health tourism process

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Digestive Health
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Diet & Nutrition
• Supplements
• Health Insurance
• Public Health
• Patient Rights
• Caregivers & Loved Ones
• End of Life Concerns
• Health News
• Thyroid Test Analyzer
• Doctor Discussion Guides
• Hemoglobin A1c Test Analyzer
• Lipid Test Analyzer
• Complete Blood Count (CBC) Analyzer
• What to Buy
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Why Patients Are Turning to Medical Tourism

Statistics, Benefits, and Risks

Planning Ahead

Frequently asked questions.

Medical tourism is a term that refers to traveling to another country to get a medical or dental procedure. In some instances, medical tourists travel abroad seeking alternative treatments that are not approved in the United States.

Medical tourism is successful for millions of people each year, and it is on the rise for a variety of reasons, including increasing healthcare costs in the United States, lack of health insurance, specialist-driven procedures, high-quality facilities, and the opportunity to travel before or after a medical procedure.

According to a New York Times article from January 2021, pent-up demand for nonessential surgeries, as well as the fact that many Americans lost their health insurance during the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in medical tourism once other countries re-opened.

However, there are specific risks that come with traveling overseas for surgery. If you're thinking of pursuing a medical procedure in another country, here's what to know about the benefits and the risks.

Medical Tourism Benefits

The most common procedures Americans go abroad for include dental care, cosmetic procedures , fertility treatments, organ transplants , and cancer treatment.

This is not to be confused with having an unplanned procedure in a foreign country due to an unexpected illness or injury.

Among the reasons a person might choose to go abroad for a medical procedure are:

Lower Costs

Medical tourists can save anywhere from 25% to 90% in medical bills, depending on the procedure they get and the country they travel to. There are several factors that play into this:

• The cost of diagnostic testing and medications is particularly expensive in the United States.
• The cost of pre- and post-procedure labor is often dramatically lower overseas. This includes labor costs for nurses , aides, surgeons , pharmacists, physical therapists , and more.
• High cost of malpractice insurance—the insurance that protects medical professionals against lawsuits—in the United States.
• Hospital stays cost far less in many overseas countries compared to the United States. In other words, quality care, hospital meals, and rehabilitation are far more affordable abroad for many people.

For someone who doesn't have insurance , or someone having a procedure that is not covered by insurance , the difference can be enormous.

Popular Countries for Medical Tourism

Dominican Republic

South Korea

Culture and Language

Many immigrants prefer to have treatments and procedures done in their country of origin—a sensible decision, considering just how much language barriers alone can affect the quality of their care.

Furthermore, at least 25% of immigrants and noncitizen residents in the United States are uninsured, compared to 9% of American citizens. Children with at least one noncitizen parent are also more likely to be uninsured.

Practicalities aside, many people choose to have their procedure done in their country of origin simply because it allows them to be close to family, friends, and caretakers who can assist them through their recovery .

Insurance Incentives

Some insurance companies have started promoting medical tourism. The reason behind this is simple: savings for the insured means savings for the insurance provider and vice versa.

Several insurance providers, including Aetna have programs specifically geared at promoting safe medical tourism. Some insurance providers even offer financial incentives for medical tourism, like discounts on medical bills .

That said, many insurance companies will not pay for surgery performed outside of the country unless it is an emergency.

Luxury and Privacy

Medical tourism is a lucrative business for many countries, and much of the money brought in by medical tourists is reinvested into the local economy and health infrastructure.

The effect of this is apparent in the spa-like luxury that some foreign hospitals offer, providing medical tourists the opportunity to be pampered during their stay for a fraction of the cost they would pay at home.

Some facilities offer hospital rooms that are more like a hotel suite than a traditional hospital room. Other hospitals offer one-on-one private nursing care, which is far more generous and attentive than the staffing ratios that most hospitals allow.

Medical tourists who seek that added layer of privacy can find it abroad. Many can return home from their "vacation" without anyone knowing they had a procedure at all.

Vacation in a Foreign Country

Medical tourists often take advantage of their stay in a foreign country to travel for pleasure by scheduling a vacation before or after their procedure.

This is an especially inexpensive way to travel to a foreign country, especially if their insurance provider is paying for the flight and the cost of staying is low. 

While it seems logical to recover on a beach or in a chalet by the mountains, keep in mind that it's important not to jeopardize your recovery.

Swimming isn't recommended until your incisions are completely closed. You may not feel up to doing much more than napping in the days following your procedure, either.

Don't let your vacation disrupt your recovery. Any time you have a procedure done, especially a surgery, it's important to listen to your body, take your medications as directed, and follow your doctor's recommendations closely.

Bypassing Rules and Regulations

Some travelers seek surgery abroad to bypass rules that are set in place by their own government, insurance company , or hospital. These rules are typically in place to protect the patient from harm, so getting around them isn't always the best idea.

For example, a patient may be told that their weight is too low to qualify for weight loss surgery . A surgeon in a foreign country may have a different standard for who qualifies for weight loss surgery, so the patient may qualify overseas for the procedure they want.

Talented Surgeons

Surgeons in certain countries are known for their talent in a specific area of surgery. For example, Brazilian surgeons are often touted for their strong plastic surgery skills .

Whereas in the United States, insurance companies might only cover cosmetic procedures if it is medically necessary, cosmetic surgery is often free or low-cost in Brazil's public hospitals—giving cosmetic surgeons there ample practice.

Thailand is reported to be the primary medical tourism destination for individuals seeking gender reassignment . It is often easier to qualify for surgery and the cost is significantly reduced. Surgeons are performing the procedures frequently, and as a result, many have become quite specialized in them.

It is often surprising to many medical tourists that their physician was trained in the United States. Not all physicians are, of course, but a surprisingly high percentage of them working in surgery abroad are trained in English-speaking medical schools and residency programs and then return to their home country. These physicians often speak multiple languages and may be board certified in their home country and a foreign country, such as the United States.

Medical tourism isn’t limited to countries outside of the United States, either. Many people travel to the United States for medical care due to the country's cutting-edge technology, prescription medication supply, and the general safety of healthcare.

Medical Tourism Risks

The financial and practical benefits of medical tourism are well known, and you may even know someone who had a great experience. Nonetheless, the downsides of medical tourism can be just as great if not greater. Sometimes, they can even be deadly.

If you are considering a trip abroad for your procedure, you should know that medical tourism isn't entirely without obstacle and risks. These include:

Poorly Trained Surgeons

In any country—the United States included—there will be good surgeons and bad. And just as there are great surgeons abroad, there are also some surgeons who are less talented, less trained, and less experienced.

Regardless of what procedure you are getting or where, you should always do some preliminary research into the surgeon or physician who will be treating you as well as the hospital you will be treated at.

In the United States, it is fairly easy to obtain information about malpractice lawsuits , sanctions by medical boards, and other disciplinary actions against a physician.

Performing this research from afar can be challenging, especially if you don't speak the local language. Yet countless people take the risk anyway, without knowing whether the physicians who will treat them are reputable.

A physician should be trained in the specific area of medicine that is appropriate for your procedure. For example, you should not be having plastic surgery from a surgeon who was trained to be a heart doctor. It isn’t good enough to be a physician, the physician must be trained in the specialty .

Prior to agreeing to surgery, you should also know your surgeon’s credentials : where they studied, where they trained, and in what specialty(s) they are board-certified. Do not rely on testimonials from previous patients; these are easily made up for a website and even if they are correct, one good surgery doesn’t mean they will all be successful.

Quality of Staff

Nurses are a very important part of healthcare, and the care they provide can mean the difference between a great outcome and a terrible one.

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.

Once again, it's important to research the hospital staff where you will be having your procedure done. Read the reviews but don't trust them blindly. If you can, seek out a recommendation from someone who can vouch for the medical staff where you will be going.

Quality of the Facility

While researching healthcare facilities for your procedure, you want to learn not just about the quality of the facilities themselves, but about the country's healthcare system as a whole.

In some countries, there is a marked distinction between public hospitals and private hospitals. In Turkey, for example, private hospitals are considered on-par with hospitals in the states, while many locals will advise you to steer clear of public hospitals if you can.

You will also want to seek out facilities that are internationally accredited. In the United States, the Joint Commission evaluates hospitals and certifies those that provide safe, quality care. The international division does the same for hospitals outside the United States.

Once you have a few options for potential facilities, you can start to investigate specifics. For one, you should find as many pictures and reviews of the facility as you can. Ask yourself whether the facility is state of the art or whether it seems dirty and outdated.

You will also need to find out if the facility has ICU level care available, in case something goes wrong. If not, there should be a major hospital nearby so that you can be transferred quickly.

To learn more about a healthcare facility, consider joining expat groups on social media for the city or country you will be traveling to. Ask the group for recommendations, or inquire about any positive or negative experiences they may have had at a particular facility.

Flying Home After Surgery

Any surgery comes with risks, including infection and blood clots . Flying home increases the risk of blood clots, especially on long-haul flights that are longer than four hours.

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.

For longer flights, plan on getting up and walking up and down the aisles each hour to improve blood flow in your legs. You might also benefit from wearing compression socks with your doctor's approval.

If you are taking blood thinners or are at-risk of blood clots , be sure to talk to your doctor about how you can reduce your risk of blood clots after your procedure and while traveling.

Furthermore, you should know the symptoms of blood clots and stay alert.

Unplanned Illness

Any time you travel abroad, you run the risk of catching an illness that you have never been exposed to or that your body is not prepared to fight off. This is especially a concern when spending time in a foreign hospital.

If you have a sensitive stomach, you may also want to think long and hard about having surgery abroad. The food is often very different in foreign hospitals, and in some areas, there is a risk that even the water will be upsetting to your body.

Having diarrhea or postoperative nausea and vomiting makes for a miserable recovery experience, especially if you do not have a friend or family member nearby who can help you through it.

Before you travel abroad, check with your doctor to see if you need any vaccines to travel to your destination or if there are any foreign illnesses you should be aware of. Picking up an illness abroad, particularly after your surgery, can potentially be life-threatening.

Language Barriers

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 may be pleasantly surprised to learn that the staff speaks your primary language well. If not, then you will need to consider how you will make your wishes and needs known to the surgeon, the staff, and others you will meet.

Whether you are at home or abroad, remember to speak up and advocate for yourself to make sure your needs are met. If you don't speak the local language, download a language translation app on your smartphone and don't hesitate to use it to communicate your needs. Hiring a translator is another option.

A Word About Transplant Tourism

Transplant tourism is one area of medical tourism that is strongly discouraged by organ and tissue transplant professionals in multiple countries. Most international transplants are considered “black market” surgeries that are not only poor in quality, but ethically and morally wrong.

China, for example, the country that is believed to perform more international kidney transplants than any other country, is widely believed to take organs from political prisoners after their execution.

In India, living donors are often promised large sums of money for their kidney donation, only to find out they have been scammed and never receive payment. Selling an organ in India is illegal, as it is in most areas of the world, so there is little recourse for the donor.

Then there is the final outcome: how well the organ works after the surgery is complete. With black market transplants, less care is often taken with matching the donor and recipient, which leads to high levels of rejection and a greater risk of death. Furthermore, the new organ may not have been screened for diseases such as cytomegalovirus , tuberculosis , hepatitis B , and hepatitis C . It is often the new disease that leads to death, rather than the organ rejection itself.

Finally, transplant surgeons are often reluctant to care for a patient who intentionally circumvented the donor process in the United States and received their transplant from an unknown physician.

It is important to arrange your follow-up care prior to leaving your home country.

Many physicians and surgeons are hesitant to take care of a patient who received care outside the country, as they are often unfamiliar with medical tourism and have concerns about the quality of care overseas.

Arranging for follow-up care before you leave will make it easier to transition to care at home without the stress of trying to find a physician after surgery .

Just be sure to inform your follow-up care physician where you are having your procedure done. After you return, they will also want to know what prescription medications you were given, if any.

What are popular countries for medical tourism? 

Mexico, India, Costa Rica, Turkey, Singapore, Canada, and Thailand are among the many countries that are popular for medical tourism.

How safe is medical tourism?

Medical tourism is generally considered safe, but it's critical to research the quality of care, physician training, and surgical specialties of each country. There are several medical tourism organizations that specialize in evaluating popular destinations for this purpose.

What countries have free healthcare? 

Countries with free healthcare include England, Canada, Thailand, Mexico, India, Sweden, South Korea, Israel, and many others.

A Word From Verywell

If you are considering medical tourism, discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor, and consider working with your insurance provider to arrange a trip that balances financial savings with safety. (Also, before you embark on a trip overseas for your procedure, make sure you are financially prepared for unexpected events and emergencies. Don't go abroad if you don't have enough money to get yourself home in a crisis.)

A medical tourism organization such as Patients Without Borders can help you evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of healthcare in various countries. Making sure a high level of care is readily available will lead to a safer, more relaxing experience.

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Medical Tourism: Getting medical care in another country . Updated October 23, 2017.

University of the Incarnate Word. Center for Medical Tourism Research .

Patients Beyond Borders. Facts and figures .

Kaiser Family Foundation. Health coverage of immigrants . Published July 2021.

Paul DP 3rd, Barker T, Watts AL, Messinger A, Coustasse A. Insurance companies adapting to trends by adopting medical tourism . Health Care Manag (Frederick). 2017 Oct/Dec;36(4):326-333. doi: 10.1097/HCM.0000000000000179

Batista BN. State of plastic surgery in Brazil .  Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open . 2017 Dec;5(12):1627. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000001627

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - Global Health Now. Brazilians' risky right to beauty . Published May 2018.

Chokrungvaranont P, Selvaggi G, Jindarak S, et al. The development of sex reassignment surgery in Thailand: a social perspective .  Sci World J . 2014 Mar;2014(1):1-5. doi:10.1155/2014/182981

The Joint Commission. For consumers .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blood clots and travel: what you need to know . Reviewed February 2021.

Hurley R. China harvested organs from political prisoners on substantial scale, says tribunal . BMJ . 2018 Dec;363(1):5250. doi:10.1136/bmj.k5250

Ambagtsheer F, Van Balen L. I'm not Sherlock Holmes: suspicions, secrecy, and silence of transplant professionals in the human organ trade . Euro J Criminol . 2019 Jan;17(6):764-783. doi:10.1177/1477370818825331

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transplant Surgery. Key facts . Reviewed January 2019.

By Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She has experience in primary care and hospital medicine.

Our Response to COVID-19 →

Medical Tourism

The allure of american healthcare: an overview of inbound medical tourism to the united states.

Inbound medical tourism to the United States has been growing rapidly in recent years, as more and more foreign patients seek high-quality medical care in the world's leading economy. According to a report by Patients Beyond Borders, the US is the top destination for inbound medical tourism, attracting more than 1.4 million patients annually and generating over $14 billion in revenue. In this article, we'll explore the benefits and challenges of inbound medical tourism to the US, the most popular procedures and destinations, and the impact of COVID-19 on the industry.

Benefits of Inbound Medical Tourism to the United States

Inbound medical tourism to the US has several benefits for both healthcare providers and foreign patients. For healthcare providers, it can generate significant revenue and boost their reputation in the global medical community. For foreign patients, it provides access to high-quality medical care that may not be available or affordable in their home countries.

One of the biggest advantages of inbound medical tourism to the US is the high level of quality and safety in American healthcare. The US is home to some of the most prestigious hospitals, medical centers, and healthcare professionals in the world, with cutting-edge technology and a focus on patient-centered care. Foreign patients are attracted to the US for medical treatment because of the reputation of American healthcare, and many choose to return for follow-up care or other medical procedures.

Challenges of Inbound Medical Tourism to the United States

While inbound medical tourism to the US has many benefits, it also presents several challenges. Healthcare providers and destinations need to be aware of these challenges in order to attract and accommodate foreign patients successfully.

One of the biggest challenges is the cost of medical care in the US, which can be significantly higher than in other countries. Foreign patients may be willing to pay more for high-quality medical care, but they still need to be able to afford the procedures they require. Healthcare providers need to be able to offer competitive pricing while still maintaining their quality standards.

Another challenge is the complexity of the US healthcare system, which can be difficult for foreign patients to navigate. Healthcare providers and destinations need to be able to provide clear and concise information about their services, pricing, and procedures to foreign patients in their native languages. They also need to be able to offer support and assistance throughout the entire process, from booking appointments to follow-up care.

Popular Procedures and Destinations for Inbound Medical Tourism to the United States

Inbound medical tourism to the US covers a wide range of medical procedures and destinations. According to Patients Beyond Borders, the most popular procedures for foreign patients in the US are:

• Cancer treatment
• Cosmetic surgery
• Orthopedics

The most popular destinations for inbound medical tourism to the US include:

The Impact of COVID-19 on Inbound Medical Tourism to the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on inbound medical tourism to the US, with many foreign patients unable or unwilling to travel due to travel restrictions and health concerns. According to a report by Global Healthcare Resources, inbound medical tourism to the US dropped by more than 60% in 2020 due to the pandemic.

However, as vaccination rates increase and travel restrictions are lifted, there is hope that inbound medical tourism to the US will rebound in the coming months and years. Healthcare providers and destinations need to be prepared to adapt to the new normal of the post-COVID world, with enhanced safety protocols, telemedicine services, and other measures in place to ensure the safety and well-being of both foreign patients and healthcare professionals.

Working with Global Healthcare Resources to Attract More Foreign Patients to the US

If you're a healthcare provider or destination looking to attract more foreign patients to the US for medical treatment, working with a healthcare consulting firm like Global Healthcare Resources can help you navigate the complex world of inbound medical tourism.

Global Healthcare Resources offers a wide range of consulting services for healthcare providers and destinations, including market research, business planning, marketing and management, and more. With our expertise and experience in the inbound medical tourism industry, we can help you attract more foreign patients, enhance your reputation, and generate more revenue for your healthcare services.

