medical tourism

medical tourism, also called health tourism, surgical tourism, or medical travel,  international travel for the purpose of receiving medical care. Many patients engage in medical tourism because the procedures they seek can be performed in other countries at relatively low cost and without the delay and inconvenience of being placed on a waiting list. In addition, some patients travel to specific destinations to undergo procedures that are not available in their home country. Examples of such procedures include stem-cell transplants and sex-change operations.

History and growth of medical tourism

Throughout history people have traveled long distances for health care. In ancient Greece, for example, worshippers of Asclepius, the Greco-Roman god of medicine, would make pilgrimages to his temple in Epidaurus, where they would undergo healing through “incubation rituals,” which were rooted in prayer, fasting, and ceremony. Likewise, spas and public baths have long been popular destinations for those seeking medical cures. In the 17th century the emergence of spa towns in appealing settings like the Pyrenees attracted wealthy people from all over Europe. In later centuries, as travel and tourism increased, spas and health resorts in countries worldwide often attracted clientele from overseas. In addition, the establishment of facilities such as the nonprofit Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., provided new opportunities for patients in need of treatments and surgical procedures not available elsewhere.

The practice of traveling internationally for surgery, however, is a relatively recent phenomenon. For example, Costa Rica experienced an influx of foreigners seeking cosmetic and dental surgery in the 1980s. By the 1990s physicians there actively worked to attract foreign patients, offering various types of plastic surgery, from face-lifts to liposuction, at low cost. Near the end of the first decade of the 21st century, an estimated 20,000–25,000 medical tourists visited Costa Rica, representing a significant increase over previous years. That growth appeared to parallel the worldwide boom in medical tourism that took place in the early 21st century. In 2010, for example, nearly 1.5 million Americans traveled outside their country for medical care—nearly twice the number from just three years earlier.

Destinations and services offered

Medical tourists may be citizens of developed or developing countries, although affluent individuals from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom account for a large proportion of the consumer base. Popular destinations for medical tourism include Brazil, Costa Rica, India, Mexico, Panama, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand. The types of health and medical clinics that cater to medical tourists are often state-of-the-art facilities and are staffed with physicians who possess advanced medical degrees. Medical tourism Web sites and travel agencies typically offer package deals, with recuperation from surgery advertised as vacation-like. Services offered range from cosmetic, cardiac, eye, dental, or orthopedic surgeries to psychiatric services and procedures such as sex-change operations that may be socially or culturally unacceptable and hence unavailable in other countries.

Social and ethical issues in medical tourism

Inconsistency in quality of care is a major source of criticism for the medical tourism industry. One of the primary mechanisms implemented for the standardization of international health care is accreditation. Accreditation attempts to ensure that medical tourism facilities meet basic safety standards, are staffed with trained personnel, and have appropriate medical equipment to perform the procedures offered. Among the major accreditation organizations for international hospitals are the Joint Commission International (JCI), a branch of the U.S.-based Joint Commission Resources; Accreditation Canada International; and the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International. Those organizations charge fees to clients who want to have their facilities surveyed for accreditation, and each organization maintains a list of accredited hospitals to help persons wishing to travel internationally for health care select a facility that will meet their needs.

Another issue in medical tourism concerns the illegal trafficking of organs. Countries with indigent or vulnerable populations frequently have a greater availability of organs for medical use, since members of these populations are often tempted to risk their health and give up an organ with the promise of monetary compensation. Combined with the lack of adequate resources for donor care, the practices surrounding organ obtainment have been targeted as an aspect of medical tourism in need of greater regulation and oversight. Likewise, the exploitation of medical procedures for which efficacy is unproven or for which safety is unknown is a point of discussion for standardization and regulation.

In addition, in all countries, medical tourism could polarize national health care policy, creating or furthering disparities in health care services made available to citizens versus foreigners. Because the latter bring money into countries and hence bolster national economies, they often enjoy greater access to doctors and medical resources than do the actual citizens of the country.

Kara Rogers