RW - foRWard Health & Wellbeing eMag - June 25 - Flipbook - Page 53
EXPLORING THE
WORLD OF
Imagine saving thousands on
a surgery while recovering on
a tropical beach. It sounds like
a dream, but for a growing
number of people, this is
reality. “Medical tourism” –
travelling abroad for health
care – is booming worldwide.
From dental work in Mexico
to heart surgery in India,
patients are packing their
bags in search of a昀昀ordable,
quality treatment. This global
phenomenon comes with
exciting advantages and a few
serious caveats.
Why Are People Travelling
for Healthcare?
One word: cost. Sky-high
medical bills at home have
many looking overseas for
relief. Prices abroad can be
50–75% lower for the
same procedure.
For instance,
a coronary
bypass
that might cost over $120,000
in the U.S. is around $10,000
in India – even adding travel
expenses, the savings are
staggering. As Professor Néstor
Rodríguez in Texas puts it,
“It’s economics… medicines
and services are cheaper in
Mexico. You can get your teeth
cleaned or an implant for a
frac琀椀on of the cost in the US”.
With or without insurance,
many pa琀椀ents 昀椀nd that paying
out-of-pocket abroad is s琀椀ll far
cheaper than local fees.
Cost isn’t the only draw. Quality
of care in top foreign hospitals
o昀琀en matches Western
standards. Many doctors in
des琀椀na琀椀ons like Thailand or
India are Western-trained and
speak English. Facili琀椀es such
as Bumrungrad Interna琀椀onal
Hospital in Bangkok or
Apollo Hospitals in India are
interna琀椀onally accredited and
cater to foreigners. Shorter wait
琀椀mes and access to treatments
not available at home also
lure pa琀椀ents. (One country’s
“experimental” therapy – say a
stem cell treatment – might
be a rou琀椀ne o昀昀ering
elsewhere.) On top of that,
there’s the appeal of combining
treatment with travel. Pa琀椀ents
some琀椀mes turn their recovery
into a mini-vaca琀椀on – picture
getting a knee replacement
and unwinding at a beach
resort afterward.
Global Hotspots for
Medical Tourists
Medical tourism is truly
global, but a few des琀椀na琀椀ons
stand out for their popularity
and special琀椀es. Here are
some examples from around
the world:
THAILAND
Famous for gentle hospitality
and modern private hospitals,
Thailand has long been a
medical tourism superstar.
It o昀昀ers everything from
cosme琀椀c surgery to gender
reassignment and complex
orthopaedics at 50–75%
lower costs than Australia
or the U.S. State-of-the-art
hospitals in Bangkok and
Phuket (like Bumrungrad) feel
more like hotels, and many
pa琀椀ents enjoy a wellness
vaca琀椀on post-surgery.