Inbound medical tourism to the United States is a growing industry with many benefits for both healthcare providers and foreign patients. While it presents several challenges, healthcare providers and destinations can overcome these challenges by offering competitive pricing, clear and concise information, and high-quality medical care and services. With the help of a healthcare consulting firm like Global Healthcare Resources, healthcare providers and destinations can tap into the lucrative inbound medical tourism market and succeed in the global healthcare industry.

If you're interested in learning more about how Global Healthcare Resources can help you attract more foreign patients to your healthcare destination or services, visit our website at https://www.globalhealthcareresources.com/medical-tourism-consulting . Contact us today to learn more about our consulting services and how we can help you tap into the growing inbound medical tourism market in the US.

Korea: Turning the Focus to an Emerging Global Leader in Medical Tourism

Exploring the surge of cosmetic tourism: trends and considerations in aesthetic procedures abroad, holistic healing: exploring integrative medicine and wellness retreats, meeting the surge: the growing demand for knee replacement surgeries and advances in the field, innovations in medical technology: how cutting-edge technology drives medical tourism, advatech healthcare pvt ltd sponsors medical tourism congress, adult stem cell therapy ~ the future is now, adult stem cell research offers new hope, adhd - out in left field, adapting to changes in the medical tourism market, continue reading, best countries for stomach cancer treatment: a global perspective, ponderas academic hospital: elevating medical tourism with jci accreditation and personalized care, brno and south moravia - a hidden treasure of central europe, featured reading, transforming healthcare through innovation: ceo spotlight interview with matthew a. love, new shift for thailand’s medical travel landscape as mta launches new moves, dominican republic’s giant strides to becoming a global leader in medical tourism, medical tourism magazine.

The Medical Tourism Magazine (MTM), known as the “voice” of the medical tourism industry, provides members and key industry experts with the opportunity to share important developments, initiatives, themes, topics and trends that make the medical tourism industry the booming market it is today.

UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

• All Regions
• Exploring Health Tourism

The ETC/UNWTO publication on Exploring Health Tourism aims to provide a better understanding of the growing segment of wellness and medical tourism. The study introduces the evolution of health-related tourism products and services from all around the world and provides insights into the current situation of the industry, as well as the future potential. It also includes a comprehensive taxonomy that serves as a common reference for tourism destinations operating in this field, as well as a practical toolkit to assist NTOs and DMOs with their planning and management of health-related tourism activities.

Click here   for the Executive Summary of this publication.

ISBN : 978-92-844-2020-9

share this content

• Share this article on facebook
• Share this article on twitter
• Share this article on linkedin

Related Content

Am news | vol. 64 may 2024, africa news issue 23, un tourism news 82: sustainable development of tourism, am news | vol. 63 april 2024.

Medical Tourism: An Introduction

• First Online: 05 November 2019

Cite this chapter

• Anu Rai 3  

Part of the book series: Global Perspectives on Health Geography ((GPHG))

412 Accesses

3 Citations

Travelling away from your own jurisdictional territory with a desire to get to faster, affordable and reliable medical care facilities is defined as medical tourism. Medical tourism is an ancient social practice of healthcare that dates thousands of years back. Sacred sites of Greece, Egypt, India and Persia have long tied history with healthcare travellers. The changing nature of civilisation and advancement of technology have made a crucial impact on healthcare travel to seek either holistic (i.e., through prayers, relaxation, exercise, visits to mineral springs, sea water or holy river, sacred temple baths) or biomedical (diagnosis, hospitalisation and surgical operations) cures. Globally, migration of patients is increasing every year. While on the one hand, patients migrate to get access to medical facilities inaccessible in their own country or are costlier, on the other hand, there are countries empowered to provide such amenities and cash on this distinct tourist segment. Medical tourism-generating regions are known as MTGRs and countries catering to their medical needs are termed as medical tourism destination regions or MTDRs (Gyu Ko 2011 ). This chapter highlights medical tourism as the commodity of services. It explores factors working behind the growth of this giant industry, drawing different estimates of market segmentation. It also brings about the gap present in existing knowledge of literature as revealed from an extensive survey of existing literature including patients’ guidebook, case studies, reports and articles.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Durable hardcover edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Acerra J, Iskyan K, Qureshi Z, Sharma R (2009) Rebuilding the health care system in Afghanistan: an overview of primary care and emerging services. Int J Emerg Med 2:77–82

Article   Google Scholar  

Akoh JA (2012) Key issues in transplant tourism. World J Transplant 1:9–18

Ali MM (2012) Outbound medical tourism: the case of Bangladesh. World Rev Bus Res 2(4):50–70

Google Scholar  

Altman N (2000) Healing Springs: the ultimate guide to taking the waters. Healing Art Press, Vermont

Amodeo J (2010) Medical refugees and the future of health tourism. World Med Health Policy 2(4):65–81

Anon (2012a) Aster medipoint. [Online] Available at: http://astermedipoint.com/dm_milestones.php . Accessed 09 Jan 2015

Anon (2012b) India tourism statistics. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Delhi

Anon (2013a) India tourism statistics, 2012. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India archived from www.tourism.gov.in

Anon (2013b) World health statistics. World Health Organization available on www.who.int

Anon (2014a) Cleveland Clinic. [Online] Available at: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/patients-visitors/international/why-choose-us . Accessed 15 Oct 2014

Anon (2014b) Harley Street guide book. [Online] Available at: http://www.harleystreetguide.co.uk/about/history/ . Accessed 11 Oct 2014

Anon (2014c) Mayo Clinic fact sheet. [Online] Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/facts-statistics . Accessed 11 Oct 2014

Anon (2014d) Sequoia. [Online] Available at: http://www.sequoiacap.com/india/healthcare . Accessed 09 Jan 2015

Anon (2015a) Columbia Asia Hospitals. [Online] Available at: http://india.columbiaasia.com/about-us . Accessed 09 Jan 2015

Anon (2015b) Pacific Healthcare. [Online] Available at: http://pachealthholdings.com/about-us/history-milestones/ . Accessed 09 Jan 2015

Anon (2017) Joint Commission International. [Online] Available at: http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org

Barclay E (2009) Stem-cell experts raise concerns about medical tourism. Lancet 373(9667):883–884

Baru RV (2000) Privatisation of health care in india: a comparative analysis of Orissa, Karnataka and Maharashtra states. Centre For Multi-Disciplinary Development Research. Monograph Series No. 43. Dharwad.

Barua B, Esmail N (2012) Waiting your turn: wait times for health care in Canada. Fraser Institutes, Vancouver

Barua B, Esmail N (2013) Waiting your turn: wait times for health care in Canada. Fraser Institutes, Vancouver

Bies W, Zacharia L (2007) Medical tourism: outsourcing surgery. Math Comput Model 46:1144–1159

Bookman MZ, Bookman KR (2007) Medical tourism in developing countries. Palgrave Macmillan, New York

Book   Google Scholar  

Botteril D, Pennings G, Mainil T (2013) Medical tourism and transnational healthcare. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

Boustancy FN et al (2011) Ethics and law in biomedicine and genetics: an overview of national regulation in the Arab states. United Nation’s Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Egypt

Buzinde C, Yarnal C (2012) Therapeutic landscapes and postcolonial theory: a theoretical approach to medical tourism. Soc Sci Med 74(5):783–787

Carrera P, Bridges JF (2006) Globalisation and healthcare: understanding health and medical tourism. Expert Rev Pharmacoecon Outcomes Res 7(1):447–445

Chakravorty R, Ray K (2011) Healing and healers inscribed: epigraphic bearing on healing houses in early India. Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, Kolkata

Chanda R (2007) Foreign investment in hospitals in India: status and implications. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and WHO Country Office, India, Bangalore

Cline RJW, Haynes KM (2001) Consumer health information seeking on the Internet: the state of the art. Health Educ Res 16(6):671–692

Cohen IG (2010) Protecting patients with passports: medical tourism and the patient-protective argument. Iowa Law Rev 95(5):1467–1567

Cohen IG (2015) Patients with passports: medical tourism, law and ethics. Oxford University Press, New York

Connell J (2006) Medical tourism: sea, sun, sand and surgery. Tour Manag 27(6):1093–1100

Connell J (2010) Medical tourism. CAB International, Wallingford

Connell J (2011) A new inequality? Privatisation, urban bias, migration and medical tourism. Asia Pac Viewp 52(3):260–271

Connell J (2013) Contemporary medical tourism: conceptualisation, culture and commodification. Tour Manag 34:1–13

Cook PS (2010) Constructions and experiences of authenticity in medical tourism: the performances of places, spaces, practices, objects and bodies. Tour Stud 10(2):135–153

Cortez N (2008) Patients without borders: the emerging global market for patients and the evolution of modern heath care. Indiana Law J 83(1):71–132

DCA (2012) Indian Healthcare Industry. [Online] Available at: http://www.dinodiacapital.com/admin/upload/Indian-Healthcare-Industry-November-2012.pdf . Accessed 9 Jan 2015

Deloitte (2011) Medical tourism in Australia – a scoping review. Deloitte Access Economics available at http://www.deloitte.com/assets/

Eden. C (2012) The Rise of Medical Tourism in Bangkok. BBC Travel News. Available at http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20120828-the-rise-of-medical-tourism-in-bangkok . Accessed 05 April 2019

Ehrbeck T, Guevara C, Mango PD (2008) Mapping the world for medical travel. archived from https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/

Esmail N (2012) Leaving Canada for Medical Care 2011. Fraser Forum, July–August:18–19

Eysenbach G Kohler C (2003) What is prevalence of health - related searches on the World Wide Web? Qualitative and Quantitative analysis of search engine queries on the Internet. AMIA 2003 Symposium Proceedings, (pp. 225–229)

Ferraretti A, Pennings G, Gianaroli L, Natali F, Magli M (2010) Cross Border Reproductive Care: a phenomenon expressing the controversial aspects of reproductive technologies. Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 20:261–266.

Fields GP (2001) Religious therapeutics: body and health in yoga, ayurveda and tantra. State University of New York Press, Albany

Gahlinger P (2008) The medical tourism travel guide: your complete reference to top quality, low cost dental, cosmetic, medical care and surgery overseas. Sunrise River, North Branch

Gautam V (2008) Healthcare tourism: opportunities for India Mumbai. Avdhut Kumbhavdekar for Exim Bank of India and Quest Publication, Mumbai

Ghazal SKA (2007) The origin of Bimaristan (Hospitals) in Islamic Medical History. [Online] Available at: http://www.fstc.co.uk . Accessed 25 Sept 2014

Giacalone JA (2011) Modeling the market for medical travel. ASBBS Annual Conference, Las Vegas, pp 668–676

Gomez VR, Rochebrochard EDL (2013) Cross-border reproductive care among French patients: experiences in Greece, Spain and Belgium. Hum Reprod 28(11):3103–3110

Goodrich JN, Goodrich GE (1987) Healthcare tourism – an exploratory study. Tour Manag 8(3):217–222

Gopi R (2014) Ayurveda tourism and masculinity in contemporary Kerala. IOSR J Humanit Soc Sci 19(5, Ver IV):62–73

Gupta AS (2008) Medical tourism in India: winners and losers. Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 5(1):4–5.

Gyu Ko T (2011) Medical tourism system model. Int J Tour Sci 11:17–51

Hall CM (2013a) Medical and health tourism: the development and implications of medical mobility. In: Medical tourism: the ethics, regulation and marketing of health mobility. Routledge, Abingdon, pp 1–28

Hall CM (2013b) Medical tourism: the ethics, regulation and marketing of health mobility. Routledge, New York

Hall CM, James M (2011) Medical tourism: emerging biosecurity and nosocomial issues. Tour Rev 66(1):118–126

Hamarneh S (1968) Medical education and practice in medieval Islam. In: O’Malley CD (ed) The history of medical education: an international symposium. UCLA Department of Medical History, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, pp 39–72

Hancock D (2006) The complete medical tourist: your guide to inexpensive and safe cosmetic, medical and dental surgery overseas. John Blake, London

Hazarika I (2010) Medical tourism: its potential impact on the health workforce and health systems in India. Health Policy Plan 25:248–251

Helmy E, Travers R (2009) Towards the development of Egyptian medical tourism sector. Anatolia 20(2):419–439

Heung V, Kucukusta D, Song H (2010) A conceptual model of medical tourism: implications for future research. J Travel Tour Mark 27(3):236–251

Hodges J, Turner L, Kimball A (2012) Risks and challenges in medical tourism: understanding the dynamics of the global market for health services. Praeger- ABC Clio LLC, Santa Barbara

Hoof WV, Pennings G (2013) Cross border reproductive care around the world: recent controversies. In: Botteill D, Pennings G, Mainil T (eds) Medical tourism and transnational healthcare. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp 98–112

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Horowitz MD, Rosensweig AJ (2007) Medical tourism– health care in the global economy. Physician Exec 30(6):24–30

Hunter WC (2007) Medical tourism: a global niche. Int J Tour Sci 7(1):129–140

IFHP (2012) 2012 comparative price report variation in medical and hospital prices by country. International Federation of Health Plans (IFHP) available on www.ifhp.org

IFHP (2013) 2013 comparative price report variation in medical and hospital prices by country. International Federation of Health Plans (IFHP) available on www.ifhp.org

IMTJ, Medical Tourism Climate Survey (2014) Conducted for the International Medical Travel Exhibition and Conference, Dubai, Intution Communication Ltd. 2014. Available at: http://www.imtj.com/resources/medical-tourism-climatesurvey-2014/

India Tourism Statistics (2014) India tourism statistics, 2013. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India archived from www.tourism.gov.in

Indian Chamber of Commerce (2012) Healthcare infrastructure and services financing in India – operation and challenges. Indian Chamber of Commerce available on www.pwc.in/en-IN/in/assets/publications-2012/healthcare-financing-report-print.pdf

Inhorn MC (2006) Making Muslim babies: IVF and gamete donation in Sunni versus Shi’a Islam. Cult Med Psychiatry 30:427–450

Jaapar M, Musa G, Moghavvemi S, Saub R (2017) Dental tourism: examining tourist profiles, motivation and satisfaction. Tour Manag 58:538–552

Jaggi OP (2000) Hospitals in India. In: Medicine in India: modern period. PHISPC, New Delhi, pp 70–74

Jayne W (1925) The healing gods of ancient civilization. Yale University Press, New Haven

Jeevan R, Armstrong A (2008) Cosmetic tourism and the burden on the NHS. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg 61(12):1423–1424

Jha V (2004) Paid transplants in India: the grim reality. Nephrol Dial Transplant 19:541–543

Johnston R, Crooks V, Snyder J, Kingsbury P (2010) What is known about the effects of medical tourism in destination and departure countries? A scoping review. Int J Equity Health 9(1):24, doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-9-24

Johnston R, Crooks V, Cerón A, Labonté R, Snyder J, Núñez E et al. (2016). Providers’ perspectives on inbound medical tourism in Central America and the Caribbean: factors driving and inhibiting sector development and their health equity implications. Global Health Action, 9(1), 32760. doi:10.3402/gha.v9.32760

Jones P (2005) Cancer and tourism. Ann Tour Res 32(1):70–92

Kangas B (2007) Hope from abroad in the international medical travel of Yemeni patients. Anthropol Med 14(3):293–305

Kannan P (2014) Dubai reveals master plan for 500,000 medical tourist. [Online] Available at: http://www.thenational.ae/uae/tourism/dubai-reveals-master-plan-for-500-000-medical-tourists-a-yea . Accessed 24 Mar 2014

Karuppan C (2010) Healthcare tourism: accelerating diffusion through a more effective use of communication channels. J Comm Health 3(1):24–36

Keckley PH, Underwood H (2008) Medical tourism: consumers in search of value. Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions, Washington, DC

Khammash T (2012) The Jordanian Health Sector. Jordinvest (Jordan Investment Trust P.L.C.)

