Medical tourism is defined as an opportunity for patients suffering from different types of diseases to travel offshore to avail safer, cost effective and faster surgical procedures. Combination of different factors is said to have led people from the developed countries to visit the developing countries to avail superior quality medical treatment. The different reasons for patients to travel far and wide are ease, affordability, cost issues and to avoid frustrations, etc. With the developing countries adopting the latest medical technology and almost being in par with its developed counterparts, medical tourism is said to have grown in leaps and bounds with time.
History of medical tourism
This concept is said to date back towards ancient Greece. Patients and pilgrims from across the Mediterranean came to Greece to seek treatment for the ailments suffered by them. They came to Asklepios, the healing god’s sanctuary at Epidaurus. The wealthy Europeans, during the 18th century travelled from Germany the popular Mediterranean spas. However, in the 21st century, medical tourism industry is said to have become popular manifolds, with thousands of people travelling every now and then to the different developing countries to get short or long term medical treatment. One such country is India that has gained immense prominence and enjoying popularity from this particular sector. With travel time reduced and quite affordable, the region full of beauty and the best qualified doctors using the latest medical technology, state of the art gadgets and devices, is what has made this country the most popular medical destination.
Increasing healthcare market
Off late, medical tourism is said to have presented hospitals with immense opportunity to tap potentiality of international healthcare market, to leverage eventually their business. Advancements made in medical technology, combined with enhanced transportation facilities along with the need of quick quality healthcare is what has encouraged healthcare providers to offer superior quality treatments to patients on a global scale. Medical tourists can access different medical tourism websites to seek information and details about the procedure, hospitals, facilities offered and the profile of the doctors before actually booking their seat. The worldwide healthcare providers have been investing huger to acquire the latest medical technology, so as to beat competition and to draw patients towards them. They are also found to offer non-medical lucrative services like spa facilities, hospitality services, and pick up, drop services for facilitating the patient’s stay throughout the treatment tenure. This way, the international clientele can enjoy enhanced treatments and enjoy getting relief from their ailments without any delay or requiring to spend a fortune.
Reasons for increasing popularity
One reason for medical tourism to be found attractive among international patients is that it provides them with lost cost medical treatments. Besides this, public healthcare system is found to be overburdened in developed countries. Medical tourism is fast getting popular and is accepted generally since it offers patients with proper and timely medical assistance, combined with exclusive vacations and five star luxury treatments. There are indeed different types of medical treatments readily available for patients coming from all parts of the world.
