As the world has shrunk, people now go out of their country for Treatment .
The treatment outside their country of birth my be cheaper.
The reasons are,
- Government and private sector investment in healthcare infrastructure
- Demonstrable commitment to international accreditation, quality assurance, and transparency of outcomes
- International patient flow
- Potential for cost savings on medical procedures
- Political transparency and social stability
- Excellent tourism infrastructure
- Sustained reputation for clinical excellence
- History of healthcare innovation and achievement
- Successful adoption of best practices and state-of-the-art medical technology
- Availability of internationally-trained, experienced medical staff.
- The top destinations are, according to patients without borders,
Top destinations are, according to Patients beyond Borders,
“Brazil, Costa Rica, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States,
for the reason stated.
The Global Market for Medical Tourism .
the market size is USD 24-40 billion, based on approximately eight million cross-border patients worldwide spending an average of USD 3,000-5,000 per visit, including all medically-related costs, cross-border and local transport, inpatient stay and accommodations. We estimate some 900,000 Americans will travel outside the US for medical care this year (2013).”
India is a major destination for Medical Tourism, mainly because of the quality of Doctors ad Treatment and of course, cost.
The cost is low because of the weak rupee against the Dollar and when compared to the cost of treatment in the US, India is cheaper cost-wise.
For the other third world countries the quality of treatment is better .
However even this low-cost Medical Treatment is because of the greedy Corporate Hospitals and some greedy medical professionals and medical Test Centers.
The Doctors prescribe a host of tests not warranted because they get a standard 15% of the cost of the tests.
Surgery cost depends on your purse and is determined whether you are covered under Medical insurance, have a credit and your financial standing.
Please read my posts filed under health on this subject.
In Medical Tourism the touts come into operation.
All Corporate Multi-Specialty Hospitals have Agents posted abroad like Dubai.
They literally trap patients.
What they are promised as treatment cost is a fraction of what the patient is ultimately charged .
The patient can not protest as the treatment is complete and he/ she will not be discharged unless the Bill is settled.
Added to this is the illegal practice of the Hospitals’s practice of collecting the patient’s passport, which will not be returned unless the Bill is settled in full.
If some one complains about the Passport, it will be conveniently lost, the Hospitals do not issue receipts for the passports.
But the racket in medical Tourism in the world is ramapant and criminal.
Read this from Der Spiegel.
Sargsyan, his wife and brother landed in Munich on Sept. 16, 2012. They had already paid €3,500 to the IMZ agency as an advance for the treatment and visas, the Sargsyans say.
According to their account, soon after their arrival, they went to the IMZ broker’s office at the Sheraton München Arabellapark Hotel.
There, they allege they were greeted by a man in a suit, Arsen B., whose business card listed an exotic combination of titles: “Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h. c. med., neurosurgeon – orthopedics, Director – Senior Physician.” B. allegedly promised to make the necessary arrangements for Sargsyan with a network of private clinics and doctors’ offices. The family felt like they had met their knight in shining armor.
However, IMZ disputes this account, saying that Arsen B. was abroad on this date and that it does not have an office at this location.
Sargsyan is sitting in a furnished, two-room apartment in northern Munich as he describes his first few days in Germany. He has just returned from radiation treatment, and the blue mask is lying in his lap.
He was a karate fighter and strong as lightning, says his wife, Nelly, a petite, friendly woman. The couple has been married for 21 years. Nelly’s description of her husband is a far cry from the person sitting on the sofa. He has dark bags under his eyes, and he looks depressed and exhausted. It’s hard to imagine that this man has ever laughed.
Sargsyan talks about how the first appointment took him to the Arabella Clinic, where another colonoscopy was performed. The diagnosis described “a coarse tumor that is not passable.” A tissue sample revealed that the tumor was malignant. Doctors also found metastases in Sargsyan’s liver and lungs. An interpreter with the agency translated for the patient. “The news was bad,” says Sargsyan, “but I trusted the doctors.” He also trusted Arsen B., who seemed to have a plan for everything.
To prevent intestinal obstruction, Sargsyan was given a colostomy. Local doctors performed the first cycle of chemotherapy, followed by radiation therapy. The brother handled financial matters, paying €10,000 to the IMZ office for the initial treatment. Because he paid with a credit card, he was also charged a 5 percent surcharge. “Thank you for your confidence,” the customer receipts read.
Source:
http://www.patientsbeyondborders.com/medical-tourism-statistics-facts
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