Kim S, Lee J, Jung J (2012) Assessment of medical tourism development in Korea for the achievement of competitive advantages. Asia Pacific J Tour Res. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2012.658416

Kingsbury P et al (2012) Narratives of emotion and anxiety in medical tourism: on State of the Heart and Larry’s Kidney. Soc Cult Geogr 13(4):361–378

Kokubo A (2009) The interaction of the international society concerning kidney transplants – a consideration of diseased kidney transplants in Japan and transplant tourism over the world. Legal Med 11(1):S393–S395

KPMG – FICCI (2014) Medical value travel in India. KPMG and FICCI available on kpmg.com/in

Kumar R (2008) Medical tourism in India-management and promotion. Deep & Deep Publishers, New Delhi

Kumar R (2009) Global trends in health and medical tourism. SBS Publishers, New Delhi

Lam C, Cros HD, Vong T (2011) Macao’s potential for developing regional Chinese medical tourism. Tour Rev 66(1/2):68–82

Lautier M (2008) Export of health services from developing countries: the case of Tunisia. Soc Sci Med 67:101–110

Lee M, Hang H, Lockyer T (2012) Medical tourism – attracting Japanese tourists for medical tourism experience. J Travel Tour Mark 29(1):69–86

Lordan G (2013) Travelling for treatment: the emergence of medical tourism industry. In: Handbook of tourism economics. World Scientific Press, Hackensack, pp 281–297

Lunt N, Horsfall J, Hanfeld D (2015) Handbook on medical tourism and patient mobility. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham

Maheshwari S, Animasahun B, Njokanmac O (2012) International patients with congenital heart disease: what brings them to India? Indian Heart J 64(1):50–53

Malaysia Healthcare Tourism Council (2014) Malaysia Healthcare Tourism Council (MHTC). [Online] Available at: http://www.mhtc.org.my/en/statistics.aspx . Accessed 16 Nov 2014

Malkawi K (2012) Jordan remains medical tourism hub despite regional unrest. The Jordan Times accessed from http://jordantimes.com/jordan-remains-medical-tourism-hub-despite-regional-unrest

Mason A, Wright KB (2011) Framing medical tourism: an examination of appeal, risk, convalescence, accreditation, and interactivity in medical tourism web sites. J Health Commun 16(2):163–177

Mazzaschi A (2011) Surgeon and safari: producing valuable bodies in Johannesburg. Signs 36(2):303–312

Medhekar A, Haq F (2015) Halal branding for medical tourism: case of Indian hospitals. In: Emerging research on Islamic marketing and tourism in the global economy. IGI Global, Hershey, pp 160–189

Menon I, Spudich A (2010) The Ashtavaidya physicians of Kerala: a tradition in transition. J Ayurveda Integ Med 1(4):245–250

Michalko G, Ratz T, Hinek M (2012) Spatial differences in Hungarian medical tourism supply base on service provider’s online presence. Hung Geogr Bull 61(1):31–47

Mishra A (2017) Why India should issue more medical tourism visas to Pakistani nationals. Livemint

Moghavvemi S, Ormond M, Musa G, Mohamed IR, Thirumoorthi T, Mustapha MZ, et al (2017) Connecting with prospective medical tourists online: A cross-sectional analysis of private hospital websites promoting medical tourism in India, Malaysia and Thailand. Tourism Management. 58:154–163

Moghimehfar F, Nasr-Esfahani MH (2011) Decisive factors in medical tourism destination choice: a case study of Isfahan, Iran and fertility treatments. Tour Manag 32:1431–1434

MoHW (2014) 210 000 International patients chose Korea for Medical tourism. [Online] Available at: http://english.visitmedicalkorea.com/

Mueller H, Kaufmann E (2001) Wellness tourism: market analysis of a special health tourism segment and implications for the hotel industry. J Vacat Mark 7:5–17

Mummery C, Wilmut S, Stolpe A, Roelen B (2011). Stem Cell Tourism. In C. Mummery, S. Wilmut, A. Stolpe, & B. Roelen, Stem Cell (1st Edition pp. 223-235). Academic Press

Munro JW (2012) Best practices in medical tourism – what is medical tourism. [Online] Available at: www.mtqua.org . Accessed 5 Oct 2014

Murillo R (2014) Assessing national destination- branding transformations: theory and application to Costa Rica’s nature-based and medical tourism product- services. In: Tourists’ perception and assessments (Advances in culture, tourism and hospitality research). Emerald Group Publishing, Bingley, pp 71–109

Musa G, Thirumoorthi T, Doshi D (2011) Travel behaviour among inbound medical tourists in Kuala Lumpur. Curr Issue Tour 15(6):525–543

NABH (2017) Hospital accreditation. [Online] Available at: http://nabh.co/Hospitals.aspx

NaRanong A, NaRanong V (2011) The effects of medical tourism: Thailand’s experience. Bull World Health Organ 89(5):336–344

National Health Statistics (2011) NHS Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times statistics for England. Department of Health, UK, London

Ormond M (2011) Shifting subjects of health-care: placing ‘medical tourism’ in the context of Malaysian domestic health-care reform. Asia Pac Viewp 52(3):247–259

Ormond M (2014, forthcoming) Medical tourism. In: The Wiley – Blackwell companion to tourism. Malden: John Wiley and Sons

OSHD (2009) Tunisia: health services export strategy development study. African Development Bank, archived from http://www.afdb.org

Palattiyil G, Blyth E, Sidhva D, Balakrishnan G (2010) Globalization and cross-border reproductive services: ethical implications of surrogacy in India for social work. Int Soc Work 53(5):686–700

Patient Beyond Borders (2014) Medical tourism statistics & facts. [Online] Available at: https://patientsbeyondborders.com/medical-tourism-statistics-facts . Accessed 15 May 2016

Penney K, Snyder J, Crook V, Johnston R (2011) Risk communication and informed consent in the medical tourism industry: a thematic content analysis of Canadian broker websites. BMC Med Ethics 12:17, DOI: 10.1186/1472-6939-12-17.

Pennings G (2002) Reproductive tourism as moral pluralism in motion. J Med Ethic 28:337–341

Pfeffer N (2011) Eggs-ploiting women: a critical feminist analysis of the different principles in transplant and fertility tourism. Reprod BioMed Online 23(5):634–641

Pocock NS, Phua KH (2011) Medical tourism and policy implications for health systems: a conceptual framework from a comparative study of Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Glob Health 7:12. DOI: 10.1186/1744-8603-7-12

Prakash M, Tyagi N, Devrath R (2011) A study of problems and challenges faced by medical tourists visiting India, 2011. Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

Press Information Bureau (2018) Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism

PROMED (2014) International promotion of costa Rican medicine. [Online] Available at: http://www.promedcostarica.org/about-costa-rica/why-costa-rica/

Raaijmakers L, Pouwels S, Berghuis K, Nienhuijs S (2015) Technology-based interventions in the treatment of overweight and obesity: a systematic review. Appetite 95:138–151

Rai A (2017) From prayers to surgeries – journey of medical tourism. IOSR J Human Soc Sci 22(6:5):1–10

Rai A, Chakrabarty P, Sarkar A (2013) Regional imbalance in medical opportunities: bridging the gap by medical tourism. Thema J Geog 2.0(4):176–182

Rai A, Chakrabarty P, Sarkar A (2014a) Globalization and medical tourism: a spatial study. Indian J Spat Sci 5(1):4–23

Rai A, Chakrabarty P, Sarkar A (2014b) Forecasting the demand for medical tourism in India. IOSR J Human Soc Sci 19(11:1):22-30

Reisman D (2010) Health tourism: social welfare through international trade. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham

Seki A, Brook EH (2007) Ryokan: Japan’s finest spas and inns. Tuttle Publications, Tokyo

Sengupta A (2011) Medical tourism: reverse subsidy for the elite. Signs 36(2):312–319

Shanmugam KR (2013) Medical tourism in India – progress, opportunities and challenges. Madras School of Economics, Chennai

Shenfield F, Mouzon J, Pennings G, Ferraretti A, Andersen A, Wert G, et al. (2010). Cross Border reproductive care in Six European Countries. Hum Reprod. 25(6): 1361–1368.

Shimazono Y (2007). The state of the international organ trade: a provisional picture based on integration of available information. Bull World Health Organ. 85(12):955–962

Siciliani L, Moran V, Borowitz M (2014). Measuring and comparing Healthcare Waiting Times in OECD Countries. Health Policy, 118(3): 292-303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2014.08.011

Singapore Tourism Board (2018) Singapore Tourism Board. [Online] Available at: https://www.stb.gov.sg/industries/healthcare . Accessed 15 Apr 2018

Singh KP (2006) Medical tourism- global outlook and Indian scenario. Kalyani Publishing House, New Delhi

Singh S (2009a) Wipro, GE to integrate healthcare units in India. [Online] Available at: http://www.livemint.com/Companies/RV1tqrvbMMLt3KFGpJiO3H/Wipro-GE-to-integrate-healthcare-units-in-India.html . Accessed 8 Nov 2014

Singh VK (2009b) Public policies for facilitating medical tourism industry in Asia. IIM, Bangalore

Singh MC (2010) Medical tourism. Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi

Smith ES (1996) Medicine. In: Rashed R (ed) Encyclopedia of history of Arabic science: technology, alchemy and life science. Routledge, New York, pp 903–962

Smith K (2012) The problemtization of medical tourism: a critique of neoliberalism. Dev World Bioeth 12(1):1–8

Smith P, Forgione D (2007) Global outsourcing of healthcare: a medical tourism model. J Infor Techno Case Appl Res 9(3):19–30

Smith J, Medalia D (2014) Health insurance coverage in the United States 2013. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC

Snyder J, Crooks V, Adams K, Kingsbury P, Johnston R (2011) The ‘patient’s physician one-step removed: the evolving roles of medical tourism facilitators. Journal of Medical ethics, 37 (9):530–534

Snyder J, Crooks VA, Turner L, Johnston R (2013) Understanding the impacts of medical tourism on health human resources in Barbados: a prospective, qualitative study of stakeholder perceptions. Int J Equity Health 12:2. doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-12-2

Song P (2010) Biotech pilgrims and the transnational quest for stem cell cures. Med Anthropol 29(4):384–402

Spasojević M, Šušić V (2010) Modern medical tourism as a market niche of health tourism. Econ Org 7(2):201–208

Tata S (2009) Medical travel in Asia and the Pacific challenges and opportunities. Bangkok: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) 63rd Commission Session

Todd MK (2012) The handbook of medical tourism program development. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton

Tourism Research and Marketing (TRAM) (2006) TRAM global medical tourism research. ATLAS

Turner L (2007) First world health care at third world prices: globalization, bioethics and medical tourism. BioSocieties 2:303–325

Turner L (2010) Globalization and medical care – medical tourism and the global marketplace in health services: U.S. patients, international hospitals, and the search for affordable health care. Int J Health Serv 40(3):443–467

Viberg N (2011) Swedish waiting times for health care in an international perspective. Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), Stockholm

Wang HY (2012) Value as a medical tourism driver. Manag Serv Qual 22(5):465–491

Warf J (2010) Do you know the way to San Jose? Medical tourism in Costa Rica. J Lat Am Geogr 9(1):51–66

Weiss E, Spataro P, Kodener I, Keune J (2010) Banding in Bangkok, CABG in Calcutta: the United States physician and the growing field of medical tourism. Surgery 148(3):597–601

Whiteman R (2011) Medical tourism and bariatric surgery. Surg Obes Relat Dis 7(5):652–654

Whittaker A (2008) Pleasure and pain: medical travel in Asia. Glob Public Health 3(3):271–290

Woodman J (2008) Patient beyond borders: everyday’s guide to affordable, world-class medical travel. Healthy Travel Media, Chapel Hill

World Health Organization (2017) World health statistics 2016 – monitoring health for the SDGs. World Health Organization, Geneva

Ye B, Qiu H, Yuen P (2011) Motivations and experiences of Mainland Chinese medical tourists in Hong Kong. Tour Manag 32(5):1125–1127

Yu J, Lee TJ, Noh H (2011) Characteristics of a medical tourism industry: the case of South Korea. J Travel Tour Mark 28(8):856–872

Yua JY, Ko G (2012) A cross-cultural study of perceptions of medical tourism among Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourists in Korea. Tour Manag 33:80–88

Zysk KG (1991) Ascetism and healing in ancient India: medicine in the Buddhist monastery. Oxford University Press, New York/Oxford

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Geography, School of Science, Adamas University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Rai, A. (2019). Medical Tourism: An Introduction. In: Medical Tourism in Kolkata, Eastern India. Global Perspectives on Health Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73272-5_1

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73272-5_1

Published : 05 November 2019

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-319-73271-8

Online ISBN : 978-3-319-73272-5

eBook Packages : Economics and Finance Economics and Finance (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

You are using an outdated browser. Upgrade your browser today or install Google Chrome Frame to better experience this site.

Medical Tourism: Travel to Another Country for Medical Care

Traveling to another country to get medical care can be risky. Learn about the risks and how to minimize them.

Traveling Internationally for Medical Care

Each year, millions of US residents travel to another country for medical care which is called medical tourism. Medical tourists from the United States most commonly travel to Mexico and Canada, and to several other countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

The reasons people may seek medical care in another country include:

• Cost: To get a treatment or procedure that may be cheaper in another country
• Culture: To receive care from a clinician who shares the traveler’s culture and language
• Unavailable or unapproved procedures: To get a procedure or therapy that is not available or approved in the United States

The most common procedures that people undergo on medical tourism trips include dental care, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer treatment.

Medical Tourism Can Be Risky

The risk of complications depends on the destination, the facility where the procedure is being performed, and whether the traveler is in good health for the procedure(s). Other issues that can increase a traveler’s risk of complications include:

Infectious Diseases.  All medical procedures have some risk of infection. Complications from procedures performed in other countries include wound infections, bloodstream infections, donor-derived infections (in the case of transplantations or transfusions), and diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

Antimicrobial resistance.   Highly drug-resistant bacteria and fungi have caused disease outbreaks among medical tourists. Antimicrobial resistance happens when germs develop the ability to not respond to drugs such as antibiotics used to treat infections. Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem. Healthcare facilities in another country may not have adequate infection control practices and medical tourists could be at risk for getting a drug-resistant infection.

Quality of Care. Some countries’ requirements for maintaining licensure, credentialing, and accreditation may also be less than what would be required in the United States. In some countries, counterfeit medicines and lower quality medical devices may be used.

Communication challenges. Communicating with staff at the destination and healthcare facility may be challenging. Receiving care at a facility where you do not speak the language fluently could lead to misunderstandings about your care.

Air Travel.  Flying after surgery can increase the risk for blood clots, including  deep vein thrombosis . Delaying air travel for 10-14 days following major surgeries, particularly those involving the chest, will minimize risks associated with changes in atmospheric pressure.

Continuity of Care.  Travelers may need to get health care in the United States if they develop complications after returning. Follow-up care for complications might be expensive. Treatment might be prolonged and might not be covered by your health insurance.

How You Can Minimize Medical Tourism Risks

Research the clinician and facility.

• Check the qualifications of the clinician who will be doing the procedure and the credentials of the facility where the procedure will be done. Accrediting groups, including Joint Commission International, DNV GL International Accreditation for Hospitals, and the International Society for Quality in Healthcare, have lists of standards that healthcare facilities need to meet to be accredited. Please note that all surgeries carry the risk of complications and accreditation does not guarantee a positive outcome.
• If you go to a country where you do not speak the language, determine ahead of time how you will communicate with your clinician and others who will be caring for you.

Before you travel

• Get a pretravel consultation. See your healthcare provider or a travel medicine clinician at least 4–6 weeks before the trip to discuss general information for healthy travel and learn about specific risks you may face because of your health status, the procedure, and travel before and after the procedure.
• Obtain international  travel health insurance  that covers medical evacuation back to the United States.
• Find out what activities are not recommended around the time of the medical procedure, such as swimming or hiking, and plan accordingly.

Maintain your health and medical records

• Bring copies of your medical records with you, including results of lab tests and other tests related to your condition and care. Inform the medical staff at your destination of allergies you may have.
• Pack a  travel health kit  with your prescription and over-the-counter medicines in their original packaging. Bring enough medicine to last your whole trip, plus a little extra in case of delays. Also, bring copies of all your prescriptions and a list of medications you take, including their brand names, generic names, manufacturers, and dosages.
• Get copies of all your medical records from the medical facility at your destination before you return home. You may need to get them translated into English.

Arrange for follow-up care before you travel

• Identify where you will be staying immediately after the procedure.
• Make sure you can get any needed follow-up care in the United States. Follow-up care for medical complications can be expensive and might not be covered by your health insurance. Travelers considering procedures outside the United States should understand the potential financial costs associated with follow-up care or emergency care in the event of complications, review their health insurance policies to determine what, if anything, is covered and plan for the possibility of paying for additional care out-of-pocket.
• Supplemental travel health insurance may also be available to cover follow-up or emergency care from procedures received abroad.

Related Resources

• CDC Yellow Book: Medical Tourism
• American Medical Association Ethical Guidance on Medical Tourism
• Organization for Safety, Asepsis, & Prevention's Traveler’s Guide to Safe Dental Care
• The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery guidelines for travelers
• International Travel (US Department of State)
• Your Health Abroad (US Department of State)

File Formats Help:

• Adobe PDF file
• Microsoft PowerPoint file
• Microsoft Word file
• Microsoft Excel file
• Audio/Video file
• Apple Quicktime file
• RealPlayer file
• Zip Archive file

Exit Notification / Disclaimer Policy

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
• Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
• You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
• CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website.

• Tools and Resources
• Customer Services
• Communication and Culture
• Communication and Social Change
• Communication and Technology
• Communication Theory
• Critical/Cultural Studies
• Gender (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies)
• Health and Risk Communication
• Intergroup Communication
• International/Global Communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• Journalism Studies
• Language and Social Interaction
• Mass Communication
• Media and Communication Policy
• Organizational Communication
• Political Communication
• Rhetorical Theory
• Share This Facebook LinkedIn Twitter

Article contents

Medical tourism and communication.

• Alicia Mason Alicia Mason Pittsburg State University
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.1461
• Published online: 22 November 2023

Medical tourism (MT), sometimes referred to as health tourism or medical travel, involves both the treatment of illness and the facilitation of wellness, with travel. Medical tourism is a multifaceted and multiphase process involving many agents and actors that requires careful planning and execution. The coordinated process involves the biomedical, transportation, tourism, and leisure industries. From the communication perspective, the process can be viewed as a 5-stage model consisting of the: (a) orientation, (b) preparation, (c) experiential and treatment, (d) convalescence, and (e) reflection phases. Medical tourism is uniquely situated in a nexus of academic literature related to communication, business and management, travel and tourism, policy and law, healthcare and health administration. Communication permeates and perpetuates the medical tourism process and does so at the levels of interpersonal interactions (provider-patient communication), small group (healthcare teams), organizational (between healthcare providers), and mass and computer-mediated communication (marketing, advertising, and patient social support). This process may, in some cases, involve high rates of international and intercultural variation. Further study of the MT process can help to gain a better understanding of how healthcare consumers evaluate information about medical procedures and possible risks, as well as the specific message features and effects associated with various communication channels and information delivery systems. Continuing scholarly efforts also should focus on the relationship between medical tourism and communication.

• medical tourism
• medical tourists
• health promotion
• health consumers
• digital advertising
• online social support
• globalization

You do not currently have access to this article

Please login to access the full content.

Access to the full content requires a subscription

Printed from Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Communication. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 13 May 2024

• Cookie Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Legal Notice
• Accessibility
• [66.249.64.20|185.148.24.167]
• 185.148.24.167

Character limit 500 /500

Health Tourism: Exploring the Industry, Types, and Top Destinations

April 23, 2023.

