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Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare – Where are you going?

The American Medical Association (AMA) defines medical tourism as "travel organized outside the jurisdiction of their own health, usually a country, to improve or restore health through medical intervention. "A definition less technique comes from the Harvard Business School, which defines medical tourism as the act of travel throughout the health care is often better and certainly cheaper than at home. "The practice is also known as health tourism, medtrotting, or cross-border health tourism.

Medical tourism is booming and has become an industry of $ 40 billion. It is estimated that 10,000 Americans are engaged in medical tourism each year, not including cosmetic surgery and dental procedures. Other estimates range from 50,000 to 500,000, including all procedures. In 2005, about 150,000 people around the world were medical tourists. Singapore, Thailand, India and Malaysia are the leading countries in medical tourism industry.

Although it has become very popular only in recent years, medical tourism is not a new phenomenon. In fact, hundreds, even thousands of years ago, people have been visiting known areas known for their healing powers. In England, the Heritage Sites of Bath got its name from numerous hot mineral springs and Roman baths became popular among the rich and famous of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The word "Spa" is taken from a small Belgian town of that name, famous for its hot springs. The French Riviera also has a history as a wellness getaway English and Russian nobility to escape the cold winters of northern Europe,

In recent history, medical tourism continued advances in medicine as rich and developing countries traveled to more developed countries like the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Other countries (eg Switzerland) specializing in services Boutique health, such as cosmetic surgery and rehabilitation clinics.

Globalization and widespread air travel have resulted in increased medical tourism, leading to two major trends in health tourism.

(1) Medical tourism has become widespread. Whereas before, only the rich and celebrities can afford medical tourists, medical tourism is now accessible to everyone. Hundreds of travel agencies specialized in this niche and non-profit. In Europe, where they cross national borders, now have fewer restrictions to include Eastern European countries to the European Union, medical tourism has become widespread. This is aided by the short distances and the fact that health destinations are accessible by car, train or a short flight. For Americans, medical tourism may involve travel long distances, but with cheap flights, Central American countries have become favorite destinations.

(2) Medical tourism has changed directions. Medical tourism 50 years ago is essentially composed of travel from a less developed country to a more developed country and advanced medical treatment. Today medical tourism goes both ways, but mainly in the direction of developing countries, where good quality but affordable health care can be found.

Current trends in medical tourism may be due to the following factors:

(1) increased health care costs. Rising costs of health care in developed countries, especially the U.S. are forcing their citizens to find affordable health care elsewhere. Charges for common procedures like heart bypass can be $ 11,000 in Thailand compared with $ 130,000 in the United States. knee replacement can cost $ 40,000 compared with $ 13,000 in Singapore. This is even encouraged by health insurance companies and employers who offer coverage for medical tourism expenditure. One case is the insurer WellPoint Inc. and a self-funded, Wisconsin-based specialty graphics business called silk screening. According to reports, "Serigraph resign the co-payments and co-insurance for any of its 650 employees to fly to India for certain procedures that are not medical emergencies such as replacing the main groups and higher and lower posterior fusion. In addition, Serigraph will pay all travel expenses for the employee and a partner. "

(2) border medical training. More and more doctors from developing countries have studied and specialized in foreign countries. India, for example, has many trained doctors U.S. and the United Kingdom who speak excellent English and fully understand the medical needs of medical tourists from western countries. Same is true for Mexico in relation to the U.S. and Australia in relation to Thailand.

(3) Holistic approach to medicine. The last decade also witnessed the popularity alternative medicine. More and more people seek alternative medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda (India), Unani (Arabic), homeopathy and herbal medicine, among others. Many Asian countries offer these types of drugs to Western tourists.

(4) Accreditation. To overcome the skepticism of patients many medical tourism facilities apply for accreditation. Several U.S. organizations conducting inspections, evaluations and grant accreditation to services doctors outside the U.S.. One is the Joint Commission International (JCI). More covering is accreditation by the International Society for Quality in Health Care which is the umbrella organization for accreditation agencies in many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and Ireland.

The most popular destinations in Asia and Latin America. However, it is estimated that some 50 countries on all continents participate in the industry.

India is at the top the list of favorite destinations for medical tourism. According to the University of Delaware article "India's premier centers for open heart surgery, pediatric heart surgery, hip and knee replacements, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, bone marrow transplants and cancer therapy, and virtually all clinics in India are equipped with the latest in electronic equipment and diagnostic medical. " For example, surgery patients hip in India may opt for a hip resurfacing, in which damaged bone is scraped away and replaced with chrome alloy – an operation that costs less and produces less post-operative trauma than the traditional replacement procedure performed in the U.S. . Circulation goes for $ 10,000 and a hip replacement for $ 9,000, compared with $ 130,000 and $ 43,000 respectively, in the United States. "

Apart from the added attraction of its facilities holiday destination the beaches of Phuket, Thailand is really well known for sex-change surgery, which is one of the 10 procedures for which patients visit Thailand. "

For Americans, Mexico and Costa Rica are attractive due to its proximity. the retirement communities of Arizona and to organize regular bus tours for Mexico dental work and inexpensive drugs. And the small border communities, some about an hour from Ciudad Juarez, are becoming dentistry boomtowns to handle an increased flow of U.S. patients who come from as far away as Alaska. "

Despite the boom in medical tourism and global health industry remains controversial in several respects.

(A) disparities in health care. A major objection by those opposed to medical tourism are the disparities of care provided by a private entity serving medical tourists and public health for local residents. It is estimated over half of India's primary health care centers are not equipped with a delivery room, laboratory, or a phone or stocked with essential drugs.

(2) In Vitro Fertilization. In January 2009, a Canadian woman made headlines when he gave birth to twins at the age of 60 years. Under Canadian law, the age limit for that a woman has vitro fertilization (IVF) is 45 to years. India is home to the world's oldest mother first gave birth to a girl last November at the age of 70. Laws governing fertility treatment are almost nonexistent in India, and unlike in many countries, there is no age limit rules of the mother or the number of embryos implanted.

(3) commercial surrogacy or reproduction of outsourcing. This is another form of assisted reproduction related with medical tourism and India is again on the front line. Women whose uteruses are not able to carry a baby use to pay other women to be mothers rent. In India, women view it as a respectable way to make money and simultaneously help women without children. Commercial surrogacy is legal in India since 2002 as in many other countries, including the U.S.. But India is the leader in what is a viable industry rather than a rare fertility treatment.

(4) Organ transplantation. One of the shady business of medical tourism is the transplantation of organs. People are not willing to wait and can afford to pay a lot of money can find other means of obtaining an organ in developing countries. "Transplant tourism", as sometimes called, is thriving in the development countries. In 2006, The Guardian reported that British patients travel to China for organ transplants from executed prisoners, without the prior consent of any of the prisoners or their families. "

Medical tourism is growing and is expected to increasingly common and acceptable in the future. By American Medical Association, "the global economy and the changing rules of trade offer opportunities and challenges for the medical profession and public health . As in any industry, medical tourism is governed by supply and demand. There is definitely a lot of demand in developed countries developing willingly supply. However, the limits and rules laid down in place to protect patients and the work of the force providers services. Only then can the industry be worthy of the term "global health."

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