Myths & Facts Around Medical Tourism

The Fact or Fiction?

While opting to travel overseas for medical care you may come across various statements that circle within medical tourism industry. These false-to-be statements might confuse rather than help someone learn more about global healthcare opportunities. Misconceptions and inadequate information surrounding the medical tourism industry are among the main reasons when some people avoid such option.

Surely, treatment abroad or in the country that someone is unfamiliar with may be apprehensive initially. But knowledge is power: knowing the facts can help you dispel health related myths and make an informed decision about traveling overseas for medical reasons. Moreover once you get to know the benefits of overseas treatment you would recommend medical travel to your friends and family too.

So, what are these preconceived opinions and myths around medical tourism? To ease out your apprehensions, some common myths regarding the medical tourism are briefly discussed below.

Myth # 1: Low costs mean low quality medical treatments

Fact: it is often assumed that low cost treatments happen in low quality medical facilities. However, many private medical centers abroad providing affordable and cost-effective treatments have JCI accreditation or ISO certification and meet all international healthcare standards. Most of them use top-notch technologies, have state-of-art equipment and offer unique medical techniques that sometimes are not available in home country. Many of their doctors are also internationally trained and have vast experience in their medical fields. The standard of nursing care and personal attention in the most popular medical travel destinations is often higher than, or on par with the same in the USA.

The truth is that costs of treatments are so low in popular medical tourism destinations not due to the lack of quality but to cheaper labor.

Myth # 2: Doctors overseas are not as good as those in the USA

Fact: surely if you can afford private doctors in the top U.S. hospitals, you will likely get some of the best medical care in the world. However, the same cannot be said, if you are going to a public hospital since you will likely get a standard of medical care that is comparable to any other worldwide. High medical profits do not necessarily translate into better service.

It cannot also be assumed that physicians and other medical professionals abroad lack the training or inexperienced. In fact, they have to meet equal or in some cases even higher standards for professional experience and knowledge compared to their counterparts in the USA.

According to medical tourism information provided by National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) healthcare providers and medical tourism facilitators abroad also complete on quality. Most of these doctors are U.S. board-certified or have internationally recognized educational certificates.

Finally, doctors, dentists or other medical professionals practicing in your home country may be foreign trained as well as thousands of foreign doctors that are employed in US healthcare, especially when the hospitals are understaffed.

Thus, the right way to judge a doctor’s performance or qualification is to check out his/her credentials such as:

  • Medical education: where did the doctor study and when?
  • Training: where and when did the doctor undertake an internship?
  • Licensure: is the doctor licensed?
  • Experience: how long has the doctor been in practice?
  • Certification: is the doctor board-certified by any local or international authorities and when?
  • What medical center(s) is the doctor affiliated with?
  • Memberships: is the doctor a member of any medical societies?
  • Researches: has the doctor published any articles on your diagnosis or health problem?
  • Track record: does the doctor have any stains like malpractice claims, sanctions and board actions?

Learn more about choosing the right doctor here >>

Myth # 3: Medical facilities overseas are substandard in comparison with the USA

Fact: the growing popularity of medical tourism concept has encouraged medical tourism hubs to improve their quality of healthcare service. Nowadays, such countries like Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Israel, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand are commonly recognized as well-established and leading medical tourism destinations in the world. Technological and economic development in their region along with the strong competition in rapidly developing market of medical tourism caused the rise of medical infrastructures in last decades, so to date medical facilities in some countries are in fact comparable to five-star hotels and provide advanced medical services for millions of international medical tourists.

Another fact is that according to the Joint Commission International over 650 medical facilities overseas are accredited by JCI, the majority of which are located in ‘non-Western’ countries. Besides the JCI international hospitals may be also certified by the ISO or a local authorities like the Healthcare Accreditation in Thailand or affiliated with renowned American healthcare services. There is no doubt that their evaluations take technology and equipment into account.

So, to demystify this myth and to judge the quality of healthcare services abroad, you just need to gather accurate facts and reliable information about medical facilities overseas.