Health tourism, also referred to as medical tourism or wellness tourism, is a rapidly growing sector within the global tourism industry. It encompasses a diverse range of activities and services, all aimed at improving or maintaining an individual's health and well-being. This article presents an overview of the health tourism industry, discusses different types of health tourism, examines the top 100 destinations, and provides insights into the number of travelers engaging in health tourism. ‍

Definition of Health Tourism

Health tourism is broadly defined as the practice of individuals traveling outside their country of residence to seek medical treatments, procedures, or wellness experiences. The motivations behind such travel may vary but often include factors such as cost savings, access to specialized treatments, shorter waiting times, or the opportunity to combine medical procedures with leisure travel. ‍

Types of Health Tourism

• Medical Tourism: This category of health tourism focuses on individuals that travel for medical treatments and procedures abroad. Common medical treatments sought by medical tourists include elective surgeries, dental treatments, fertility treatments, and cosmetic procedures. Often, providers offer medical tourism packages that include treatment costs, physician fees, ground transportation and, in some cases, hotel accommodation.
• Wellness Tourism: Wellness tourism, on the other hand, emphasizes the pursuit of well-being through activities and experiences that promote physical, mental, and spiritual health. Examples include spa treatments, yoga retreats, and mindfulness workshops.
• Preventative Healthcare Tourism: This type of health tourism revolves around the concept of proactive health management. Travelers in this category may seek routine medical check-ups, diagnostic tests, or alternative medical treatments to prevent potential health issues.

Top Destinations for Health Tourism

While it is beyond the scope of this article to provide an exhaustive list of the top health and medical tourism destinations; some notable countries and regions have emerged as leaders in this industry, particularly for combining medical and wellness services. These include:

• Thailand: Renowned for its state-of-the-art medical facilities and cost-effective treatments, Thailand has become a popular destination for medical tourists from around the world.
• India: With its combination of advanced healthcare infrastructure, skilled medical professionals, and affordable treatment options, India has emerged as a prominent player in the health tourism sector.
• Singapore: Known for its high-quality healthcare system, Singapore attracts health tourists seeking top-notch medical treatments and wellness experiences.
• Turkey: Offering high-quality medical care at competitive prices, Turkey has become a preferred destination for health tourists, particularly for cosmetic procedures and dental treatments.
• Hungary: Hungary is well-known for its dental and medical spa tourism, thanks to its high-quality services and natural thermal springs.
• Costa Rica: This Central American country has made a name for itself in the medical tourism industry by providing affordable, high-quality healthcare services in a beautiful natural setting.
• South Korea: Boasting world-class healthcare infrastructure and cutting-edge medical technology, South Korea is a top destination for cosmetic surgery and advanced medical treatments.
• Malaysia: Offering a range of healthcare services at competitive prices, Malaysia has become a popular destination for medical and wellness tourism in     Southeast Asia.
• Brazil: With its expertise in cosmetic surgery and dental treatments, Brazil attracts health tourists from across the globe.
• Spain: Spain's modern healthcare infrastructure and affordable treatment options make it an attractive destination for European health tourists.

Travelers Engaging in Health Tourism

The number of travelers engaging in health tourism has been steadily increasing in recent years. According to the Medical Tourism Association, the global medical tourism industry was valued at $58.6 billion in2020, with an estimated 14 million patients traveling for medical treatments each year. This figure is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR)of 12% through 2025, reaching an estimated market value of $142.2 billion.

Wellness tourism, on the other hand, has also witnessed significant growth in recent years. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness tourism market was worth $639 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.5%, reaching $919 billion by 2022. This growth is driven by the increasing global demand for health and wellness experiences, as well as the rise in disposable incomes and greater awareness of preventive healthcare measures.

Several factors have contributed to the growth of health tourism. Some of these include:

Cost Savings: One of the main driving forces behind the growth of health tourism is the potential for significant cost savings. The cost of medical treatments and procedures can vary dramatically between countries due to factors such as labor costs, government subsidies, and differences in the cost of living. By traveling to countries with lower healthcare costs, health tourists can save a considerable amount of money. For example, a heart bypass surgery in the United States may cost around $100,000,while the same procedure in India could cost approximately $7,000. These cost savings can be particularly attractive for patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or require elective procedures that are not covered by insurance.

Access to Specialized Treatments: Another factor driving health tourism is the opportunity to access specialized treatments that may not be available or have limited availability in one's home country. This can be due to a lack of cutting-edge medical technology, a shortage of medical professionals with specialized skills, or restrictive regulations on certain treatments. Health tourists may choose to travel abroad to receive state-of-the-art care or treatments that are considered experimental or unapproved in their home country.

Shorter Waiting Times: In some countries, patients may face long waiting times for certain medical treatments or procedures due to factors such as limited healthcare resources or high demand. These waiting times can be particularly challenging for patients with chronic pain, deteriorating conditions, or urgent medical needs. Health tourism offers the opportunity for patients to bypass these waiting times and receive the necessary treatments more quickly. For example, a patient in the United Kingdom may face a waiting period of several months for a hip replacement surgery, while the same procedure could be readily available in countries such as Spain or Turkey.

Higher Quality of Care: Some health tourists perceive that the quality of care in another country may be higher than what is available in their home country. This perception can stem from factors such as the reputation of the destination country's healthcare system, the use of advanced medical technology, or the expertise of the medical professionals. For example, Singapore is renowned for its world-class healthcare system, attracting health tourists seeking top-notch medical treatments and wellness experiences. Additionally, countries like South Korea have gained a reputation for excellence in cosmetic surgery, drawing patients from around the world to receive high-quality care from skilled surgeons.

Combining Medical Procedures with Leisure Travel: Health tourism also offers the unique opportunity for individuals to combine medical treatments or wellness experiences with leisure travel. Many health tourists choose to extend their stay in the destination country to explore the local culture, visit tourist attractions, or simply relax and recuperate in a beautiful setting. This combination of medical and leisure travel can contribute to the overall well-being of the patient and enhance their recovery process. For example, a patient undergoing dental treatment in Costa Rica might also take the time to visit the country's beautiful beaches, rainforests, and national parks during their stay.

Health tourism has emerged as a significant sector within the global tourism industry, fueled by factors such as cost savings, access to specialized treatments, and a growing focus on wellness and preventative healthcare. As the industry continues to expand, more countries are investing in their healthcare infrastructure to attract health tourists, offering a wide range of medical and wellness services to meet the diverse needs of these travelers. With the increasing popularity of health tourism, it is essential for healthcare providers, governments, and tourism organizations to work together to ensure the highest standards of care and services for health tourists while promoting sustainable and responsible practices within the industry.

Image credits: Image by <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/top-view-glove-with-stethoscope_9469085.htm#query=health%20tourism&position=25&from_view=search&track=ais">Freepik</a>

Gha standards accredited by isqua.

A Global Authority in Medical Tourism Accreditation

Medical travel facilitator certification.

GHA’s Medical Travel Facilitator Certification is conducted online and focuses on validating the capacity of facilitator companies to provide appropriate services to clients that enhance safety and patient experience along the entire Medical Travel Care Continuum (patient journey) as appropriate to the to the particular healthcare provider and the facilitator company’s business model.

What is health tourism and why is it growing?

Disclaimer: Some posts on Tourism Teacher may contain affiliate links. If you appreciate this content, you can show your support by making a purchase through these links or by buying me a coffee . Thank you for your support!

Health tourism is a growing trend around the world. But what is health tourism and why is it so popular? Read on to find out…

What is health tourism?

The growth of health tourism, why is health tourism important, health tourism activities, health tourism- further reading.

Health tourism is a tricky one to define. It is more of an umbrella term, encompassing both wellness tourism and medical tourism. These two types of tourism may seem quite different, but they both fundamentally have health at their core. So, health tourism can be defined as follows:

Health tourism covers those types of tourism which have as a primary motivation, the contribution to physical, mental and/or spiritual health through medical and wellness-based activities which increase the capacity of individuals to satisfy their own needs and function better as individuals in their environment and society.

This definition comes from an executive summary published by the World Tourism Organization and the European Travel Commission in 2018. As you can see, the exploration of health tourism in itself is a relatively new idea. The two organisations also provided the following definitions of wellness and medical tourism respectively:

Wellness tourism is a type of tourism activity which aims to improve and balance all of the main domains of human life including physical, mental, emotional, occupational, intellectual and spiritual. The primary motivation for the wellness tourist is to engage in preventive, proactive, lifestyle enhancing activities such as fitness, healthy eating, relaxation, pampering and healing treatments.       

Medical tourism is a type of tourism activity which involves the use of evidence-based medical healing resources and services (both invasive and non-invasive). This may include diagnosis, treatment, cure, prevention and rehabilitation.   

There are many reasons as to why health tourism as an industry is growing. People are keener than ever to put their health and wellbeing first – especially now we are 2 years into a global pandemic. As a population , we are more aware now than ever before how our health can hang in the balance. And just knowing this, coupled with all of the other changes brought about by the pandemic as well as the general ease of accessing information, mean that life is generally more stressful. So it is no wonder that we are looking for wellness trips to calm and soothe ourselves – and to affordable and accessible medical procedures that may be unavailable at home…

The UK sees health tourism as a distinct and negative phenomenon. The media uses the term to refer to people who travel to the UK deliberately in order to access free medical treatment from the National Health Service. This is seen as leeching off the state, and as you can imagine is particularly frowned upon by many in the country. However, reports show that the government estimates ‘health tourism’ costs the NHS only £300m annually – or 0.3% of their budget! But due to this, new laws are in place to charge people who do not ‘ordinarily reside’ in the UK if they use the NHS.

Health tourism is important for many reasons. Looking at it from an economical point of view, it provides a boost to local economies when people travel to a destination for any reason. So heading to a summer yoga retreat in Santorini or getting some dental work done in Turkey is contributing to the local economy. And it’s not just the cost of your treatment or stay – you will also purchase food and drink, maybe even souvenirs. You might extend your trip and do some sightseeing with local tour companies too. All of these things mean a cash injection for the area and its inhabitants.

Linked to this is that health tourism often provides a cheaper opportunity to do something you were going to do at home. Travelling for optional surgery or going to a small spa in a remote village might be much cheaper than doing so in your home country. In this way, health tourism actually provides people with a way to save money.

Health tourism is also important as it is a reflection of my earlier point – people are taking more of an interest in their health. Regardless of whether it’s wellness tourism or medical tourism, health tourists are travelling with the primary focus of improving their mind, body or life in some way. This is obviously a positive factor for society.

As health tourism combines wellness and medical tourism, the activities it involves are anything which falls under these categories. Essentially, anything you do as a tourist which is aimed at improving your health is classed as health tourism. See a list of activities below:

• Dental/dentistry
• Orthopedics
• Cosmetic/plastic surgery
• Bariatric surgery 
• Fertility treatment
• Eye surgery
• Ears, nose and throat
• Organ transplants
• Rehabilitation
• Alternative medication access
• Yoga retreats
• Writing retreats
• Meditation centres
• Weight loss or healthy eating retreats
• Sensory deprivation

Popular health tourism destinations

There are many destinations you can visit as a health tourist. Your home country may also be a health tourism location for people from other countries. It is all contextual and subjective, depending on what exactly you are looking to get out of your trip…

This is a popular place for health tourism – particularly when it comes to wellness. With its geothermal pools, breathtaking scenery, infinity pools and mountain hiking areas the options are endless! A very popular part of Iceland for wellness activities is Myvatn Nature Baths, where the alkaline in the water has a lot of minerals and is incredibly beneficial for the treatment of skin conditions. Because of this, it can also be seen as a destination which works for medical purposes – making it a dead cert for health tourism.

Ever heard of the saying ‘Turkey teeth’? It doesn’t come from nowhere! The reason this term exists is because many people (particularly younger people, celebrities, and influencers) flock to Turkey to have dental treatment done for cosmetic purposes. They want straighter, whiter and brighter teeth. Something like this might cost double or triple in the UK, for example, than what it would in Turkey. Plus, visitors get to combine their trip with sun, sea and sand!

India is a big one for health tourism as it has a big wellness tourism industry combined with many options for medical tourists to have cheaper procedures done. Being such a spiritual country, it is no wonder that people come here for wellness purposes. The Indian government readily promotes the country as a hub for yoga, Sidha, naturopathy and Ayurveda – citing the ‘spiritual philosophy that has been integral to the Indian way of life’. There are retreats right across the country, particularly in countryside areas but also in the bustling cities which mean it works for both primary AND secondary wellness tourism.

Primary wellness tourism is when someone’s whole trip is focused on wellness; it is their sole reason for travel, and the major component of their trip. Every aspect of their holiday is tailored to wellness. Secondary wellness tourism is when general tourists incorporate some aspect of wellness (a massage on the beach during an all-inclusive Mexican vacation) into their holiday.

India is also a huge destination when it comes to medical tourism. Locations such as Chennai, Maharashtra and Kerala are really popular for medical procedures, with costs being about one tenth of those in either the UK or the USA. Medical tourists travel to India for alternative medicine, cardiac procedures, bone-marrow transplants, eye surgery and hip replacements in particular.

Beautiful Hawaii is like one big spa in itself. Primary wellness tourists visit here in droves to experience the therapeutic salt water, the laid back atmosphere, the glorious sunshine and the traditional practices of omilomi massage and pohaku (hot stone treatment). With scenery that will leave you lost for words, it is one of the most relaxing places in the world which is why wellness tourism is so big here – and so, by extension, is health tourism.

This stunning country has cutting edge technology and beautiful spaces to relax – making it ideal for health tourism encompassing both wellness and medical tourism. People tend to head here for small elective surgeries, choosing to get the procedure done for a lower price and recover somewhere beautiful! And there are so many options for wellness tourists, too. From Thai massage parlours to serene meditation retreats on beaches where the sunsets are bright pink and shiny gold, you couldn’t ask for somewhere more suited to a relaxing wellness trip.

If you enjoyed this article on health tourism, I am sure that you will like these too-

• What is birth tourism and is it legal?
• What is special interest tourism and why is it so popular?
• What is alternative tourism and why is it growing so fast?
• What is dental tourism and why does it exist?

Liked this article? Click to share!

Universal Medical Travel

Providing clients with affordable options for Medical and Dental procedures from accredited healthcare providers worldwide.

Request for a free quote!

Contact us to help you choose a destination and find the best doctor.

CHOOSE PROCEDURE CANCER TREATMENT CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTHCARE DENTAL CARE DERMATOLOGY EYE AND VISION CARE HAIR TRANSPLANTATION ORTHOPEDICS PLASTIC SURGERY PREVENTIVE AND DIAGNOSTIC HEALTH CARE WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY

CHOOSE COUNTRY CZECH REPUBLIC GREECE INDIA ISRAEL MEXICO TURKEY COLOMBIA SOUTH KOREA

What is Medical Tourism?

Medical Tourism is a growing trend in which individuals travel to another country for medical treatment. Medical tourism refers to the practice of traveling abroad to receive medical treatment or procedures. It involves individuals seeking high-quality and cost-effective healthcare options in other countries that may not be readily available or affordable in their home countries. Example: An individual from the United States travels to Thailand, Turkey, South Korea, Mexico, Israel, Dubai, or any other country for a hip replacement surgery. Despite the long distance, they choose this option due to the significantly lower cost compared to their home country. They also have access to skilled surgeons and state-of-the-art healthcare facilities in the destination of their choice, making it a wise choice for their medical needs. Additionally, these countries are known for their excellent reputation in the field of medical tourism, with a well-established infrastructure that caters specifically to international patients. The individual can also take advantage of the opportunity to recover in a serene and exotic destination, combining their medical treatment with a relaxing vacation. Overall, seeking healthcare options in other countries provides individuals with a chance to receive top-notch medical care at a fraction of the cost, all while experiencing a new culture and environment. Growing popularity of medical tourism: The growing popularity of medical tourism is evident in the increasing number of individuals who are traveling abroad for healthcare. This trend can be attributed to several factors, including rising healthcare costs in their home countries, long waiting times for certain procedures, and the desire for specialized treatments that may not be available locally. Additionally, advancements in technology and transportation have made it easier for patients to access medical services in different parts of the world. As a result, countries with well-developed healthcare systems and competitive prices have emerged as popular destinations for medical tourists. In today’s world, the disadvantages associated with medical tourism are becoming increasingly irrelevant. While there may have been valid concerns in the past, advancements in technology and globalization have addressed many of these issues. While it is important to consider potential risks associated with any form of travel or medical procedure, it is crucial to acknowledge that many of the traditional disadvantages of medical tourism are no longer as relevant in today’s interconnected world. With proper research and planning, individuals can benefit from high-quality healthcare at an affordable cost while experiencing different cultures.

• Medical Tourism Process

A medical tourism facilitator takes care of all the details of a patient’s medical trip so he or she does not have to make arrangements on their own. We basically facilitate the flow of information and the arrangements of services between patients and the medical services providers. Some of these services may include flights, lodging, tours & sightseeing, transportation, and passports/visas. Using a medical facilitator prevents patients from contacting medical service providers which can be difficult because of language barriers, not being able to reach the provider when you want, higher quotes, longer waiting periods, or not knowing if the provider is properly certified or accredited under the highest international standards of medical care. Here is a step by step average medical tourism process from beginning to end. Some parts of the medical tourism process don’t apply to all patients depending on the type of procedure that they choose.

The services that we provide to facilitate your medical tourism process are free of charge. There are no additional fees added to the cost of your medical procedure for our services. One of our main objectives is to make sure you receive the highest level of healthcare services at an affordable cost. We plan, coordinate, and manage every step of your medical tourism trip to ensure a successful outcome and a happy patient! Please submit a contact form if you would like to receive a Free Phone Call or a Free Quote for any Medical or Dental procedure in the destination of your choice!

