The emergent business of global healthcare, or medical tourism, is generating a lot of income. More and more people now realize the benefits of traveling overseas to get medical attention. The medical tourism industry is currently churning out $20 billion every year. With the growing number of medical tourists, this figure is expected to double in the near future.
How medical tourism sells
Crossing borders in order to seek quality healthcare is essentially the practice of medical tourism. People usually go on medical travel because they are looking for less expensive healthcare. The cost of medical procedures in other countries could be half of that in the US. This is good news for people who do not have insurance to help cover their medical bills.
Medical tourism is now a staple industry in countries like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, and India. On average, each of these countries welcome 500,000 visitors looking to get a procedure.
For people looking for cosmetic surgery overseas, South American countries like Brazil and Costa Rica are apparently the most popular choices. With around 4,500 licensed plastic surgeons, Brazil bests all other countries with the most number of cosmetic practitioners.
Hospitals and clinics abroad are also applying for accreditation from JCI. The JCI, or the Journal of Clinical Investigation, is the board responsible for reviewing healthcare facilities in the United States. A hospital that has the approval of JCI is sure to provide its patients with quality medical care. JCI has certified about a hundred helathcare facilities around the world.
Hospitals and clinics outside the US also have the latest technology in plastic surgery, as more and more Americans are looking for cosmetic surgery overseas. Because there are many patients looking to have these surgeries done, most hospitals abroad now specialize in breast augmentation, lipoplasty, nose surgery,and cosmetic laser treatments.
How to plan a medical trip
It is highly advisable that a person hire the services of a medical tourism company when planning out the trip, especially if one is new to the idea of medical tourism. For a reasonable fee, one is guaranteed that the arrangements for the trip as well as the operation are well taken care of.
It is very important that a person be well-informed of the procedure he/she wants. With this, medical tourism agencies can be very helpful as they guide their clients in choosing the options that suit their needs. Matching a client's needs with an appropriate destination is one of the main responsibilities taken on by these agencies. They make sure that the country their client is bound for has hospitals that can cater to their customer's cosmetic needs, and that the trip is well within their client's budget. In addition, medical tourism agencies can be hired to find a doctor to perform the procedure. This saves the medical tourist a lot of time and effort trying to look for one over hundreds of medical databases.