Medical tourism is a term that is becoming much more common in recent times. It is meant for the convenience of the patients. As per a New York Times article from January 2021, rising demand for non-essential surgeries, along with the fact that many U.S. citizens lost their health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in medical tourism once other countries re-opened. It has led to many advantages on the patient front. We know that everything has its own benefits and challenges. Likewise, there are different pros and cons of medical tourism as well.
Knowing About Medical Tourism
Medical tourism is much more successful for millions of people every year, and it is surging for a number of reasons, which include increasing healthcare costs in the U.S., lack of health insurance, and the opportunity to travel before or after a medical procedure. Medical tourism is a much-known practice of travelling to another country for getting better healthcare services and advanced treatment processes by well-known physicians. It is witnessed that medical tourism today is closely associated with financial gain. Several individuals planning to undergo high-end medical procedures may find cheaper alternatives by traveling to other countries. For instance, in the U.S., patients undergoing surgery must pay a multitude of fees, which involves physician fees, staff fees, and operating room fees. Furthermore, patients have to pay for their medication, consultations, and pre-and post-operative care. Let us have a look at the pros and cons of medical tourism.
Pros of Medical Tourism
Now let’s discuss the benefits that medical tourism withholds:
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Lower Costs:
The most well-known advantage of medical tourism is the fact that it can be attained at lower prices. Treatment costs have increased so much such as complicated surgeries cost more than travel, treatment, and accommodation done in reputed medical tourism destinations. It is seen that medical tourists can save from 25% to 90% in medical bills, which mainly depends on the procedure they get and the country they travel to. There are numerous factors that play into this:
- Worldwide, the cost of pre- and post-procedure labor is often dramatically lower. This includes labor costs for aides, nurses, surgeons, physical therapists, pharmacists, and more which can be solved by medical tourism organizations
- For people who doesn’t have insurance, or someone undergoing a procedure that is not covered by insurance, the difference can be huge. Thus, in this regard, medical tourism will serve as a boon to the patients.
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Decision-making:
Medical tourism plays a major role in empowering patients in decision-making. It helps in analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of medical tourism. People can opt for better treatment options instead of letting one’s healthcare at the mercy of inadequate services.
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Culture and Language:
It is much seen that different immigrants prefer to have treatments and processes done in their own country, considering just how much language barriers alone can affect the quality of their care. Many people choose to have their treatment done in their country of origin simply as it enables them to be close to family, friends, and also caretakers who can assist them through their process of recovery. This acts as one of the major advantages and overpowers all the pros and cons of medical tourism.
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Instant Medical Treatment:
People can avail an instant medical treatment in medical tourism with no further delay. Postoperative care is also taken care of in some hospitals. Getting to see a new country is also a great experience and patients get adequate privacy and can opt for alternative surgeries like fat reduction and butt enhancement.
Cons of Medical Tourism
After a good overview of the benefits of medical tourism, let’s discuss the cons that medical tourism withholds:
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Misinformation:
Misinformation with respect to several matters can lead to worst, inefficient treatment and wastage of time money and health. Also, pre-operative and post-operative care is not available in several hospitals abroad. Many a time, the cost of the whole trip amounts to more than the actual amount at the end and the patients meet a financial setback.
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Poorly Trained Surgeons:
In any country, there will be good surgeons as well as bad surgeons. Regardless of what procedure one is getting or where, one should always do some preliminary research into the surgeon or physician. In the U.S., it is fairly easy to obtain much information associated with malpractice lawsuits, sanctions by medical boards, and other disciplinary actions against doctors.
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Quality of Staff:
Nurses are a very essential part of healthcare, and the care they offer can mean a huge difference in the patient lives. A well-trained nurse can identify a potential problem and fix it before it truly becomes an issue. A poorly trained nurse may not identify a problem until it is too late. The quality of the nursing staff will have a direct impact on your care.
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Lack of Ethical Standards:
Lack of ethical standards and malpractice laws in several developing countries surge the risk of medical travelers. Also, patients are not well informed of the risks and possible outcomes of treatment by the clinics and hospitals. Thus, this kind of issue in ethical standards leads to the minimized growth of medical tourism.
Key Takeaway