CANCER TREATMENT

Cardiovascular healthcare, cosmetic surgery, dental care, dermatology, eye & vision care, hair transplantation, orthopedics, plastic surgery, weight loss surgery, other available services.

Medical Tourism Insurance Coverage

Medical loan financing available.

“Struggling with medical bills? We’ve got you covered. Explore our flexible financing options tailored to your needs. From routine check-ups to emergencies, we’re here to help you access quality care without the financial stress. Contact us to learn more.”

WHY CHOOSE US

There are many reasons why a person should choose Universal Medical Travel to advise and guide them in their medical travel process from beginning to end. Choosing the right doctor, procedure and destination is not an easy task for most people and there are many factors and risk involved in this decision. Here are some of the main reasons why you should choose us. 

A.) We advise and help you choose a highly skilled, board certified surgeon with specialty accreditation, and safe hospitals that are accredited by the highest international standards

B.) We will assist you with arrangements for other travel related services that you will need during your medical tourism process such as flights, transportation, tours/sightseeing, visas/passports, lodging, etc. 

C.) We provide you with detailed information about the hospitals, the doctors, the destination of your preference, and the length of time you should remain at your chosen destination

D.) We safely handle the transfer of your medical information between you and the hospital according to medical privacy laws

E.) We help you to find the best doctors with affordable prices who will provide you with an approximate cost for your medical procedure

F.) We provide each client with accurate and timely information so they can make evidence and value-based medical decisions

G.) We help clients identify available financing options and help them to understand travel insurance and health insurance programs that are available 

H.) We are transparent about any claims or complaints about our company

I.) We will be in contact with each client and the hospital during the trip and do follow-ups after they return home until full recovery

Our mission at Universal Medical Travel is to facilitate your medical travel process by giving you access to high level, certified international doctors with transparent pricing. We will assign you to one of our Patient Care Coordinators who will guide you through your entire process and provide you with the resources you need for travel and lodging, complication insurance, financing options, and all the necessary tools to help you make the best decision for your healthcare needs

Available Destinations

CZECH REPUBLIC

SOUTH KOREA

Other top destinations for medical tourism, for more destinations.

• Medical Partners

Anadolu Medical Center

Gachon University Gil Medical Center

MEDIPOL HOSPITAL

Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital

Sani Dental Group

Sheba Medical Center

Turan Turan

Vamed Mediterra Clinics

Czech Republic

Wockhardt Hospital

GLOVI Plastic Surgery

South Korea

The Vein Center

Blue Magic Clinic

Cardiac Surgery Greece

Veda Rehabilitation & Wellness

Max Healthcare

• Greenville, SC
• (772) 494-1971
• info@universalmedicaltravel.com
• About Universal Medical Travel
• What is Medical Tourism
• Why Choose Us
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Medical Tourism
• Questions & Answers about Medical Tourism
• Health Care Accreditation
• Doctors/Specialist
• Cancer Treatment
• Cardiovascular Healthcare
• Dental Care
• Dermatology
• Eye and Vision Care
• Hair Transplantation
• Orthopedics
• Plastic Surgery
• Preventive and Diagnostic Health Care
• Weight Loss Surgery
• Medical Complication Insurance
• Destinations

Start typing and press Enter to search

Traveling Abroad For Medical Care? Here's What You Need To Know

The rising cost of medical care in the U.S. is leading many Americans to seek treatments in countries with lower healthcare costs. Mexico and Canada are the most common destinations, but Central and South America, the Caribbean, and even Asia are also popular locations to get medical and cosmetic procedures at a fraction of what they would cost stateside. Everyone likes to save money, so this might immediately sound pretty appealing. But before you hop on a plane, you should know that there are risks involved, and you might not always get what you want out of the experience. In some cases, it can lead to lasting complications — or even death. It's crucial to do your research, talk with your primary care doctor, consult a medical tourism specialist, and thoroughly vet the clinician and facility well ahead of your procedure so you know what to expect, and to avoid any surprises along the way.

What is medical tourism?

Global medical tourism is a rapidly growing industry, with billions spent each year. According to Grand View Research , in 2022 the medical tourism market size was $9.7 billion, which is expected to grow by 25% by 2030. With medical tourism, the main attraction is saving money on medical or cosmetic procedures. A procedure that costs $55,000 in the U.S. might be $10,000 or even less in a country like Malaysia. On average, people can save up to 60% by traveling abroad for care. This is especially useful for people who lack health insurance or those who are underinsured, or for procedures that aren't covered by insurance. Others may travel abroad to seek out medical treatments that aren't available or approved in the U.S. 

While medical tourism doesn't sound a lot like what most people think of as tourism, it's often combined with a vacation. If you're going to Mexico to have a crown replaced, for example, you might as well spend a couple of days in Cancun while you're there. To entice people to come abroad for care, facilities and providers may offer medical tourism packages that can be quite high-end, including airfare, transportation, five-star accommodations, and even sightseeing tours. 

Types of medical care you can get abroad

Dental care and cosmetic surgery are two of the most common reasons for medical tourism. Many people in the U.S. don't have dental insurance, or only have insurance to cover the basics — annual cleanings and X-rays. If you need to have anything more major than that, DentaVacation says you could save up to 80% abroad. Mexico, Thailand, India, Costa Rica, and Turkey are some of the most popular destinations for low-cost dental work. 

Cosmetic procedures not covered by insurance are also frequently sought abroad. Tummy tucks, breast augmentation, liposuction, facelifts, and more. Some of the most popular locations for cosmetic procedures abroad include Japan, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Russia, India, Turkey, France, and Germany.

Other common procedures people travel for include fertility treatment, cancer treatment, and organ or tissue transplant. In some circumstances, medical tourism is a way to get radical cosmetic procedures that aren't available in the U.S., unapproved medications, and experimental treatments. Assisted suicide is another reason for medical tourism to countries where it's legal, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria, and New Zealand. 

The role of your primary care doctor

Your primary care provider (PCP) usually won't be able to help you find care abroad, but they can play an important role in your decision-making process. Not all people or all conditions are good candidates for seeking medical care abroad. Underlying health conditions might make traveling for medical treatment unsafe, so it's crucial to get your doctor's go-ahead before making any arrangements. You'll want to make sure any conditions you have are under control well before your planned procedure. Your PCP can also help you gather all your medical records, which your clinician abroad will request. You should provide as much health information as you are able to your overseas clinician. 

Before travel, you'll also want to check with your PCP to see if you need any immunizations and to make sure that all of your prescription medications are refilled, plus extra in case of recuperation or travel delays. Lastly, it's recommended that you speak with your PCP about providers who may be able to step in and provide care should any complications arise after you return home.

Choosing a location and medical facility

There are a lot of things to consider when you're deciding where to go for your procedure. Will you go to Mexico for dental work, Turkey for a hair transplant, or India for cancer treatment? Is there a particular doctor or facility you've heard of or been referred to? If you have no idea and you're starting from scratch, don't worry. The skyrocketing popularity of medical tourism has led to the creation of many websites offering directories of providers, information on their certifications, and costs of treatment, as well as reviews from past patients. That's a good place to begin your research. 

The other thing you'll want to think about is language and cultural differences. Perhaps India might be beyond your comfort zone, or you would feel more comfortable going somewhere there will be English-speaking doctors and nurses. Conversely, if your native language is Spanish, you might want to choose a Spanish-speaking country. All of that information will help you narrow down your search. 

Vet your overseas provider

Once you've shortlisted your preferred providers, it's important to confirm their credentials. Make sure that they have received accreditation from an international organization such as the Joint Commission International, the International Society for Quality in Health Care, and DNV GL International Accreditation for Hospitals. Providers and facilities must meet certain standards to be accredited. You should also check the provider's education, training, and licenses. 

Each country will have its own standards and certifying bodies. If the provider says they were trained in the U.S., confirming that will be fairly easy to do. If their training was in their home country, you'll need to do some research to contact the University or board that issued their degree, certification, or license. You can also check to see if the provider belongs to any international associations, such as the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) or the General Dental Council (GDC).

How a medical tourism facilitator can help

A medical tourism facilitator is a bit like a travel agent for medical tourism. Just like tourists use travel agents to ease vacation planning, medical tourism facilitators can help streamline the medical tourism process. The facilitator may be located in your home country or in the country you're traveling to. Either way, they should have expertise and knowledge about your destination that you do not. They'll also have deep knowledge of the medical tourism process and be able to guide you through step by step. 

Medical tourism facilitators are typically familiar with the medical facilities and providers in the country you're traveling to. They may be able to help you choose a provider and vet the provider's certifications. They'll also be able to help with logistics — air travel, lodging, transportation, and, if necessary, aftercare facilities, and help you get any documents or permits required. If you need financing for your procedure, a medical tourism facilitator may be able to help you with that as well. 

Check your insurance

Due to the rising costs of healthcare, some insurance companies have started incentivizing seeking care out of the country. Just as if you were in the U.S., your health insurance won't pay for most cosmetic procedures you get abroad; however, you may be able to receive coverage for medically necessary procedures, especially if you're employed by a company that offers the benefit.  

For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield offers members of some plans the ability to travel outside of the country to receive lower cost medical care that would otherwise be exorbitant in the U.S. As of yet, these benefits are primarily available to employees of large companies. Blue Cross Blue Shield of California has created Access Baja HMO, a California-based health plan that enables employees and their dependents to receive healthcare across the border in Mexico. The insurance company also offers the Blue Cross Blue Shield Global Care, members of which can seek care internationally. 

Risks of infection

Infection is the most common complication medical tourists experience. This includes wound infections; bloodborne infections such as hepatitis B and C and HIV; infections from donors; and bloodstream infections. A 2021 research review found that in overseas cosmetic procedures, wound infections were most common, followed by infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria. 

Antimicrobial resistance is another concern for medical tourists. Bacteria and pathogens can develop resistance over time to medications used to treat infections. Inadequate sanitation in facilities in other countries can contribute to the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Medical tourists are then at risk of disease outbreaks, severe illness, and death.

That's why it's crucial to choose your provider and facility carefully. Choose hospitals accredited by international organizations such as DNV GL International Accreditation for Hospitals. This increases the chances that the facility is following international best practices for quality of care and patient safety. 

Risks of air travel after surgery

Traveling immediately before or after a surgical procedure increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. DVT is a blood clot that forms generally in the legs and hips. Sitting for long periods can cause blood to pool in the legs, which increases the risk of a blood clot forming. If the blood clot breaks off and travels to the to the lungs, it can lead to a pulmonary embolism — a blockage in the bloodstream. If the clot is large enough, it could cut off blood supply to the lungs and result in death. In many cases, damage done to the veins can cause long-term illness. 

Although the risk is small, your chances are increased if you have a history of DVT, a family history of blood clots, have had blood clots before, are overweight, or are pregnant. The Civil Aviation Authority recommends waiting one to 10 days to travel by air depending on the extent of the surgery. More extensive and complex surgeries will require more time between the procedure and travel.

Costs of post-procedure complications

Post-op complications can happen anywhere, but when they occur abroad they can be more difficult to deal with. You may not be able to receive adequate treatment, you may have extended hospital stays, and then be unable to return to your home country as planned. This can raise the costs, risks, and inconvenience of medical tourism.

Additionally, if complications arise after you arrive home, you may end up spending more than you spent on the procedure itself. Infections can lead to hospital stays, and botched cosmetic procedures may require additional treatments. Complications from surgeries abroad may or may not be covered by your insurance policy at home. If you have to take extended time off of work, you may not be able to receive compensation for that either. 

In addition, medical malpractice is common in medical tourism. Vast differences in foreign legal systems can make recourse and retribution impossible for medical tourists.

Planning for your aftercare

When you have procedures in your home country, you can typically rely on a family member or friend for transportation to and from the hospital, and assistance in the days following the procedure if necessary. If you travel abroad for a procedure that may require help afterward, will you be able to ask a friend or family member to travel with you? If not, it's important to plan ahead so that you can make sure your aftercare needs will be covered. 

Some medical travel facilitators or hospitals will include organizing this in your cost of treatment. They may arrange all your transportation and your stay in a hotel. If you are having a more complicated surgery, they may or may not be able to arrange the aftercare you need. It's important to research your options and make a plan before you decide to have treatment abroad. Being alone in a foreign country is hard enough; combined with the challenges of recovering from surgery, it may make it more practical to have treatment in your own country, even if it is more expensive. 

• Empirical article
• Open access
• Published: 12 September 2018

Medical tourism: focusing on patients’ prior, current, and post experience

• Soonae Hwang 1 ,
• DonHee Lee   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2799-8547 2 &
• Chang-Yuil Kang 3  

International Journal of Quality Innovation volume  4 , Article number:  4 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

16k Accesses

15 Citations

3 Altmetric

Metrics details

This study empirically examines the effects of medical tourists’ experience of the decision-making process through a patient’s prior, actual, and post experience after having received the medical services. The research model and associated hypotheses were tested using a structural equation modeling based on data collected from 188 medical tourists who received care in Busan, South Korea. The findings of the study indicate that patients’ experience in medical tourism pre-search (reputation, searching information, and communication) has a partially positive effect on their experience (costs, care quality, and supporting system and/or information) and patients’ current experience during the medical tour process has a positive effect on post-experience (relationship building, recommendation, and feedback). The results of this study provide new insights about how key players (e.g., hospitals, medical travel agencies, hotels, and the medical tourists themselves) in medical tourism can effectively help managers identify medical tourists’ needs based on the decision-making process of prior, current, and post-experience of medical tourists.

Medical tourism has emerged as a result of consumers being exposed to a wider range of choices of medical services and exponential growth in global healthcare market [ 1 ]. A combination of the terms “medical” and “tourism” [ 1 ], its main target is patients who visit other regions or countries for medical treatment. Therefore, the medical tourism industry is geared toward significant efforts to meet people’s desire for a better wellness with quality medical treatment [ 2 , 3 ]. According to the Allied Market Research [ 4 ], the net worth of the medical tourism market worldwide is estimated at $61.172 billion as of 2016 and is expected to increase to $165.3 billion by 2023.

The global growth of the medical tourism industry is most prominent in Asia, with Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, and India being well known as medical tourism countries. In a report “Estimates of the South Korea Medical Tourism Market and Expenditure to 2020,” Orbis Research [ 5 ] presented that highly skilled professionals, advanced medical devices, and well-established infrastructures are the factors that contribute to the rapid growth of medical tourism in South Korea.

Customers opting for medical tourism visit local hospitals in other countries and/or regions, where they use this opportunity to relax and enjoy cultural activities in addition to seeking medical treatment, maintenance, and recovery. Increased promotions of a wide range of one-stop medical services and advancements in medical technology have made traveling for treatment a rather convenient and attractive prospect for medical tourists [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]. Information retrieval for overseas medical care is one of the components in the decision-making process for medical tourism [ 6 ]. The quality of medical services and expertise of institutions in other countries may also be important factors since they influence patients’ access to medical information [ 1 ]. Therefore, the industry should extend greater efforts in this area to attract more patients.

Medical services create value-generating activities through an effective interaction of human resources (service providers and recipients), processes, technologies, and/or material resources. Interaction activities reflect consumer needs, and these activities can lead to improvements in medical services delivery [ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Therefore, the interaction at each service encounter is very important. Also, patient experience upon receiving medical services will influence future decision-making of patients, as has been shown in previous studies on the importance of experience [ 10 , 11 ]. The customer experience consists of multiple independent service encounters throughout the exchange process [ 11 ]. As a matter of fact, customer experience is becoming significantly more important as itself has become the target customer, and ideas proposed by customers can generate a value proposition, which can lead to a newer and improved revenue model [ 12 , 13 ].

Patients’ evaluation of a hospital’s medical services is based on his/her own experience or others’ recommendation influences not just the local population but also potential customers from overseas [ 14 ]. Ofir and Simonson [ 15 ] suggested that customer brand perceptions through purchase evaluations of experience have a significant effect on the customer’s experience. Thus, to obtain favorable customer reviews, healthcare organizations provide patient-oriented medical services mainly by interacting with their patients at each service encounter. This is why it is imperative to build processes that focus on delivering better, customer-oriented medical services for positive customer experience.

A process is a set of activities for creating value for the customer through input–process–output, so the process can vary depending on the requirements of the customer. Medical services are provided only when patients and medical staff meet in a service encounter. Therefore, various processes can be set up depending on the type and severity of the disease and the patient’s health condition. A more comprehensive approach may be needed as patient outcomes are a result of not just one process but a combination of processes before, during, and after the overall process of medical service. While customers search healthcare providers before their visit, their revisit intention is dependent on the institutions’ care processes and outcomes [ 9 , 11 ]. However, due to the nature of medical care, patients may not be able to easily switch medical institutions, their experience will nevertheless have a direct or indirect bearing on other prospective patients’ decisions [ 9 ].

While previous studies already have and continue to examine the importance of experience, they have focused largely on customer experience from arrival to departure rather than comprehensive processes [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 10 , 13 ]. As such, it is necessary to take a more holistic approach to studying customer experience through before, during, and after service provision. This study focuses on the decision-making process in customer experience. More specifically, it aims to examine the patient’s pre-experience of researching medical services abroad, the actual experience during their trip, and the post-experience after having received the medical services.

This study thus attempts to answer the following two basic research questions: (1) Does the experience of those who pre-searched for medical tourism impact their current experience in medical tourism? (2) Does patients’ experience during medical tour impact post-experience? A research model is proposed to answer these questions. The result of the study is expected to contribute to both theory and practice of medical tourism regarding customer experience through the decision-making process of prior, current, and post medical tours.

The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section “ Review of relevant literature ” reviews relevant literature and proposes conceptual development, section “ Research methodology ” develops the hypotheses; section “ Results ” presents the research methodology is presented, section “ Discussion and conclusions ” reports the results of analysis and concludes the study by articulating the results, implications, and limitations of the study, and future research needs.

