Complex surgery is the latest service to move offshore - and clever businesses are helping cost-conscious patients go under the knife overseas.
This year alone, upwards of 500,000 Americans are expected to travel overseas to get their bodies fixed, at prices 30 to 80 percent less than at home.
Medical tourism, as the practice is known, is rapidly becoming the top choice for consumers who grapple with hefty medical bills.
With places like Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, India, the Philippines, and Thailand pitching their low-cost care, Americans are expected to help turn global medical tourism into a $40 billion-a-year industry by 2010.
The overseas stampede is already spawning a brand-new business opportunity: medical tourism agencies. Not only do these companies act as middlemen between patients and foreign physicians, but they also find hospitals, schedule surgeries, buy airline tickets, reserve hotel rooms, and, yes, even plan sightseeing tours for recovering patients.
Most important, they aim to reassure customers that cheap does not equal poor quality.
Photo by adamci.
Sparrow Mahoney on September 7th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
This is a great piece addressing the emerging industry of global healthcare (medical tourism) in a succint way. It highlights some of the countries that are not as well known yet but which make sense logistically for patients from North America and Europe.
There are a series of other articles on the industry available on our website at http://www.medicaltourism.com/news.html
Dr K M Kapoor on October 5th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
I fully agree with the last comment that cheap treatment is not poor quality. The difference in value of Dollar/ Euro/ Pounds vs-a-vis Indian rupee make the cost very attractive for foreigners but actually the private hospitals in India are of top quality. I myself have successfully treated many patients from abroad at Fortis Hospital, Mohali,India. More details can be seen on my site http://www.indiaplasticsurgery.com .
Dr K M Kapoor
Vivek Sharma on October 16th, 2006 at 11:52 am
I am looking into taking this on full swing. I have all the resources in New Delhi India in a state of the art hospital. I was wondering if there would be interested parties that would like to team up in the states to develop this program and work on it.
Lauren on October 17th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
I foresee a huge future for medical tourism. It is important to provide sources of information to those who are seeking medical tourism for themselves.
Here are some excellent resources for medical tourism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism
CBS News did a very informative story on medical tourism in 2005:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/21/60minutes/main689998.shtml
Another great article was from the University of Delaware’s UDaily:
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/mar/tourism072505.html
Time Magazine wrote an article just this year:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1196429,00.html
This page answers many common questions potential medical tourists would have: http://www.globalsurgicalsolutions.com/surgery-india-faqs.htm
Cheers!
Dr.Manoj Khanna on March 13th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
I feel it is very important to be able to give quality treatment at affordable costs. As there is a significant difference in value of U.S.Dollar and Euro and British Pound sterling in comparison to the Indian rupee, it may make the cost very attractive for foreigners but the truth is that there are numerous surgeons in India doing international quality work. I myself have operated at Kolkata,India on many patients coming in from USA, Europe,Austalia and South Africa besides the middle-east, and have given them a lot of happiness . More details can be seen on my site http://www.cosmeticsurgery-india.com and its extensive photo gallery.
Dr.Manoj Khanna
Victor Korosi on March 27th, 2007 at 9:46 am
You may start consider the eastern European countries as a great opportunity to get high quality medical services at very attractive prices. Check this website and think about it.
http://www.romanianhealth.com
umagoms RN RM on January 10th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Hi
I fully agree with your view about medical tourism and it is very obvious that it is a booming industry. India has one of the largest pools of medical talent available in the world. India offers a wide range of exceptional medical facilities at a cost effective price. Making use of the same technology and medical knowledge, Indian hospitals and doctors offer health care at a substantially lower price. This is one of the primary advantages of medical tourism/travel in India. India has technologically advanced diagnostic equipments and provides excellent infrastructure which makes it a particularly popular destination for tourists interested in medical tourism in India. Major surgeries and other medical procedures in India cost between 1/5th and 1/10th of the cost anywhere in the world. As an example, a cardiac surgery that typically costs US$ 30,000 would cost only US$ 6,000 in India. But the quality of treatment in India is equally good and in many cases better undoubtedly.
Umagoms.RN
NCLEX Trainer
http://www.gs3india.com
http://www.bestmedjourneys.com
Satya on June 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 pm
I totally authority with your vision regarding medical tourism and it is extremely clear that it is a booming industry. India has one of the prime pools of medical talent obtainable in the world. India offers a extensive range of excellent medical facilities at a cost effective price. Making use of the similar technology and medical knowledge, Indian hospitals and doctors recommend health care at a significantly lower price. This is one of the primary advantages of medical tourism/travel in India. India has technically advanced diagnostic equipments and provides excellent infrastructure, which makes it a particularly popular objective for tourists interested in medical tourism in India. Major surgeries and other medical procedures in India cost between 1/5th and 1/10th of the cost anywhere in the world. As an example, a cardiac surgery that typically costs US$ 35,000 would cost only US$ 6,000 to US$7,000 in India. However, the quality of treatment in India is equally good and in many cases better definitely.
Jigar Mehta on June 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I totally authority with your vision regarding medical tourism and it is extremely clear that it is a booming industry. India has one of the prime pools of medical talent obtainable in the world. India offers a extensive range of excellent medical facilities at a cost effective price. Making use of the similar technology and medical knowledge, Indian hospitals and doctors recommend health care at a significantly lower price. This is one of the primary advantages of medical tourism/travel in India. India has technically advanced diagnostic equipments and provides excellent infrastructure, which makes it a particularly popular objective for tourists interested in medical tourism in India. Major surgeries and other medical procedures in India cost between 1/5th and 1/10th of the cost anywhere in the world. As an example, a cardiac surgery that typically costs US$ 35,000 would cost only US$ 6,000 to US$7,000 in India. However, the quality of treatment in India is equally good and in many cases better definitely.
Visit for more information : http://medicaltourismingujarat.com/medicaltourismindiaarticle.php
Rob Zachariah on July 5th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Medical Tourism has been pooly marketed in the U.S., However, it is now starting to make waves in the media and more people are becoming aware of other options.
I just returned from a trip abroad and it is amazing how far international hospitals have come. Some even have more advanced facililites than hospitals in the U.S.