. The growth of the industry will increasingly impact on individuals and healthcare budgets as governments, health insurance companies and individuals continue to explore different ways to access high quality, low cost treatment.

 Medical tourism fills a valuable niche that is desperately needed in countries with bureaucratically flawed or unaffordable healthcare. This industry looks set to expand at an escalating pace over the next decade as more and more people begin to trust the quality and see the advantages of having their surgery performed in developing countries that provide high quality healthcare and reasonable prices.



Medical Tourism Definition and other Terms

In order to completely understand the concept of medical tourism one needs to be aware of terms associated with it.

If Medical Tourism is “the set of activities in which a person travels often long distance or across the border to avail medical services with direct or indirect engagement in tourism activities” the person who travels to avail medical service is called “medical tourist” or “Medical Traveler”. The organization that provides healthcare services to the traveler or patient is called “Medical tourism provider” or a “Global Healthcare Provider”. The company or agency that provides support services to facilitate such arrangements is known as a “Medical Tourism Facilitator”. All these activities, components and entities are referred as “Medical Tourism industry”.



Health Tourism

In contrast to medical tourism, which mainly focuses on medical services and surgical procedures, health tourism is a far broader concept accentuating essentially on improving health conditions through regulated medical, alternative, traditional and/or complimentary healthcare services.