Review of relevant literature

• Medical tourism

The definition of medical tourism varies among researchers depending on the choice of place and location (domestic or foreign) of medical tourism, the method and procedure applied, application, and/or processes. Generally, it is referred to as tourism activities related to medical treatments or activities to improve tourists’ well-being. The Medical Tourism Association [ 16 ] defines medical tourism as “where people who live in one country travel to another country to receive medical, dental and surgical care while at the same time receiving equal to or greater care than they would have in their own country, and are traveling for medical care because of affordability, better access to care or a higher level of quality of care.” Wongkit and Mckercher [ 17 ] defined medical tourism as “the travel of people to specific destinations to seek medical help that forms the primary purpose of their trip.”

The Tourism Research and Marketing [ 18 ] presented treatment of illnesses, enhancement/cosmetic surgery, wellness, and fertility-related treatments as types of medical tourism. Lunt et al. [ 19 ] described the range of treatments in the medical tourism sector, focusing mainly on the common factors suggested in many previous studies: “cosmetic surgery (breast, face, liposuction); dentistry (cosmetic and reconstruction); cardiology/cardiac surgery (bypass, valve replacement); orthopedic surgery (hip replacement, resurfacing, knee replacement, joint surgery); bariatric surgery (gastric bypass, gastric banding); fertility/reproductive system (IVF, gender reassignment); organ, cell and tissue transplantation (organ transplantation; stem cell); eye surgery and diagnostics and check-ups.”

The quality of medical services is one of the factors that potential customers consider most important [ 18 ]. This implies that the quality of medical service and its costs are the most important influencers in their decision on the destination for their medical tourism [ 20 ]. Lunt et al. [ 19 ] emphasized that customers should be informed of the potential benefits of medical tourism regarding credible evidence of quality care and safety of their stay. In particular, when compared to other service industries, where word-of-mouth plays a big role, the medical industry is relatively slow in adopting a business model focused on customer satisfaction. With the right focus on quality and outcomes of the medical service processes, including customer interaction with service providers, healthcare organizations should try to improve patient satisfaction. This will have a positive effect on attracting potential future customers, thus promoting medical tourism [ 21 ].

Ehrbeck et al. [ 22 ] suggested five factors that promote medical tourism through a survey of 49,980 patients: most advanced technology (40%), better-quality care for medically necessary procedures (32%), quicker access to medically necessary procedures (15%), lower-cost care for medically necessary procedures (9%), and lower-cost care for discretionary procedures (4%). Crook et al. [ 23 ] presented the following as the most frequently discussed topics on patient experience: (1) decision-making (e.g., push-and-pull factors that shape patients’ decisions); (2) motivations (e.g., procedure, costs, and travel-based factors motivating patients to seek care abroad); (3) risks (e.g., health and travel risks); and (4) first-hand accounts (e.g., patients’ experiential accounts of having gone abroad for medical care). Thus, we consider combining the factors suggested by Ehrbeck et al. [ 22 ] and Crook et al. [ 23 ] to devise new strategic measures for medical tourism.

Few potential medical tourists are aware of what products or services are available through medical tourism. Some may have misconceptions and fear of various situations, including anxiety about traveling possible dangers, culture shock, and language barriers. In addition, it is very difficult for medical tourists to search for healthcare providers with accurate information in different countries individually for the treatment of diseases and for finding relevant wellness/sightseeing information.

In general, unlike making a decision to buy commercial products or services, the decision-making process for medical tourism is very complicated as it also involves emotional aspects that lead to multidimensional behaviors [ 24 ]. A variety of factors can affect decision-making of medical tourism because it influences not only physical (medical services) but also mental (tour) health conditions during and after activities [ 22 , 23 ].

Medical tourism advertisements tend to focus too much on treatment results and outcomes rather than quality improvements and safety [ 25 ]. When customers base their decisions on over- or underestimated advertisements, there tends to be a gap between the expected and actual outcomes. The increasing media interest in medical tourism has made it popular on a global platform, and today, we can obtain information on medical tourism destinations through various channels, including newspapers, magazines, radio, and television programs [ 25 ]. Online marketing efforts via web help publicize medical tourism [ 26 , 27 ]. Ormond and Sothern [ 28 ] analyzed five medical tourism guide books and found that a common factor among the books was to encourage potential customers to tour rather than introduce destinations and international choices for medical services. Thus, a sufficient preliminary investigation in advance is necessary for medical tourism. Customers can make the final decision through proper search of a variety of information and comparing them with services offered by providers in other regions or countries. It is suggested that a synergistic approach is more effective when it is done in a comprehensive way than in a piecemeal information survey [ 29 ].

Medical services comprise those put into the service (patients and medical staff), organization (service providers, service or products), treatment procedures, and outcomes [ 30 ]. As each process generates activities for medical treatment through interaction with patients, Lee [ 12 ] divided the process of value creation into preprocessing, responding process, and resulting processes. The preprocessing refers to a set of preparative activities in advance of care services, the responding process as the one to respond to interactions during treatment, and the resulting processes as related to the prevention and outcome of disease. Thus, sufficient information should be provided to customers about the entire process rather than at the time of experiencing each process. Once customers achieve their goal of getting the desired outcome, they will go back home and may come back for further treatments for better quality of life or wellness (repurchase or any positive activities) or the other way around (negative activities). Customers make their decisions based on what they searched before selecting the destination. It means that they would first experience medical tourism through Googling; feedback from colleagues, friends, or family; or direct communication with the hospital.

Medical tourism is a major decision problem for the patient; it is much more involved than deciding to visit a local healthcare provider. The customer’s experience of medical tourism is the main factor that influences his/her satisfaction which in turn would influence revisit intention. Thus, it should be a major strategic priority for medical tourism hospitals and their administrators to develop a system that can provide positive experience to customers. Many tourism hospitals have a one-stop service system for their customers that may include such services as government documents (visa service), transportation (air flight reservations, airport pickup, shuttle service, etc.), language help, local hotel reservations, insurance processing, financial arrangements, local tour attractions, and the like. For example, Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, which is ranked ninth in the top ten hospitals in the world, provides a very efficient one-stop service to foreign customers (VIP airport transfers, interpreters, concierge services, embassy assistance, international insurance arrangements, and medical coordinators, see http://www.bangkok.com/hospitals-private-hospitals.htm ).

Experience of customers

Since customers’ overall satisfaction may be subjective, recent studies have emphasized the importance of customer experience and strategic approaches to improve the quality of medical services [ 12 ].

Merlino and Raman ([ 31 ], p.113) suggested that patient experience is a strategic priority and provided a broad definition: “The patient experience was everyone and everything people encountered from the time they decided to go to the clinic until they were discharged.” Meyer and Schwager ([ 7 ], p.118) defined customer experience as “the internal and subjective response customers have to any direct or indirect contact with a company”, and De Keyser et al. ([ 8 ], p.23) also suggested customer experience as “comprised of the cognitive, emotional, physical, sensorial, spiritual, and social elements.” These definitions imply that patient experience includes cognitive activities (e.g., checking reputation and searching other relevant information) before going to the hospital to the post-discharge behaviors (e.g., recommendation and feedback) with patient’s own emotional and subjective judgments.

In particular, medical tourism needs to be investigated thoroughly prior to the travel, because it focuses not only on information of medical institutions but also on the region or country where they will receive treatment. New advanced technologies can earn positive reviews from consumers and succeed only if they are unique in terms of their functions, convenience, and attractiveness. The positive images created from this could generate favorable responses from customers as they make comparisons based on actual use or indirect experience. In other words, customers’ direct or indirect experiences can affect their future repurchase intention.

The direct and indirect experience gained during the preliminary investigation will affect the process of receiving the actual medical service [ 12 ]. Further, if the gap between expectation and reality increases, there will be a decline in satisfaction. It will also affect revisit intention. In addition, since the medical services provided to patients with various diagnoses and administration services that are multidimensional, it is difficult to directly measure patient experience. As customer satisfaction might be improved based on their experience, customer satisfaction should also be included in the behavior of the customers’ preparation before arriving at the destination [ 12 ].

Verhoef et al. [ 11 ] suggested customer experience as “the total experience, including the search, purchase, consumption, and after-sale phases of the experience.” The prior experience occurs before purchase and consumption, and the purchase and consumption represents current experience, and after-sale/consumption experience represents post-experience. Therefore, in this study, the patient experience in medical tourism can be divided into prior experience for deciding on medical tourism, current experience during the treatment and/or medical tour, and post-experience after treatment and/or tour.

The prior experience includes the direct or indirect experience of customers during various activities before actually experiencing the main service, medical tourism. Patients can search various information, such as reputation, specialized treatment, and interesting tour destinations, directly or indirectly before choosing a hospital for the best possible treatment and service. Since the customer’s decision-making is based on a thorough prior investigation [ 7 ], sufficient communication with the customer is necessary. Patients can of course directly consult with the medical staff or service personnel of a hospital via video chatting (e. g., Skype or FaceTime) or telephone. In this study, the prior experience was categorized into checking reputation, searching information, and communication.

Through prior experience, customers make their final decisions for medical tourism, receive actual medical services, and have various other experiences. They are involved in direct communication with service providers, direct engagement in the service provision processes, and witnessing a gap between what they expected and the service actually received. Therefore, the current experience in this study refers to customer experience while engaging in various activities at the hospital, including interaction with service providers or other customers, use of information and comminutions technology (ICT), and enjoying the service environment. The current experience was categorized into checking costs, care quality, and supporting system and other relevant information.

Customers come to evaluate their own experience based on expectations, current experience, and other activities. Their experiences may generate either positive or negative impact on others. From the customers’ perspective, the post-experience influences the intention to repurchase or has a positive word-of-mouth. Service providers, on the other hand, may search for new ways to retain customers and improve their satisfaction through their post-experience (i.e., surveys or social networking). Sridhar and Srinivasan [ 32 ] suggested that the reviews customers read in advance actually influence purchase intention or encourage them to share their own feedback online after purchase and encouraged organizations to work hard to create positive customer experiences for “leaving good memories.” Thus, the post-experience of customers extends the processes continuously as it affects their prior, current, and post experience [ 10 ]. Consequently, the post-experience in this study refers to experiences that will influence patients’ decision on what to do after service provision. The post-experience includes relationship building, recommendation, and feedback.

As discussed earlier, decision-making for medical tourism can be determined with a variety of patient experiences. Thus, this study examines the effects of experience of medical tourists on the decision-making process. The proposed research model is shown in Fig.  1 .

Proposed research model

Hypotheses development

Prior and current experience.

As it is difficult to set clear standards on hospital selection, which is the most critical factor of medical tourism, and vacation spots, most patients make decisions based on their own experience, information technology, and prior patients’ feedback [ 10 ]. In recent years, with the advent of smart devices and ICT, both patients and providers can access the information they want directly or indirectly and can easily make their own decisions. The decision process is also influenced by the changing business environment as well as purchase patterns of patients [ 33 , 34 ].

Hospital reputation is an important factor in patients’ decision-making [ 18 ]. Ferguson et al. [ 35 ] argued that medical service providers can enforce patient loyalty and maximize word-of-mouth effect efficiently. Based on a study of hospitals in Taiwan, Cheng et al. [ 36 ] suggested that recommendations made by patients form an important factor in attracting patients for medical tourism. Therefore, recommendations from family, friends, or colleagues become a critical factor in hospital selection [ 36 ].

Prior experience begins with customers searching for, reviewing information, or asking someone about key services. Many customers seek information from online reviews, asking medical staff questions, or going through onboarding processes [ 10 ]. For instance, in prior experience, a customer may communicate with physicians by filling out documents before making an appointment, review information about hotels in the destination area, or use a Twitter before the trip. As mentioned above, current experience includes experiences during service delivery through meeting physicians, using hospital facilities, staying at a hotel, or visiting tourist attractions in the selected region [ 10 , 37 , 38 ].

Patients’ positive or negative perceptions are based on the quality of service they received at the hospital. They come to build these positive or negative images after comparing their expectations with what they actually experienced at the selected hospital at the time of getting the medical treatment. Since medical services are delivered through interaction between patients and physicians, patients show mixed responses depending on the kind of services they received at the hospital. Such variations in response result in from the gap between what they expected based on prior experience and their evaluation of the actual services, which will ultimately affect their future decision [ 12 ]. Therefore, prior experience should be considered to have an effect on current experience. The following hypothesis is proposed.

Hypothesis 1: Patients’ experience in medical tourism pre-search has a positive effect on their current experience.

H1-1: Reputation gained through the prior experience of a hospital has a positive effect on costs related with medical tourism.

H1-2: Reputation gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on care quality.

H1-3: Reputation gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on supporting system and/or information.

H1-4: Searching information gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on costs related with medical tourism.

H1-5: Searching information gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on care quality.

H1-6: Searching information gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on supporting system and/or information.

H1-7: Communication gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on costs related with medical tourism.

H1-8: Communication gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on care quality.

H1-9: Communication gained through the prior experience has a positive effect on supporting system and/or information.

Current and post experience

When a customer chooses a service through the evaluation of available information or word-of-mouth and dissatisfied with the service received, he/she may switch to another service provider. Even though patients themselves may not be able to change hospitals easily, owing to the nature of the medical service, their dissatisfaction can have a direct or indirect effect on others. For instance, patient “A” was discharged from hospital “B” after undergoing a surgery. Even if patient A is not satisfied with hospital B, he/she may be compelled to visit hospital B for a follow-up service. However, patient A may discourage potential patients from visiting hospital B through negative word-of-mouth based on his/her own experience. Therefore, to provide medical services with positive effects on other patients, hospital should recognize that the patient has selected a particular hospital after carefully considering and searching hospitals directly or indirectly. Especially, patients choose hospitals for medical tourism abroad because they are not satisfied with their current care providers. Consequently, provision of diverse and accurate information is necessary for medical tourism [ 2 , 3 ].

Previous studies suggest that patients make decision based on their cognitions about something ➔ evaluation and emotions ➔ acting for outcomes [ 10 ]. de al Hoz-Correa et al. ([ 2 ], p.208) pointed out that the key factor to be considered by the medical tourism industry in the future should be the “consequences of commodification in healthcare pressures for privatization of health in departure and host countries.” This means that hospitals should take measures for more effective communication and provide adequate explanations during the medical treatment and try to relieve patient dissatisfaction by offering follow-up options. In addition, hospitals should offer patients guidance regarding medical insurance before treatment so as to prevent any conflict after the treatment. Therefore, medical tourism hospitals should provide all the pertinent information to potential patients so that they can make intelligent decisions in selecting the best hospital for their unique needs with quality care and positive experience. By doing so, they can create positive outcomes. Such activities could encourage patients to have positive experiences, share their satisfaction with others, and make more visits in the future.

Revisit intention is based on patients’ overall experience of the service, which will influence their future decisions. Polluste et al. [ 39 ] stated that revisit intention can be positively influenced by respecting and reflecting patient demands and opinions, and striving to improve patient experience through direct interaction with patients. Therefore, the current experience during treatment or at a tourism spot influences post-experience and encourages multiple visits and positive word-of-mouth effects [ 40 ]. Thus, the following hypothesis is suggested.

Hypothesis 2: Patients’ current experience during the medical tour process has a positive effect on post-experience.

H2-1: Costs related with medical tourism gained through the patients’ current experience has a positive effect on relationship building.

H2-2: Costs related with medical tourism gained through the patients’ current experience has a positive effect on recommendation.

H2-3: Costs related with medical tourism gained through the current experience has a positive effect on feedback.

H2-4: Care quality gained through the current experience has a positive effect on relationship building.

H2-5: Care quality gained through the current experience has a positive effect on recommendation.

H2-6: Care quality gained through the current experience has a positive effect on feedback.

H2-7: Supporting system and/or information gained through the current experience has a positive effect on relationship building.

H2-8: Supporting system and/or information gained through the current experience has a positive effect on recommendation.

H2-9: Supporting system and/or information gained through the current experience has a positive effect on feedback.

Data collection

Data was collected from medical tourists who were in stable enough conditions for this survey and were willing to participate. Hospitals in this survey participated on a voluntary basis. The main reason for using this sampling approach was that South Korea represents a major country with highly skilled professionals, advanced medical devices, and well-established infrastructures for medical tourism [ 5 ]. The target population of this study was the international medical tourists traveling to seeking medical services in selected hospitals in Busan, South Korea during April 2018–May 2018. The researcher was assisted by the hospitals’ administration team, and the hospital staff assisted in finding medical tourists at the time of research and provided the responses to the researcher.

A survey questionnaire was developed using the double translation protocol [ 41 ]. The questionnaire was developed in English first and then translated into Korean by two bilingual operations management faculty in Korea. The Korean version was translated back into English by two American operations management experts who are also bilingual. The two English versions of the questionnaire had no significant difference.

The initial questionnaire was tested in a pilot survey involving 30 participating medical tourists in a Korean hospital. The reasons for this pilot test were to ensure the participating medical tourists clearly and fully understood the questionnaire items. After the pilot study, the number of measurement items of each variable was reduced as some items suggested by managers were difficult to measure precisely. The final questionnaire is shown in Table  1 and provides the measurement items for prior, current, and post experience of medical tourists.

To collect data, we were helped by the medical staff and medical consultants since patients were from various countries (Japan, China, Russia, Mongolia, and others) and the participating hospitals in this study were all medical tourism hospitals. Out of 500 questionnaires that were distributed to medical tourists, subsequently, 188 (37.6%) responses returned useable questionnaires. The respondents’ demographics and their hospitals’ characteristics are summarized in Table  2 .

