Medical tourism is also called health tourism, surgical tourism or medical travel, international travel for the purpose of medical care. Many patients are interested in medical tourism because the procedures they want can be performed in other countries at relatively low cost and without the delays and inconvenience of a waiting list. In addition, some patients travel to specific locations to undergo procedures that are not available in their home country. Examples of such procedures include stem cell transplants and gender reassignment surgery.
Throughout history, people have travelled long distances for health care. Spas and spas have long been popular destinations for medical treatments. As travel and tourism increased, spas and wellness centres in countries around the world attracted clients, often overseas. In addition, the creation of facilities such as non-profit organisations has opened up new opportunities for patients who need treatments and surgical procedures that cannot be found anywhere else.
For those without health insurance or high discounts, medical tourism is a viable and beneficial alternative. In fact, countries are competing for medical tourists. In Japan, the government is drawing up new guidelines to increase the number of hospitals accepting foreign patients. There is talk that the industry is worth $55 billion worldwide.
The types of health and medical clinics that cater to medical tourists are often state-of-the-art facilities and staffed by doctors with advanced medical degrees. Medical tourism websites and travel agencies often offer post-surgery recovery packages that are advertised as holidays. Services offered range from cosmetic, heart, eye, dental or orthopaedic surgery to psychiatric services and procedures such as gender reassignment surgery that are socially or culturally unacceptable and therefore not available in other countries.
In all countries, medical tourism can polarise national health policies and create or exacerbate health inequalities for citizens and foreigners. As the latter bring money into countries to support national economies, they have more access to doctors and medical resources than genuine citizens of the country.