In times of such a global crisis, you realize the importance of Medical Tourism and its benefits. Medical Tourism is when a patient travels to another country for better or cost-effective treatment. Earlier Medical Tourism was more on the lines of patients traveling to another country, primarily because they could not get the kind of advanced treatment required. However, with the recent medical advancement, now patients are traveling to other countries for equally good, yet comparatively cost-effective treatments. India is one of the topmost preferred countries for Medical Tourism, with cutting-edge medical technology and is about 70% less expensive than in the US. Not just that, India has proven to be qualitatively and quantitatively one of the best medical tourism options in the world.
The increasing cost of healthcare services has forced more and more people to look for affordable treatments in other countries. This clearly shows the shift in patient mobility. Other factors that influence the mobility of patients are excellent marketing tactics and inexpensive travels. The cost of the flight tickets to these countries is also a huge factor that influences the patient’s movement.
The Medical Tourism market is worth over $400 billion and is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. Medical Tourism is slowing evolving, and people are traveling for wellness & rejuvenation treatments, and also for alternate medication offered by many countries. Ayurveda has been catching the world’s attention, and the modern western is turning to Ayurveda for answers today.
Factors of Consider while planning
There are three factors that patients consider while planning to travel to another country for treatment:
• Cost
• Quality
• Treatments Available
A countries’ healthcare system also plays a major role in the need for Medical Tourism. If a country has a robust healthcare system, then the need for medical tourism reduces. However, in countries where good medical care is largely privatized, the cost of the treatment can become a deterrent and make patients look for a more feasible option, without compromising.
The top 5 countries in Medical Tourism are:
• India
• Brazil
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Turkey
In all, the top 5 countries for Medical Tourism have immediate treatment availability, are inexpensive, and are incredibly advanced. Thus, making them an optimum choice for treatments.
It is predicted that Medical Tourism will grow 25% each year, which would create great importance for Medical Tourism not just in the Tourism industry but also in helping improve a country’s economy.
