The Beauty and Risks of Medical Tourism

Many people travel abroad to seek better health care facilities. Thanks to technology and innovations, developing countries are now able to diagnose and treat patients with their illnesses. The rise in remote monitoring has created a smooth transition that doctors and consultants can monitor with ease. Therefore, it’s of great importance to select remote patient monitoring vendors and remote patient monitoring companies that offer excellent services and products.

The lack of expertise in the health industry has led to a broader scope called health tourism. This scope covers health conduciveness, preventive treatment, curative self-driving, and rehabilitation. The main types of medical tourism are:

Domestic/ intrabound; patients travel from one part of the country to another to seek treatment; there is no international travel.

Inbound; patients travel to their home country from a foreign country to seek medical care.

Outbound; patients travel to a foreign country from their native country to seek medical expertise.

People travel mainly for fertility treatment, cosmetic procedures, dental tourism, and rehabilitation. Other forms of medical tourism are:

• Organ transplants
• Orthopedics
• Cardiology
• Bariatric surgery

Medical tourism is growing exponentially as the health care industry grows. Health care providers can maximize their potential by tapping into medical marketing. Moreover, this can be achieved by;

• Investing in the excellence of the facility and medical providers
• Capitalizing on the state or town brand
• Offering language translation services
• Giving concierge services

Medical tourists usually have a sizeable discretionary income, which the travel and hotel industries can benefit from. Beauty and spa services, golf courses, entertainment attractions, retail, and businesses in the luxury market experience a boost from medical tourists. Additionally, medical tourists book vacations to help in the recovery process and spend quality time with family. However, single plan policies only cover medical expenses. The medical policy only covers complications that arise from one’s treatment.

Different reasons warrant the pursuit of medical care abroad;

• Decreased cost
• Recommendations from family and friends
• Opportunity to combine vacation destination and medical care
• Preference for care from medical providers who share the travelers’ culture
• Receive therapy or a procedure not present in the country

One should consult the physician before traveling to be advised regarding the travel and recovery plans. Several employers have partnered with health care facilities to provide a smooth healing process. One should be up to date with all required routine vaccinations and immunization such as hepatitis B. After abdominal or chest surgery, medical tourists are advised to travel after ten days.

Regardless of the medical and surgical procedures done in a different country, risks and complications may arise. Possible complications include; bloodstream infections, wound infections, acquisition of blood-borne pathogens such as HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C and donor-derived infections. In certain areas and regions, the risk of acquiring antibiotic-resistant infections is higher. Medical tourism dramatically increases the survival rate, and one can lower the risks associated with;

• Choosing a reputable facility to conduct the procedure
• Choice of destination
• Good psychological and physical condition for the procedure

The opportunity of marketing medical tourism has not been tapped yet, especially in developing countries.