International Tourism

medical tourism is all about getting the best medical care at an affordable cost, international surgery or international Tourism, is the process of leaving your home country in order to have treatment in another country. This should not be confused with having an unplanned surgery in a foreign country due to an unexpected illness or injury. Medical tourism means intentionally going to another country for the purpose of having healthcare or surgery a side benefit is that it gives people the chances to travel to a new country. Some medical tourists, especially those seeking cosmetic care, or dental treatment, can travel across India and enjoy seeing the natural beauty of India and explore the beautiful culture.

BENEFITS AND RISKS

BENEFITS

Price:

This is the main reason most people initially cite for their decision to go overseas for medical treatment, but the situation is actually even better than the bare numbers suggest. These estimates are based on India, which is commonly the lowest priced option of sufficient quality for Westerners. The cost of labor, whether it is nurses, aides, surgeons or pharmacists, is often dramatically lower.

Luxury and Private Nursing:

Some patients are drawn to the spa-like luxury that some foreign hospitals offer, seeing the opportunity to be pampered as an additional benefit of inexpensive surgery. Some facilities offer hospital rooms that are more like a hotel suite than a traditional hospital room.

Vacation in a Foreign Country

Medical tourism is often as much about the tourism as the medicine.  For those undergoing major surgery, there is no better place to recover than a bungalow with a view of the beach while receiving your physical therapy (or massage).  Similarly, for family accompanying a patient a week at the beach or a shopping spree can clear up a lot of stress following a surgery.  South Africa offers safari medical tourist packages, where a family visits for treatment followed by a wildlife safari. A vacation is often scheduled immediately before or after surgery, taking advantage of the stay in a foreign country to travel for pleasure. This is an especially inexpensive way to travel to a foreign country if the insurance company is paying for the flight and the cost of staying is low.

RISKS

Poor Quality Surgery Is a Possibility:

Just as there are great surgeons abroad, there are also some surgeons that are far less talented. It is often hard to obtain information about physicians and the quality of their work from afar. Especially in poor economic countries

Flying Home After Surgery:

There is a risk of blood clots after surgery, and flying home, especially on a long haul flight, increases the risk of clots. If the flight home is a long one, plan on getting up and walking up and down the aisles each hour. Try to avoid flying home in the days immediately after surgery; waiting a week will decrease the chances of developing a blood clot or another serious complication during the flight.

Language Barrier:

If you are having surgery in a country where English is not the primary language, you will need to make preparations in order to be able to communicate with the staff. you will need to consider how you will make your wishes and needs known to the surgeon, the staff, and others you will meet.