As shown in Table  2 , majority respondents’ nationality is Japanese (53.7%), Chinese (16.5%), and Russian (10.6%),

Of respondents, 92% traveled to Korea for the first time, and another 18% were here for the second time. Majority of the respondents are going to stay more than 15 days to less than 22 days in Korean (70.4%). A total of 80.9% of respondents’ primary purpose of this visit is to receive medical service, while not medical service was 19.1%. About 30.3% of medical tourist wanted to cosmetic/plastic/reconstructive surgery, and 26.1% wanted to dental treatment during their trip in Korea. Almost (96.3%) of respondents made their decision based on word-of-mouth information and 3.7% on their experiences. More than half (53.7%) of the respondents chose medical tourism because of medical costs, and then quality of care service (24.5%).

Variables of the model

The questionnaire utilized 5-point Likert scales to measure the constructs. The data was analyzed by SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0 programs. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was chosen because it provides all the tools necessary to test the hypotheses.

Reliability was tested based on Cronbach’s alpha value (Table  3 ). In the reliability test, Cronbach’s alpha value of relationship building on post-experience was highest (.945), and supporting system and/or information on current experience was lowest (.736). All of the coefficients of reliability measures for the constructs exceeded the threshold value of .70 for exploratory constructs in basic research [ 42 ].

For validity test, the principal component analysis (PCA; minimizes the sum of squared perpendicular distance to the component axis) and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to identify the most meaningful basis and to examine similarities and differences of the data based on Brown’s [ 43 ] recommendation. Eigen values and percent of variance explained for each construct are shown in Table  3 . The cumulative percentages of explained variance were exceeded 70% for the each constructs on statistics of PCA. The loading values of each factor ranged from .566 (CQ5) to .957 (RB4) as shown in Table  3 .

The results of CFA can provide evidence of the convergent and discriminant validity of theoretical constructs [ 44 ]. This measurement model consisted of nine components of reputation, searching information, communication, costs, care quality, supporting system and/or information, relationship building, recommendation, and feedback. The standardized factor loadings and t values for measurement variables, results of CFAs to test the measurement model for all construct using the AMOS 23 program, are presented in Table  3 . The values of standardized regression weight and all variables proposed by the study exceeded .5 and were statistically significant at the .05 level.

The results of goodness of fit test for the measurement model are summarized and shown in Table  4 . Compared to the recommended values for the goodness of fit tests, the values of CFI, RMR, RMSEA, TLI, and χ2/d.f. were satisfactory, while the value of GFI was not. Deepen [ 44 ] suggested that GFI is desired to be over 0.9; however, “this must not automatically require the model to be rejected.” In our model, the majority of fit indices showed good acceptance measures and only GFI and AGFI were below the required thresholds.

To identify whether a single factor does account for the majority of the total variance of all the measurements, common method variance (CMV) was tested. Tehseen et al. [ 45 ] suggested Harman’s single-factor test and controlling for the effects of an unmeasured latent methods factor by Podsakoff et al. [ 46 ] for CMV test. For Harman’s single-factor test, an exploratory factor analysis (estimates factors which influence responses on observed variables in the data) employed the unrotated factor to account for the variance in the variables. Nine factors with an eigenvalue greater than one were identified and that the largest factor accounted for 36.404% of the total variance, less than 50% of the total variance is acceptable as per Harman’s single factor test. For controlling for the effects of an unmeasured latent methods factor, we added a single common latent factor on measurement model to connect it to all observed variables in the measurement model of the study [ 46 ]. As shown in Table  4 , the results indicated that the original measurement was similar to that of the extended model with an inclusion of the common latent factor. It means that common method bias would not be of concern [ 47 ].

Table  5 provides the square roots of average variance extracted (AVE) of latent variables, while the off-diagonal elements are correlations between latent variables. Campbell and Fiske [ 48 ] suggested that the construct validity is tested by discriminant and convergent validity. For discriminant validity, the square root of the AVE of any latent variable should be greater than the correlation between this particular latent variable and other latent variables [ 49 ]. For convergent validity of the measurement model, Fornell and Larcker [ 50 ] recommended that AVE measures the level of variance captured by a construct versus the level due to measurement error, values above .7 are considered very good, and the level of .5 is acceptable. The acceptable value of critical ratio (CR) is .7 and above.

Statistics shown in Table  5 satisfied this requirement, leading to discriminant validity. As the values of AVE and CR of reputation, searching information, communication, costs, care quality, supporting system and/or information, relationship building, recommendation, and feedback were all greater than .6 and .8, respectively, thus convergent validity met the threshold. Statistics shown in Table  5 therefore satisfied this requirement, lending evidence to construct validity as discriminant and convergent validity.

This section presents the results of hypotheses testing, including the standardized coefficient of each path in the model. As a result of the goodness of fit test, compared to the recommended values, in this model the values of GFI (.857), CFI (.929), RMSEA (.058), RMR (.068), TLI (.920), and χ 2 /d.f (1.639) were good for fit. In our model, the majority of fit indices showed good acceptance measures and GFI (.857) and RMR (.068) were below the required threshold.

Table  6 presents the results of the significance test for the proposed research model as well as the summary of the hypotheses test. For H1-1, H1-2, and H1-3 tests, patients’ experience of their decision-making process before care, the standardized path coefficient between reputation and costs related with medical tourism (H1-1), care quality (H1-2), and supporting system and/or information (H1-3) were .030, .112, and .094, respectively. H1-2 was statistically significant at the .05 level, while H1-1 and H1-3 were not significant. Thus, H1-2 ( β  = .112) was supported, while H1-1 ( β  = .030) and H1-3 ( β  = .094) were not supported.

With a well-known hospital for medical tourism, patients seek to ensure a positive experience with quality care by engaging in activities before care to ensure their satisfaction [ 19 ]. Thus, before making a final medical tourism decision, patients research the reputation of a particular hospital in advance, ensure that the hospital’s communication enables them to achieve what they desire, and locate information through various media. Among the pre-care activities for medical tourism examined in the study, the hospital’s reputation was shown to have a positive impact on the quality of care [ 35 , 36 ], but not on the costs related with medical tourism or on the supporting system and/or information within a hospital.

For H1-4, H1-5, and H1-6 test, the standardized path coefficients between searching information on medical tourism and costs related to medical tourism (H1-4), care quality (H1-5), and supporting system and/or information (H1-6) were .519, .796, and .297, respectively, and statistically significant at the .05 level, supporting H1-4, H1-5, and H1-6.

The results of this study supported previous studies [ 6 , 10 , 25 ], which found that searching medical tourism has shown a positive impact on costs related with medical tourism, care quality, and supporting system and/or information. This means that researching for information in advance leads to a positive experience while visiting the hospital abroad. New digital devices provide opportunities for searching for accurate information through easy access to technology systems [ 51 , 52 ].

For H1-7 test, the standardized path coefficient between communication about medical tourism and costs related with medical tourism (H1-7) was .377 and statistically significant at the .001 level, supporting H1-7. For H1-8 and H1-9, the standardized path coefficient between care quality (H1-8) and supporting system and/or information (H1-9) were .108 and .259, respectively, and not statistically significant at the .05 level. The result of H1-7 test was supported, while H1-8 and H1-9 were not supported. From these results, the following can be summarized.

No matter how well-coordinated decisions between a patient and a provider are, what patients expect based on prior experiences does not have a positive impact on care experiences. Some patients did not expect that high-quality care and a good supporting system and information would be provided in advance of the care. When medical tourists have good communication with a potential hospital provider, they positively weigh that communication in making medical tourism decision [ 53 ]. Thus, hospitals should honor the medical costs quoted and provide the quality of care and information that were promised in communications, both before and during care.

For H2-1, H2-2 and H2-3 tests, patients’ current experience during their trip in Korea, the standardized path coefficient between cost related to medical tourism and relationship building with the hospital (H2-1), recommendation for medical tourism (H2-2), and feedback for the hospital (H2-3) were .147, .423, and .372, respectively, and statistically significant at the .05 level. Thus, H2-1, H2-2, and H2-3 were supported.

For H2-4, H2-5, and H2-6, the standardized path coefficients between care quality and relationship building with the hospital (H2-4), recommendation for medical tourism (H2-5), and feedback for the hospital (H2-6) were .800, .732, and .545, respectively, and statistically significant at the .001 level. Thus, H2-4, H2-5, and H2-6 were supported.

For H2-7 and H2-8 tests, the standardized path coefficient between supporting system and/or information to patients and relationship building with the hospital (H2-7) and recommendation for medical tourism (H2-8) were .589 and .165 respectively, and statistically significant at the .05 level. Thus, H2-7 and H2-8 were supported. For H2-9, the standardized path coefficient between supporting system and/or information to patients and feedback for the hospital (H2-9) was .036, and not statistically significant at the .05 level; thus, H2-9 was not supported.

The results of the study are similar to those of previous studies [ 36 , 54 ]. Costs related with medical tourism had a positive impact on the relationship building with the hospital, recommendation for medical tourism, and feedback for the hospital. Thus, costs associated with medical tourism are a key factor that supports a thriving medical tourism industry.

Heung et al. [ 55 ] suggested that key players in medical tourism as hospitals, medical travel agencies, hotels, and the medical tourists themselves. As with previous studies [ 36 , 54 ], the importance of care quality must be acknowledged by service providers because most medical tourists’ expectations exceeded their perceptions of the quality of care provided. Therefore, healthcare facilities with medical tourism should be provided high standards of care quality and be permitted to facilitate cross national travel to improve healthcare services.

Based on the result of this study, medical travel facilitators should consider providing supporting systems and/or information to patients as a one-stop service offering integrated knowledge of medical care services and travel [ 56 ]. Hospital management could actively focus on achieving better care outcomes if supporting systems and/or information were provided by medical travel facilitators in advance.

Discussion and conclusions

Medical tourism industry has drawn attention from international patients, travel agencies, governments, and the international accreditation sector [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]. Medical tourism can be arranged by the patients themselves by researching and booking on the internet, as well as by medical travel agencies [ 24 , 29 ]. Therefore, medical tourists have information on the best and most well-known healthcare providers and travel arrangements before embarking on medical tourism (pre-experience), and then the medical tourism experience (current experience) affects whether the tourist will recommend the medical provider to other potential customers (post-experience). Thus, this paper advances the idea that all three stages of a patient’s experience affect the medical tourism industry.

In this empirical study, we collected data to examine pre-experiences (e.g., reputation, searching information, and communication), current experiences (e.g., cost, care quality, and supporting system and/or information), and post-experiences (e.g., relationship building, recommendation, and feedback) in the medical tourism industry. The results of this study provide new insights about how key players (e.g., hospitals, medical travel agencies, hotels, and the medical tourists themselves) in medical tourism can effectively help managers identify medical tourists’ needs based on medical tourists’ decision-making process of pre, current, and post experience of medical tourism. In addition, the study sheds light on the perception of medical tourists on care quality and costs, as well as their future intention to obtain healthcare in the same hospital or country. Patient experience based on their interaction with medical staff and/or coordinators should be given as much importance as accuracy of diagnosis, treatment, and procedures.

The most important service attributes, which are highly attractive to international patients, will help medical travel agencies improve the information provided and develop innovative ideas among key players in medical tourism. As a variety of information retrieval functions grow and digital devices spread [ 52 ], medical tourism will gain a competitive edge by providing medical tourism information. Consumers will also have more opportunities to access information using comparative searches through different media.

Academically and practically, this paper provides several implications. First, developing and expanding a well-developed medical travel procedure based on patients’ experiences is a prerequisite for successful medical tourism. Such decision-making process could be measured by integrating three types of customer experience to enhance customer satisfaction. Because many hospitals and travel agencies are striving to develop new protocols using advanced technologies, the proposed model should be easy to access and the reservation process should be simple. For example, a one-stop service system can help with travel arrangements, arrange airport pick up and local transportation, hotel recommendations, ancillary services at the hospital, scheduling tours to selected destinations, coordinating with insurance companies, and assisting with other paper work. To build an effective medical travel process for patients, healthcare facilities and travel facilitators must fulfill their promises. In other words, the promised services and costs should be provided without fail. For example, policymakers should ensure that the standard model of medical tourism include internationally accepted standardized care processes and insurance. The qualification criteria for medical tourism agents/brokers should be developed and enforced globally. Since customers from various countries visit a hospital, to overcome barriers to global medical tourism, the use of standardized communication devices should be available for customer convenience.

This study has several limitations that should be considered when interpreting its findings, and future studies should also consider these limitations. First, the study assumed that hospitals visited by medical tourists have the same medical environments. Second, to collect data, we did not consider personal experiences and preferences for researching information. Third, data was collected from medical tourists in Korean hospitals located in Busan, South Korea, without considering the number of beds in the hospitals. Thus, the generalizability of this study’s results may be limited. There are several potential future research opportunities considering these limitations. For example, as there are many different hospital sizes, a comparative study of small and large hospitals in terms of care quality and costs might yield interesting results. In addition, there are many different data characteristics based on the type of patients, disease conditions, and demographic characteristics (e.g., personal experience researching information with different media used, personal income, gender, etc.) that could be studied.

Lajevardi M (2016) A comprehensive perspective on medical tourism context and create a conceptual framework. J Tourism Hospitality 5(5):1–12

Article   Google Scholar  

de la Hoz-Correa A, Muñoz-Leiva F, Bakucz M (2018) Past themes and future trends in medical tourism research: a co-word analysis. Tour Manag 65:200–211

Ngamvichaikit A, Beise-Zee R (2014) Communication needs of medical tourists: an exploratory study in Thailand. Int J Pharm Healthc Mark 8(1):98–117

Allied Market Research (AMR) (2018) Medical tourism market expected to reach $165,345 million, by 2023. https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/medical-tourism-market.html .

Google Scholar  

Orbis Research (2017) Medical tourism market shaped by innovation, shifting competitive landscape, forecast to 2022. https://www.reuters.com/brandfeatures/venture-capital/article?id=17353

Altin M, Singal M, Kara D (2011) Consumer decision components for medical tourism: a stakeholder approach. The 16th Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism, University of Massachusetts, pp 1–11

Meyer C, Schwager A (2007) Understanding customer experience. Harv Bus Rev 85(2):116–126

De Keyser A, Lemon K, Keiningham T, Klaus P (2015) A framework for understanding and managing the customer experience. MSI working paper no. 15–121. Marketing Science Institute, Cambridge

Lee S, Lee D, Olson D (2013) Health-care quality management using the MBHCP excellence model. Total Qual Manage Bus Excell 24(1–2):119–137

Voorheesa C, Fombelleb P, Gregoirec Y, Boned S, Gustafssone A, Sousaf R, Walkowiakg T (2017) Service encounters, experiences and the customer journey: defining the field and a call to expand our lens. J Bus Res 79:269–280

Verhoef P, Lemon K, Parasuraman A, Roggeveen A, Schlesinger L, Tsiros M (2009) Customer experience: determinants, dynamics and management strategies. J Retail 85(1):31–41

Lee D (2017) A model for designing healthcare service based on the patient experience. Int J Healthc Manage (on-line) http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20479700.2017.1359956

Wolf J, Niederhauser V, Marshburn D, LaVela S (2014) Defining patient experience. Patient Exp J 1(1):7–19

Nugraha A, Hamin H, Elliott G (2016) Tourism destination decisions: the impact of risk aversion and prior experience. Asia Pac J Tourism Res 21(12):1274–1284

Ofir C, Simonson I (2007) The effect of stating expectations on customer satisfaction and shopping experience. J Mark Res 44(1):164–174

Medical Tourism Association: http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/en/medical-tourism-faq-s.html . Accessed 10 May 2018.

Wongkit M, McKercher B (2013) Toward a typology of medical tourists: a case study of Thailand. Tour Manag 38:4–12

Tourism Research and Marketing (TRAM) (2006) Medical tourism: a global analysis/ a report by tourism research and marketing. ATLAS, Arnhem

Lunt N, Smith R, Exworthy M, Green S, Horsfall D, Mannion R (2011) Medical tourism: treatments, market and health system implications: a scoping review. OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, p. 7

Tarcan E, Ates M, Sait VE (2015) An evaluation related to the effect of strategic facility management on choice of medical tourism destination. Marketing 46(2):124–131

Youngman I (2011) How medical tourism lost its way…and how it can get back on track. Int Med Trav J Retrieved from http://www.imtj.com/articles/how-industry-lost-its-way-and-how-it-can-get-back-track/

Ehrbeck T, Guevara C, Mango P (2008) Mapping the market for medical travel. McKinsey Quarterly:1-11. Retrieved from https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Mapping_the_market_for_travel_2134 .

