The cost benefit of medical tourism has prompted many companies to consider the many cheaper options available for employee medical care. Some of these companies even pay for the air fare and other incentives to encourage their employees to avail cheap health care abroad. Medical tourism is also known as health tourism,global health care and medical travel. Of late, it has gained popularity due to long waiting periods for certain types of health care,the high cost involved,the improvements in the standard and technology of the medical facilities available cheaply abroad and the affordable international travel.
All treatments including complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries are available at cheaper rates. Virtually every type of health care,such as psychiatry, alternative treatments, convalescent care are available at cheaper rates. Some of the countries suitable for medical travel are India, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Argentina,Brunei,Cuba,Columbia,Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Korea, Tunisia and NewZealand.
The quality of medical treatment is assured by the process of accreditation of certain medical institutions abroad if they meet stipulated minimum treatment standards. Accreditation Canada is the oldest known accreditation body in Canada with powers to accredit hospitals abroad after a thorough inspection of the facilities and their quality. Joint commission international(JCI) is the accreditation body in the United States that takes care of accreditation of medical facilities outside United States. The accreditation body in the U.K and Hongkong is the Trent International Accreditation Scheme which takes the responsibility of evaluating foreign medical facilities for accreditation. All these organizations make sure that the quality of health care is maintained by frequent inspections to monitor the conditions in these facilities so that they meet the required standards.
These foreign hospitals are staffed by doctors who are US or UK educated and are well qualified. These are chosen medical facilities that have JCI accreditation and so give quality health care to the patients with hospitality,professionalism and safety.They have modern medical equipments to diagnose and treat patients on par with US hospitals. Besides, the governments of these countries spend billions of dollars on these facilities since medical tourism is a good foreign exchange earner. So they have a vested interest in improving the quality of these facilities which benefits the medical tourism.
The second most important advantage is the cost savings which is about 70% of the cost of having the treatment in the US.For instance the cost of surgery in India is ten times less than what it is in US. In India a heart valve transplant costs only $10000 where as in US the cost for the same is $200000. A metal free dental bridge costs $500 in India but the same one costs about $5500 in the US.
Another advantage is the travel experience in a new country, which they can not get if they are treated in their resident country. This greatly reduces the stress involved with undergoing any medical treatment making it a pleasant tour instead of a worrisome experience. The other advantage is that the waiting period is less, compared to western countries. The western medical facilities are stretched beyond their capacity due to the large number of patients resulting in increased waiting period. This causes delay in treating the patient which may prove to be harmful especially for those who are waiting for a transplant.
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