With the onset of a vacation, many people start packing their bags to visit foreign countries in search of fun and enjoyment. However, some people instead plan to visit foreign lands for medical treatment. This kind of tourism, where people travel overseas to find the right treatment is known as the Medical tourism.
The Medical tourism is on the rise these days. If statistics are to be believed, in 2013, around 900,000 Americans travelled abroad for the treatment. This practice is not confined to Americans only. Surprisingly, each year, around 8 million people are travelling overseas for health care. People are travelling far, seeking treatment for everything from dental problems to complex heart diseases. Medical tourism has in fact turned into a global industry worth around $24-$40 billion.
Many developing countries around the world have cheaper medical treatment as compared to that of the developed nations. However, the health care cost is not the only reason of patients’ travel. They just want to get rid of the long waiting list of the doctors, and dodge the questions from their relatives and colleagues. Moreover, most of the developing countries have made significant improvements in the health care infrastructure and facilities while minimizing costs.
So, aren’t you excited to know about these wonderful countries where everything right from the routine medical checkup to complex surgeries is priced so low? Let us know the most popular health care tourism destinations:
Thailand: this nation has been always known for its meticulous gender re-assignment procedures apart from the cosmetic surgery. Here, the sex change procedures and other complex surgeries are around 50-70% cheaper than that in the US. This country is so world renowned for the medical tourism that this industry is growing here at a pace of 16% per year.
Brazil: This country is home to more cosmetic surgeons than anywhere else on this earth. It is so much popular for cosmetic treatment that it is heard that even their pets get the cosmetic enhancement. The country hosts 1-2 lakhs patients every year, making it the sixth most visited country by medical tourists. If you want to look sexy and feel good, pack your bags for Brazil.
India: India’s medical tourism has been rising continuously since its inception. This market was valued around $3.9 billion in 2014. The major influx of the patients is from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Central Asia. People visit here for the complex surgeries like coronary artery bypass graft surgery and other popular procedures such as Infertility treatment, organ transplantation and cancer surgeries. This has made India the fifth most visited country by medical tourists. Here, a famous doctor listing portal, Drriight.com, has made it further easy for overseas patients to find the right doctor in the desired locality. Using this platform, foreign patients can easily connect with the doctors and book online appointments, even before flying to the country.
Singapore: This nation has become the medical tourism hub. As it is a developed economy, this place offers the most sophisticated healthcare facilities for the treatment of cancer. According to WHO, Singapore has the best health care system in Asia and sixth best in the world.
Malaysia: The developed infrastructure and low-cost medical care facilities of this country attract around half a million medical tourists every year. Most of these are from Asian countries. The in-vitro fertilization, treatment of burns and other surgical treatments are available here for few hundred dollars only.
This list is not enough! There are so many other destinations for medical tourism which are best known either for their low-cost services or treatment technologies. We have just made an effort to tell you about the BEST.