Crooks V, Kingsbury P, Snyder J, Johnston R (2010) What is known about the patient's experience of medical tourism? A scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res 10(266):1–12

Crouch G, Louviere J (2001) A review of choice modelling research in tourism, hospitality and leisure. Consum Psychol Tourism Hospitality Leis 2:67–86

Horowitz MD, Rosensweig JA, Jones CA (2007) Medical tourism: globalization of the healthcare marketplace. Medscape Gen Med 9(4):33–39

Crooks VA, Turner L, Snyder J, Johnston R, Kingsbury P (2011) Promoting medical tourism to India: messages, images, and the marketing of international patient travel. Soc Sci Med 72(5):726–732

Snyder J, Crooks VA, Adams K, Kingsbury P, Johnston R (2011) The patient’s physician one-step removed: the evolving roles of medical tourism facilitators. J Med Ethics 37(9):530–534

Ormond M, Sothern M (2012) You, too, can be an international medical traveler: reading medical travel guidebooks. Health Place 18(5):935–941

Johnston R, Crooks V, Snyder J, Kingsbury P (2010) What is known about the effects of medical tourism in destination and departure countries? A scoping review. Int J Equity Health 9(24):1–13

Trusko B, Pexton C, Harrington H, Gupta P (2007) Improving healthcare quality and cost with six sigma. FT Press, Upper Saddle River

Merlino J, Raman A (2013) Health care’s service fanatics: how the Cleveland clinic leaped to the top of the patient-satisfaction surveys. Harv Bus Rev 91(5):108–116

Sridhar S, Srinivasan R (2012) Social influence effects in online product ratings. J Mark 76(5):70–88

Gavett G (2015) How self-service kiosks are changing customer behavior. Harv Bus Rev 93(3):1–6

Larivière B, Bowen D, Andreassen T, Kunz W, Sirianni N, Voss C, Wünderlich N, Keyser A (2017) Service encounter 2.0: an investigation into the roles of technology, employees and customers. J Bus Res 79:238–246

Ferguson RJ, Paulin M, Leiriao E (2007) Loyalty and positive word-of-mouth: patients and hospital personnel as advocates of a customer-centric health care organization. Health Mark Q 23(3):59–77

Cheng SH, Yang MC, Chiang TL (2003) Patient satisfaction with and recommendation of a hospital: effects of interpersonal and technical aspects of hospital care. Int J Qual Healthc 15(4):345–355

Lemon K, Verhoef P (2016) Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. J Mark 80(6):69–96

Lee D, Kim K (2017) Assessing healthcare service quality: a comparative study of patient treatment types. Int J Qual Innov 3(1):1–15 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40887-016-0010-5

Polluste K, Kalda R, Lember M (2000) Primary health care system in transition: the patient’s experience. Int J Qual Health Care 12(6):503–509

Jeong J (2014) Healthcare service quality and its effects on perceived service value and consumer satisfaction. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Ga Chon, Korea

Harkness J (2011) Guidelines for best practice in cross-cultural surveys. Survey Research Center, University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor

Nunnally J (1978) Psychometric theory, 2nd edn. McGraw Hill, NY

Brown T (2006) Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. The Guilford Press, NY

Deepen J (2009) Logistics outsourcing relationships. Springer: Physica Verlag, Heidelberg

Tehseen S, Ramayah T, Sajilan S (2017) Testing and controlling for common method variance: a review of available methods. J Manage Sci 4(2):142–168

Podsakoff P, MacKenzie S, Lee J, Podsakoff N (2003) Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. J Appl Psychol 88(5):879–903

Satorra A, Bentler P (2001) A scaled difference chi-square test statistic for moment structure analysis. Psychometrika 66:507–514

Campbell D, Fiske D (1959) Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychol Bull 56(2):81–105

Barclay D, Thompson R, Higgins C (1995) The partial least squares (PLS) approach to causal modeling: personal computer adoption and use as an illustration. Technol Stud 2(2):285–309

Fornell C, Larcker D (1981) Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. J Mark Res 18(1):39–50

Al-Maaitah H (2016) An investigation of the acquisition and experience of medical tourism: the case of Jordan. Doctor of Dissertation. Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan

Lee S (2018) Innovation: from small “i” to large “I”. Int J Qual Innov 4(2):1–3 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40887-018-0022-4

Li R, Suh A (2015) Factors influencing information credibility on social media platforms: evidence from Facebook pages. Procedia Comput Sci 72:314–328

Boulding W, Glickman SW, Manary MP, Schulman KA, Staelin R (2011) Relationship between patient satisfaction with inpatient care and hospital readmission within 30 days. Am J Manage Care 17(1):41–48

Heung V, Kucukusta D, Song H (2010) A conceptual model of medical tourism: implications for future research. J Travel Tour Mark 27(3):236–251

Jagyasi P (2010) Medical tourism impact it’s more than obvious. Retrieved from: http://www.medicaltourismmag.com/medical-tourism-impact-itaes-more-than-obvious/

Saiprasert W (2011) An examination of the medical tourists motivational behavior and perception: a structural model. Doctoral Dissertation. Oklahoma State University, USA

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Busan Women’s College in 2018.

Availability of data and materials

Data will not be shared, and give the reason.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Busan Women’s college, Busan, South Korea

Soonae Hwang

College of Business Administration, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea

Department of Medical Information, Daejeon Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea

Chang-Yuil Kang

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the developing research model, data collection, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to DonHee Lee .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Hwang, S., Lee, D. & Kang, CY. Medical tourism: focusing on patients’ prior, current, and post experience. Int J Qual Innov 4 , 4 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40887-018-0024-2

Download citation

Received : 04 July 2018

Accepted : 28 August 2018

Published : 12 September 2018

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s40887-018-0024-2

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Prior-current-post experience
• Medical tourists
• Decision-making process
• South Korea

Stem cell injections in Mexico can be hazardous. Report identifies US victims.

Health experts are alerting travelers considering medical care abroad about a trio of recent drug-resistant bacterial infections caused by stem cell injections at Mexican clinics.

After stem cell treatments abroad, three Americans became infected by mycobacterium abscessus, a distant relative of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy. In a report published Thursday , U.S. medical experts said they fear additional infections from the injections could have been missed. Two patients shared bacteria with identical genetic material even though their procedures happened in clinics hundreds of miles apart. The incidents have raised concerns about others who sought stem cell injection treatments abroad. The procedure is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“It's hard to put an exact number, because unfortunately, nobody seems to be monitoring this very closely,” said Dr. Charles Daley, a pulmonologist at National Jewish Health, a hospital in Denver. “There's very little oversight.”

Medical tourism: Why are more people traveling abroad for cosmetic surgery, and what are the risks?

Medical tourism, when Americans travel abroad for treatments, has been on the rise in recent years. As many as 320,000 U.S. citizens travel internationally for medical care each year, according to the State Department . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the number of medical tourists each year is likelier in the millions. Mexico is a common destination for dental and plastic surgery. There isn't firm data on the prevalence of travel for embryonic stem cell injections, but studies have shown the dangers of undergoing the unproven treatment . Several websites promote what they say are cheap, safe and legal options for injections in Mexico.

Hospitals often refer people with abscessus infections to the National Jewish Health’s mycobacterial and respiratory infections division, where Daley is chief. He and other researchers published their findings Thursday afternoon in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

The abscessus bacterium can cause infections – often in the skin or lungs – that are difficult to treat, even with antibiotics. They fester in open wounds or injections. Infections of this type are often caused by medical devices that haven’t been properly disinfected. They can cause boils and pus-filled cysts, according to the CDC. Other symptoms of infection are fever, chills and muscle aches. Infections are associated with cosmetic surgeries. 

In spring 2023, Daley saw an Arizona man in his 60s with an abscessus bone and joint infection on his right elbow after he'd gone for embryonic stem cell injections at a clinic in the Mexican state of Baja California the previous year. 

In October 2022, a Colorado woman in her 30s traveled to a different Baja clinic to get embryonic stem cells injected into her spine to treat multiple sclerosis. She developed headaches and fevers similar to meningitis, an infection that inflames fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. After being treated at the University of Colorado in Aurora later that year, she was referred to National Jewish Health. 

National Jewish Health treated a third case, a Colorado man in his 60s, who received stem cell injections in his knees for osteoarthritis in October 2022 in Guadalajara, an urban hub in central-western Mexico. He subsequently developed infections in both knees. 

Researchers found all three patients had received stem cell injections. They then worked to sequence the bacterium’s genetic material. In the cases of the Arizona man and the Colorado woman who had received injections in Baja, they found the same rare sub-species of the bacterium. The Baja clinics were 167 miles apart. 

The details for the third case, the Colorado man, remain unclear. Daley said cultures for his bacterium strain weren’t saved by Mexican officials. 

Health officials with Colorado, Arizona and the CDC contacted health authorities in Mexico, where staff said they weren’t aware of the infections, Daley said. It doesn’t appear there’s any investigation into a possible outbreak, he added. 

Over a year-and-a-half after their treatments, all three patients are still in ongoing treatment for their infections. Daley said they are on a combination of antibiotics commonly used to treat pneumonia and leprosy.

Doctors are searching for additional cases of patients who may have developed infections after stem cell injections. Daley said it makes sense why Americans might opt for cheaper options abroad, but people should have a "buyer beware" notice.

“We understand the pressure to do it,” Daley said. “But it comes with risks that I don't think people understand.”

Official websites use .mass.gov

Secure websites use HTTPS certificate

A lock icon ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the official website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

• search    across the entire site
• search  in Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality
• search  in Department of Public Health
• search  in Executive Office of Health and Human Services
• This page, Steward Health Care Resources, is   offered by
• Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality
• Department of Public Health

Steward Health Care Resources

Get updates about Steward Health Care facilities in Massachusetts.

All Steward hospitals and outpatient facilities in Massachusetts are open and operating as usual.

On May 6, 2024, Steward Health Care, a health care company that operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts, announced  it filed for protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws to address its financial difficulties while determining a future course for its hospitals. Nothing will change immediately. Steward facilities in Massachusetts are open, operational, and providing care and services to patients and families.  

The Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to preserving access to care and services . Since January, the Department of Public Health (DPH), which oversees safety and quality of health care in Massachusetts, has continued to monitor all the Steward hospitals to confirm they have the supplies, equipment, and staffing available to meet the standards required by the state. DPH will continue monitoring throughout the transition.

Table of Contents

For patients.

If you get care at a Steward facility, there is no need to make changes to your medical care. Your appointments, screenings, treatments, and therapies should continue to occur as usual. If there are any changes, your provider should be in touch directly with you to make any adjustments to your appointments. If you have any questions about your care, please contact your provider.  

Emergency/urgent care 

If you are experiencing a health care emergency, dial 911. 

The Emergency Departments (EDs) at Steward hospitals are open and functioning. Patients who receive care at Steward hospitals and from Steward-associated providers may continue to go to their usual Steward EDs if they need the care that an ED offers.

EDs across the state continue to be very busy, and long waits are common. Patients experiencing illness or injuries that do not require the level of care provided in the ED, should consider going to an urgent care center. 

Prescriptions

Prescriptions come from physicians or other health care providers. You should be able to continue any prescriptions by contacting your provider’s office and getting your medications through your usual pharmacy.

Medical records

If you are in need of your hospital medical records, you will still be able to access them from your online portal and from all Steward hospital locations. Your physicians will be able to provide you with your physician records. Please contact your provider directly for your records. 

Transportation

Transportation services may be available to help you get to medical appointments in Massachusetts. Visit health care transportation to learn more about non-emergency transportation for MassHealth members, long-distance medical shuttles, and other transportation services. 

Additional resources

Commonwealth’s Steward Health Care Call Center  If you have questions that are not addressed on this webpage, you can call the Commonwealth’s dedicated Steward Health Care call center at (617) 468-2189 , or toll-free at (833) 305-2070 . The call center is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. E.T. (excluding Massachusetts holidays).

MassHealth MassHealth provides health benefits and help paying for them to qualifying children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities living in Massachusetts. The MassHealth Customer Service Center may be reached at (800) 841-2900. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Health Care for All The Health Care For All HelpLine is a free multi-lingual statewide resource to help enroll Massachusetts residents into health insurance coverage. If you have health insurance questions, issues with state insurance programs, or need a referral, call  (800) 272-4232  or fill out a form online .
• Massachusetts Senior Care Association The Massachusetts Senior Care Association provides information and referral services to older adults and people with disabilities. Call  800-CARE-FOR  or learn about care options on  maseniorcare.org .

For employees

The Commonwealth is working closely with Steward Heath Care, employee unions, and other health care providers to protect jobs and keep employees in place. Steward providers and staff are essential to maintaining the quality and safety of care at all Steward hospitals.

All employees will continue to be paid for every hour worked, in accordance with bankruptcy law. Employees should speak with their supervisor regarding any questions or concerns they have. 

About the Chapter 11 process

Steward has filed for Chapter 11  protection in the state of Texas, where the parent company is headquartered. Chapter 11 provides a proven, orderly process for companies facing financial challenges – including hospitals – to address liabilities while continuing to operate and serve their various stakeholders (e.g. employees, patients, communities). 

Commonwealth representatives will be in Court to advocate for our local interests. We have been closely monitoring the situation at Steward hospitals for months with the goal of preserving patient safety, protecting jobs, and ensuring access to health care across Massachusetts.

How to file a complaint

Do you have concerns about care provided at a Steward hospital? File a complaint with the Department of Public Health . 

Steward-owned facilities

Contact   for steward health care resources, commonwealth’s steward health care call center.

Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. E.T. (excluding Massachusetts holidays)

Help Us Improve Mass.gov   with your feedback

The feedback will only be used for improving the website. If you need assistance, please contact the Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality . Please limit your input to 500 characters.

Thank you for your website feedback! We will use this information to improve this page.

If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site.

Sign up for the Health News Florida newsletter

New florida law can help make police aware of drivers with disabilities.

The law will be part of the motor vehicle registration process. Sponsors say it will make officers mindful of possible medical conditions of someone in the vehicle who may not respond to commands as expected.

A new law ( HB 341 ) signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis lets people voluntarily indicate on their driving record whether they have a disability.

Its called the Safeguarding American Families Everywhere (SAFE) Act, and it will be part of the state's motor vehicle registration process. Tallahassee Democratic Rep. Allison Tant sponsored the measure.

"There’s someone in the vehicle who may not respond to commands or request by those officers in the way they’re accustomed to," Tant said during a House Infrastructure Strategies Committee.

Drivers with disabilities will be recognized in the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles system with the word “SAFE," though, that could be removed at any time.

The provision covers parents in Florida whose child has been diagnosed with a disability or disorder. Advocates say the SAFE initiative will make officers more aware of medical conditions during routine traffic stops.

Proud of the work, we did this year to create the SAFE act (HB 341) that will allow family members to register the word “safe” on license plates as a tool in the toolbox to help prevent tragedies like this one. When law-enforcement approach, persons with cognitive disabilities… — Michelle Salzman (@michellesalzman) March 15, 2024

The law goes into effect Oct. 1.

The application form for motor vehicle registration must allow an applicant to indicate any of the following disabilities or disorders:

• Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder
• Down syndrome
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Traumatic brain injury
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Autoimmune disorder

Copyright 2024 WFSU

Steward Health Care files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

• markherzradio
• katielannan

Financially troubled Steward Health Care filed for bankruptcy Monday morning in a federal court in Texas, where it’s based, saying in a statement that “Steward does not expect any interruptions in its day-to-day operations” during the Chapter 11 protection process.

The company, which operates several hospitals in Massachusetts, has been the subject of withering criticism from the state’s congressional delegation, Gov. Maura Healey’s administration , and others for months for failing to fully disclose the extent of its financial woes.

Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Steward will remain in control of its business operations while reorganizing its finances through a court-approved plan. The company cited “skyrocketing labor costs,” inflation and insufficient government reimbursement as some of the reasons for its current financial state. It said it has secured $75 million in initial funding to support the Chapter 11 reorganization.

Healey said the bankruptcy filing represents a “step toward our goal of getting Steward out of Massachusetts.” The bankruptcy proceedings will play out in a federal court in Texas, and Healey's Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh said Massachusetts will send representatives there to advocate for the state's interests.

Steward facilities employ roughly 16,000 workers and serves 200,000 patients annually in Massachusetts, Healey said. She said she was notified shortly after Steward's 3:30 a.m. filing, but the state has been preparing for the possibility of bankruptcy. State health officials on Friday launched an incident command system to coordinate care quality and access efforts in eastern Massachusetts.

Healey stressed that Steward hospitals remain open, with Department of Public Health staff onsite to monitor operations, and she urged patients to keep their appointments and continue seeking any needed care. A new state web page will provide updates for patients and employees.

Related Stories

Community nonprofits are already casualties of steward health financial crisis, lawmakers zero in on private equity in health care amid steward troubles, steward health care pays $100k owed for food voucher program after gbh investigation.

In a joint statement, the Massachusetts Nurses Association and healthcare workers union 1199SEIU warned of the consequences to patients if any of the hospitals that serve the region — located in Boston, Fall River, Ayer, Taunton, Methuen and Haverhill — were to permanently close.

The unions are urging officials and healthcare industry leaders to use the bankruptcy as an opportunity to “immediately take whatever steps are needed to ensure the preservation of these facilities and the safe transition to more stable and responsible not for profit ownership.”

Many of the local hospitals now operated by Steward were taken over in 2010 from a not-for-profit local chain overseen by the Boston Archdiocese.

On Monday morning, Healey addressed the issue of Steward's ownership.

“I don't want to lose sight of the fact that this situation stems from and is rooted in greed, mismanagement and lack of transparency on the part of Steward leadership in Dallas, Texas. I've been clear about that. I'll continue to be clear about that,” Healey said. “It's a situation that should never have happened, and we've been working together to ensure that there are steps taken to make sure this does not happen again.”

Those steps could include new laws. State House Speaker Ron Mariano said in a statement that representatives will debate and vote next week on “comprehensive legislation to address gaps in our regulatory process that Steward exploited, to stabilize the health care system, and to address the rising cost of health care.”

Senate President Karen Spilka said she looks forward to working with the House and the Healey administration to “take the steps necessary to prevent the conditions within our health care system that would cause another acute situation like the one facing Steward today.”

Attorney General Andrea Campbell said she'll advocate to ensure employees receive the wages they deserve and push for the appointment of an ombudsperson to represent patient interests. Bankruptcy proceedings could bring more transparency to Steward's financial dealings, she said.

“I also want to make it crystal clear that I take very seriously any effort for this hospital system to make a profit to the detriment of patients, to strip-mine hospitals for their value,” Campbell said. “And if those efforts have violated the law, those involved will absolutely hear from my office.”

More Health

Mammograms should start at age 40, hormone therapy for menopause is safe, studies find

Doctors still 'catching up' with routine mammograms as new guidelines widen patient pool.

It’s not just climate change driving ticks into your backyard

Scientists blast FDA approval of genetic test for opioid addiction

All set for ‘2024 Korea Tourism, Medical, and Culture Festival’

HBKU commemorates Class of 2024 graduation

PM to address Qatar Economic Forum 2024