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MEDICAL TOURISM
By GERALDINE CHEW & NORZILAWATI MT
Would you travel across the globe for a heart bypass if it will only cost you a
tenth of the usual US $122,000?
The concept of medical tourism started thousands of years ago. People have been
traveling across the continents in search of cures for any imaginable illnesses and
making therapeutic trips for health wellness. In ancient Greece, pilgrims and patients
came from all over the Mediterranean to the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios at
Epidaurus, and from the 18 th century wealthy Europeans have been traveling to spas
from Germany to the Nile.
In recent years, medical tourism is becoming more popular with patients seeking
treatment for health and well-being purposes abroad.
Why Are People Traveling?
If you can get your ailing heart cured or get your flat-nose fixed at home, why bother
to travel across the globe for medical treatment?
Patients seeking treatment abroad are motivated to do so by various reasons. Many
are attracted by the low cost factor or they are simply dissatisfied with the existing
medical care in their home country. Frustrated by the long waiting times, inadequate
medical care and exorbitant medical expenses, many go abroad in search of medical care.
The steep medical costs in America have contributed to many Americans flying to
other countries in search of cheaper alternatives. According to the Census Bureau, as
many as 46.6 million Americans were uninsured in 2005. As these uninsured Americans
are not able to afford the costly medical care, many will jump at the opportunity of
getting treatment abroad at a fraction of the price at home.
6 DECEMBER 2007
In the UK it is not uncommon to hear patients grumbling from
having to wait for as long as six months to get treated by the
public health service due to the system being too stretched to
cater to everyone. Otherwise they will have to opt for private
health services which is very expensive.
The Guardian wrote a classic case example on the medical care
hiccups in Britain. George Marshall, a violin repairer
from Bradford was diagnosed with coronary heart disease.
He was told that he could either wait for up to
six months for a heart bypass operation on the National Health
Service or pay $38,000 to go under the scalpel immediately.
He chose to outsource his operation to India instead. He went
for an operation at the Wockhardt Hospital and Heart Institute
and paid only $9,763.24 for surgery including travel expenses.
Research and studies have shown support on the increasing
trend in medical tourism.
Dr Arnold Milsein, medical director of the United States based
medical group Pacific Business Group, told a U.S. Special
Committee on Ageing in 2006 that the typical combined
hospital and doctor’s charges for operations in “technologically
advanced hospitals in lower-wage countries” such as Thailand
were 60 to 85 percent lower than charges in the US hospitals.
An independent survey on medical tourism prices in 2006 by
European Research Specialists commissioned compiled data from
108 clinics, hospitals and healthcare providers in 30 countries.
Research revealed that patients from UK can save up to 80
percent by going overseas for surgery and medical treatment
Medical Tourism Takes off the Runway
Medical tourism is made possible and has gained popularity
due to the advancement in medical technology, more affordable
travel and the availability of information provided by the mass
media.
As medical costs accelerate, patients are finding alternatives
for low-cost treatment, and going abroad to get healthy seems
very appealing. Lured by the promise of high quality,
reliable medical care at a lower cost, patients are
flying across the globe for medical treatment that they
otherwise would not have access to easily due to prohibitive
costs, long waiting time or unavailability of treatment in their
home country.
The promise of medical care and the attraction of
exotic places are taking people places for medical care.
First World Treatment at Third World Prices
International patients are flocking to Asia for elective and
cosmetic procedures, an increasing pool of patients are getting
their ailing heart fixed or have hip replaced in countries such as
Singapore and India.
Choices are also not limited to medicine or western treatment;
there are growing interests in alternative medicine providing
holistic therapy to patients. Alternative medicine such as