| Medical Tourism is the practice of traveling | | | | hospitals before they part with any money. |
| abroad to avail medical, dental, or surgical | | | | The Internet is a vast resource carrying |
| care. The demand for offshore treatment is | | | | information about practitioners' skills and |
| all set to redefine the landscape of medical | | | | experience and the amenities available at the |
| practice. As the average life span has seen | | | | various healthcare institutions. Patients |
| an increase in the affluent societies, | | | | should also find out whether language can |
| individuals have been compelled to resort to | | | | pose any problems or not. A thorough cost |
| alternative methods to take an economic | | | | comparison is also an important issue to be |
| approach. Added to it are combinations of | | | | put into the agenda. While there are some |
| various factors, such as | | | | horror stories and quacks, the data are |
| | | | sparse and the evidence does not support any |
| · Exorbitant costs of healthcare in | | | | broad-based significant increase in risk. |
| industrialized nations, | | | | |
| | | | India has emerged as one of the forerunners |
| · The ease and affordability of traveling | | | | in facilitating medical tourism in the |
| abroad, | | | | country. Now it is among the well-known |
| | | | nations throughout the world for high |
| · Favorable currency exchange rates, | | | | quality, low cost health care. Its health |
| | | | care system--with well-equipped modern |
| · Rapidly improving medical technology and | | | | clinics and hospitals, and medical personnel |
| standards of care | | | | trained in the finest international teaching |
| | | | centers--provides excellent medical service |
| · The ever-growing popularity of Internet | | | | to patients from abroad. Whether for elective |
| | | | procedures like cosmetic plastic surgery, |
| All these have led to the growth of the | | | | dental surgery or life saving operations like |
| medical tourism market. | | | | bypass and heart transplants, the Indian |
| | | | healthcare community is experienced and ready |
| The horizons of health tourism are no more | | | | to help. |
| limited to traditional holiday destinations | | | | |
| such as France and Spain. Eastern Europe has | | | | Health tourism centers/clinics are actively |
| seen a huge increase in people arriving for | | | | seeking First World ''customers'' by |
| treatment, particularly Poland, Hungary and | | | | increasingly pursuing and adopting American |
| the Czech Republic, while Britons are | | | | and other international best practices to |
| traveling to places as far-flung as Latin | | | | maintain the quality of services. With a |
| America, South Africa and South East Asia. | | | | large pool of highly trained doctors and low |
| With patients willing to travel across the | | | | treatment prices, healthcare aims to |
| globe to get treatment sooner and more | | | | replicate the Indian software sector's |
| cheaply than they could at home, healthcare | | | | success. Healthcare institutions in India are |
| institutions see a huge market for their | | | | built on huge areas of land often acquired at |
| services. | | | | low rents from ambitious authorities seeking |
| | | | to promote business. These new and sleek |
| However, people traveling to far-off land | | | | medical centers of excellence offer developed |
| should take necessary precautionary measures. | | | | world-class treatments at developing world |
| They need to check out the doctors and | | | | prices. |