Traveling abroad to receive medical
care is becoming an increasingly popular trend and is a phenomenon that is
rapidly developing into a thriving healthcare industry. Patients are more than ever
availing themselves of high quality, affordable and easily accessible health
related services found outside of their home country. Both patient and
destinations are benefiting from this. Medical tourism can be broadly defined as
provision of Cost effective private medical care in collaboration with the
tourism industry, for patients needing surgical and other form of specialized
treatment.
Medical Tourism in Asia to reach $8.5
billion by 2013
Medical tourism has bright future and
Asia is the Hotspot for this Industry. Thailand and India are the key
dominating players; but other Asian country also turning up the competition
with government backed medical tourism program. Asia is one of the first
regions in the World to promote medical tourism and has created a brand name
for itself for having affordable and high quality healthcare. Asian medical
tourist number of arrivals is expected to cross the figure of 10 million
numbers by 2015. Thailand, India and Singapore are expected to control more
than 80% market share in 2015. From 2009-2011 the number of medical tourist in
India has grown by 30%. South Korea is a fast growing medial tourism
destination. It is estimated that by 2015 South Korea will attract more than
300 thousand medical tourists.
Some Insurance companies like WellPoint
and Health net announced a program that will allow employees of a Wisconsin
printing company to get coverage for non-emergency surgical in India. Medical
tourism helps insurance companies to lower down the burden.
Top
10 destinations for Medical Tourism
India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia,
Taiwan, Brazil, Korea, Cost Rica, Turkey, Mexico.
Why
these ten designations? There are
varieties of factors including followings-
Government and private sector investment in
healthcare infrastructure
Broad
commitment to international accreditation, quality assurance, and transparency
of outcomes
International
patient flow
Potential
for cost savings
Political
transparency and stability
Ease
of access to tourism infrastructure
Sustained
reputation for specialty excellence
History
of healthcare innovation and achievement
Successful
adoption of best practices and cutting-edge medical technology
Availability
of internationally-trained, experienced medical staff
Followings are the top specialties for Medical
Travelers
Cosmetic
Surgery
Cardiology
Oncology
Spine
Surgery
Ophthalmology
Dentistry,
Orthopedics
Reproductive/IVF
Weight
Loss Surgery
Health
Screenings
How much money one can save on Cost on
Surgeries?
India :
65%-80%
Brazil:
25%-40%
Costa
Rica: 40%-65%
Korea:
30%-45%
Malaysia:
65%-80%
Mexico:
40%-65%
Singapore:
30%-45%
Taiwan:
40-55%
Thailand:
50%-70%
Turkey:
50%-65%
People
prefer medical tourism for numbers of reason. For many western countries cost
is main reason, for other countries accessibility and availability are
motivation factors. A survey conducted has been by the medical tourism company
to find out the “Why are patients
deciding to travel abroad for treatment?”
Following are the result of the survey.
88% -
People says Affordability (Costly in Home Country)
66%-
Waiting period is high
57%
-Quality
46%-
Availability
38%-Better
care
36%-
Tourism factors
30%-Privacy
28%-
Additional Benefit
26%-Adaptability
(treatment is not acceptable in Home country (e.g- Foetal sex determination )
13 %-
other reasons
Comparison
of the surgery cost
|
Surgery
|
USA
|
Colombia
|
Costa
Rica
|
India
|
Jordan
|
Korea
|
Mexico
|
Singapore
|
Thailand
|
|
Heart
Bypass
|
$144,000
|
$14,630
|
$25,000
|
$8,500
|
$10,000
|
$24,000
|
$20,000
|
$13,500
|
$24,000
|
|
Angioplasty
|
$57,000
|
$7,106
|
$13,000
|
$8,500
|
$5,000
|
$19,600
|
$16,000
|
$7,500
|
$7,000
|
|
Heart
Valve Replacement
|
$170,000
|
$10,450
|
$30,000
|
$1,200
|
$12,000
|
$36,000
|
$30,000
|
$13,500
|
$22,000
|
|
Hip
Replacement
|
$50,000
|
$8,360
|
$12,500
|
$8,000
|
$8,000
|
$16,450
|
$13,125
|
$11,100
|
$14,000
|
|
Hip
Resurfacing
|
$50,000
|
$10,500
|
$12,000
|
$8,000
|
$8,000
|
$20,900
|
$12,800
|
$12,100
|
$16,000
|
|
Knee
Replacement
|
$50,000
|
$7,106
|
$11,500
|
$7,000
|
$7,000
|
$17,800
|
$10,650
|
$10,800
|
$12,000
|
|
Spinal
Fusion
|
$100,000
|
$14,500
|
$15,000
|
$12,000
|
$10,000
|
$17,350
|
$7,000
|
$18,300
|
$11,000
|
|
Dental
Implant
|
$2,000-10,000
|
$1,672
|
$1,000
|
$700
|
$500
|
$3,400
|
$910
|
$2,900
|
$3,000
|
|
Lap
Band
|
$30,000
|
$6,500
|
$8,500
|
$7,500
|
$5,000
|
$9,500
|
$8,430
|
$12,000
|
$12,000
|
|
Breast
Implants
|
$10,000
|
$2,600
|
$3,500
|
$4,500
|
$3,000
|
$11,000
|
$8,000
|
$5,400
|
$3,700
|
|
Rhinoplasty
|
$8,000
|
$1,677
|
$5,500
|
$3,500
|
$2,500
|
$4,000
|
$4,165
|
$2,700
|
$3,400
|
|
Face
Lift
|
$15,000
|
$3,305
|
$5,900
|
$7,000
|
$3,000
|
$3,000
|
$7,200
|
$4,000
|
$6,600
|
|
Hysterectomy
|
$15,000
|
$1,845
|
$5,500
|
$5,500
|
$2,500
|
$9,000
|
$6,675
|
$4,000
|
$5,000
|
Issues
related to Medical Tourism Growth
Assessing reliable information.
Too many new comer jumping on medical tourism
bandwagon, not experienced or understanding of the industry.
Lack of pre and post-operative care
arrangement.
Complicated intra-county laws and legal
procedures.
Lack of support system by Gov. Bodies.
Patients not being properly informed about pro
and cons.
Language difficulties and other communication
problem.
Cross cultural misunderstandings.
Challenge for hospital and providers in
maintaining internationally acceptable standards.
Lack of willingness to travel abroad for
medical treatment.
Some
Disadvantage of Medical Tourism
Cost is usually the primary reason
for opting for treatment abroad, so what are you sacrificing to save a few
bucks? How much are you willing to concede to get the treatment you can
afford?
Will you be traveling alone or
bringing some family members or friends with you? This will of course add
to your cost, but would you like to be recuperating in a foreign country on
your own? Would your family be prepared to let you? It is likely
that you will be advised not to fly in the immediate aftermath of the
procedure, so be prepared to spend numerous days and nights tied up.
Getting treatment abroad – no
matter the reputation of the hospital – is always a flight into the
unknown. You may be talking to doctors who can’t articulate the details
of the procedure to your understanding. You might wonder are these
hospitals regulated and managed to the same standards and practices as your
local hospitals. Is there a reason why your local hospital is quoting
such an extraordinarily high price in comparison? Maybe the procedure
just is that complicated?
Will you be covered by your
insurance company? There may be a small chance that your premium may not
cover procedures which are carried out overseas, so obviously, this should be
checked out in advance. You would imagine they would encourage this type
of cost effectiveness, but they must also take into consideration the chances
of malpractice or error on behalf of the hospital involved. Some
hospitals may have a tenuous reputation when it comes to libelous malpractice
claims.