Myth # 4: Medical tourism is a new phenomenon

Fact: medical tourism dates back to ancient times, when Augustans traveled to consult oracles of ‘fortune tellers’, for example in Delphi (Greece), Delos (Aegean Sea), Claros (Asia Minor) or pilgrims visited the sanctuaries of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, where travelers entered the sanctuary, took a bath to get purified, entered the god’s temple, prayed, and slept as the god would visit them and magically cure them or give advice about what treatment to take.

The history of health tourism in Europe has tended to be based around spas and seawater treatments, mainly because of the large numbers of thermal, mineral springs and seacoasts. The word ‘spa’ is thought maybe to have originated from Latin and phrases such as sanitas per aqua (health through water). The town of Spa in Belgium was one of the first, so it is sometimes thought that the term comes from this name.

The Renaissance in Europe witnesses a boost to balneotherapy as a medical practice, especially in Italy where there were famous sulfurous springs. In 1553 the first European Spa Directory was printed in Venice listing more than 200 spas. Many European kings and queens supported the visiting spas. Elizabeth I popularized public bathing in 1571 in Britain to discourage the British from traveling to Spa in Belgium. The Ottoman Empire built Turkish baths in AD 800. Saunas appear along the Baltic in Finland as early as AD 1000. The Romans traveled to different spas for healing purposes, with Spa in Belgium being one of the best known at that time, as well as destinations like Bath in the UK, Baden-Baden in Germany, Budapest in Hungary and Gerona in Spain.

The fourteenth century saw the discovery of warm springs in Central Europe, e.g., Buda – now Budapest in Hungary – and Carlsbad in Germany – now Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. The latter is one of the most popular health tourism destinations in Europe today.

Then, the concept of medical tourism itself is not new. It has just recently been gaining attention and is currently more frequently discussed since a growing number of people rejected a system that fails to satisfy their medical needs. The rapidly increasing healthcare insurance, malpractice, high salary and benefits provided to hospital employees are among the main reasons of the high cost of healthcare in the USA. While debates over the medical insurance system go on a millions of uninsured or underinsured Americans have taken matters into their own hands and prefer to go abroad to receive medical care.

So the new trend in medical tourism is that the flow of medical tourists reversed through the time it exists, to people from high-income countries seeking medical treatment in less developed nations.

Myth # 5: It is all about non-essential procedures

Fact: really some medical tourism facilitators heavily promote cosmetic surgery, but it is not the only medical procedure that patients get overseas. Dental care, infertility treatment, weight loss surgery, orthopedic and cardiovascular surgery, cancer treatment, eye surgery, spine surgeries, sport medicine, check ups, health screenings, second opinion, alternative healing are most featured and commonly sought medical procedures or treatments overseas among many others. That is why this myth is also groundless.

The list of myths regarding medical tourism may be complemented with a handful of others like:

  • High travel costs cancel out all your treatment savings
  • The language is barrier as foreign doctors do not speak English
  • If complications arise overseas you will have no remedy
  • Medical tourism lacks credibility or is not reliable since it is a part of tourism industry

Over the past two decades travel has become more affordable than ever. Just visit any popular travel websites like Skyscanner, Booking.com and in a few clicks you get discounted flight and hotels for anywhere.

As to language barrier, English is the primary language of science therefore medical professional worldwide proficient in English. Furthermore, medical facilities in the most popular medical tourism destinations have translation services or provide interpreters who speak your native language.

By choosing the right clinic or doctor, with a carefully planned trip – perhaps through a medical tourism facilitator that acts as your agent during your medical trip – there will be no problem dealing with any unforeseen issues. Since all reliable healthcare providers have contingency plans in case of complications that may occur during or after your procedure and after all are still in business of helping people.

Medical tourism is a serious industry but with the emphasis on the ‘medical’. The only difference is that people travel not mainly for vacation but for treatments or wellbeing. It just so happened that you can have a holiday while seeking treatment abroad.

So, the next time you hear one of these myths or any others, look behind the myth, consider the motivation, try to ask and find out whether the proof exists…


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