Why should I or shouldn’t I decide for medical tourism?

The aim of this section is to provide patients with a complete and comprehensive view of all the factors required to make a decision about embarking on medical travel.

We encourage you to read first two section (See below) before reading this third section. The third section will assume that the potential medical traveller reading this guidebook understands why people generally access medical services abroad, and all the possible problems that could occur. This last section is crucial in shaping your thought process leading up to the major decision of whether or not to embark on seeking care abroad. The advantages and disadvantages are clearly stated and further highlighted with examples. However, every individual perceives this differently. Even though medical tourism is a burgeoning industry with millions of people travelling abroad for care, each and every individual has a different rationale backing the decision for medical travel. This section will provide some crucial questions that you as a patient should consider and ask yourself prior to any medical tourism-related decision.

Based on the information in the previous two sections

• Why people are deciding for medical tourism
• What could go wrong during medical travel

 Here below are the individualized questions and factors any potential medical tourist should consider before deciding on medical tourism. (Read next section).



How do you feel about travelling abroad?

It is important to determine whether or not you are a travelling person before engaging in medical tourism. For instance, if a patient has an innate fear of flying, then travelling abroad to obtain surgery or other medical procedures will just add to the stresses. Medical tourism requires an individual to possibly travel long distances to attain the right type of care. For example, it is possible that someone from Canada travelling to Australia for medical care may require travelling as much as 23-24 hours.

When making the important decision of embarking on medical tourism, take into account your capacity to travel. If the thought of getting on an airplane makes you nervous, then exhaust your searches of medical facilities that could cater to you in your home country. If nothing is available, find the closest destination to you to seek medical care. Medical tourism involves being able to travel to locations around the world and at times when you don’t feel completely well—for example, during your recuperation phase after your treatment. It is essential to take this factor into account before you decide on medical travel.

A potential medical tourist needs to also take into account the concept of jetlag. If you will be travelling from Los Angeles, USA to Sydney, Australia you will find yourself in contradictory time-zones. Will you be able to handle the possible jetlag that could take 3-4 days to thoroughly recover from?



Do you enjoy interacting with different language and culture groups?

As in the travelling factor above, medical tourism usually requires individuals to interact with people from different cultural, religious and racial backgrounds. Even if people in the foreign country speak the same language as you (Australia and the US) their cultures might be completely different. This is another important factor to consider before making any decision. If you are instinctively not comfortable talking or communicating with individuals that do not understand your language or culture, then medical tourism might not be the right path for you.

This factor is especially important when the treating healthcare professionals can’t communicate in your native language. If the thought of using a translator to discuss your medical history or related factors makes you nervous or uneasy, then it may be necessary to rethink your decision about utilizing medical tourism as an alternate option.

A lot of individuals enjoy the idea of travelling abroad to interact with a group of people they have never had the chance to, or learn something new while in a foreign country. For these people, medical tourism can provide the added bonus of exciting new experiences, besides the affordability or accessibility factor that encouraged them to travel.  Hence, it is critical that you evaluate what type of person you are so as to maximise the benefits of medical tourism and obtain optimal care.



Can you trust a foreign facility or provider?

Similar to the factors considered above, if you are fundamentally uncomfortable with trusting a foreign facility, you should perhaps reconsider the option of medical tourism. If you are at ease with the type of healthcare facilities you are more familiar with, then it is better not to opt for medical travel because you will likely find yourself outside your comfort zone. This is a very important factor to consider as it has led many individuals who have embarked on medical tourism into trouble. You need to take into account foreign regions in terms of political stability, crime rates and any possible natural disasters that could occur, to completely ensure your safety.

Many facilities participating in medical tourism are affiliated with renowned medical institutions, to try and ensure medical travellers that they take the issue of high quality care very seriously. For example, hospitals have partnered with Harvard Medical School or Johns Hopkins to attract patients from the US as they are familiar with these affiliations. If the issue of trust comes up in your mind regarding a foreign facility, then try and search for a hospital or clinic that has partnered with an association you regard as trustworthy.



Do you have the means to get your treatment abroad?

Besides the personal or psychological issues highlighted above which are essential prior to making a decision for medical travel, you need to have the tangible factors to facilitate the travel. You need to ask yourself the following questions: Is your passport still valid? Do you have enough pages for a visa? Do you require a visa for the country you are going to travel to? How long does it take to obtain a visa? Do you have all the medical and non-medical documents required to apply for a visa?

Besides the passport and visa factors which are some of the most important travel requirements, you need to ensure that you have enough funds to cover all the health services and travel expenses associated with medical tourism. Although medical tourism demonstrates great cost-savings, it is still important to budget for all the other aspects associated with travelling—tourism activities, transportation and accommodation to name a few.

Without the ability to travel, medical tourism is clearly not a viable option for you. Make sure all these items are in check before you initiate any research online on this alternative form of care.



Have you taken a second opinion?

When it comes to medical decisions, we all think we know what is best for our health—and sometimes this truly is the case. However, when making the decision to embark upon medical travel, a potentially huge assessment to make, you might want to consult with a reliable figure you trust. Usually, this is your local physician who is aware of your health condition and familiar with your relevant medical history.

Consulting and having an open discussion with your doctor can really be an influential factor in your medical tourism decision. This person can either agree with the fact that you would benefit from seeking care abroad, or he/she can deter you from potentially making a wrong decision. Your GP only wants the best for your health, and therefore will seek to help you make the right decision.



Do you have the time and resources to conduct meticulous planning?

Some people have a schedule that is so jam-packed, that it is impossible for them to even have any time for themselves. Whether it is work that is taking over your life, or taking care of kids and a family, it might be very difficult for a patient to take the time to properly plan a medical journey. The act of medical tourism leaves much room for errors and discrepancies, if meticulous preparation and planning is not undertaken.

A patient considering seeking care abroad will need to coordinate the complete healthcare arrangements with the treating facility and physician. You will also need to book your flights and arrange for the necessary visa. It might just not be a viable option if you aren’t willing to give it a 100% of your dedication and time; after all, improper preparation might affect your treatment which will therefore impact the rest of your life.

If you do not have the time and resources to engage in thorough planning, do you have the option of using a facilitator in your home country that can help plan the entire trip for you? Alternatively, is there a family member or relative that would be willing to take the time out to properly organize the entire trip for you? Looking into these options will help you decide whether this is really something you want to get into or not.