More
and more people are realizing that in order to afford certain cosmetic surgery
procedures traveling abroad is their best bet; from this growing trend comes
the term 'medical tourism'.
What is medical tourism and why is it the next
big thing in tourism?
The term “medical tourism” was coined by media
covering the growing trend of people in the wealthier countries traveling for
medical services at a lower cost.
The majority of these trips are for cosmetic
surgeries though other surgeries are seen at times as well. There are a variety
of factors at work which drive people to seek medical care in other countries
and it's not just cost.
No
Long Waits Abroad
There are sometimes shockingly long waits for
non-urgent care causing medical procedures to take a very long time to come
together. The best plastic surgeons have long waiting lists as well which is
now driving their potential patients to seek skilled cosmetic surgeons
elsewhere.
Lack
of Insurance Coverage
More and more insurance companies are cutting
corners and failing to cover expenses related to orthopedic surgery or certain
types of medically required cosmetic procedures such as breast reduction which
is also driving patients away.
Even when surgeries are covered insurance
companies are putting prohibitive restrictions on facilities, doctors and
prosthetics; these restrictions force many people to look for medical care
elsewhere.
Cost
Tourists can have cosmetic and medical
procedures done at a fraction of the cost in a foreign country than it would
cost in the individual's homeland. The prices are so dramatically reduced that
the cost of travel is negligible in comparison.
Popularity
Asia seeks to benefit the most from medical
tourism with Thailand enjoying pole position in attracting tourists in their
world-class hospitals.
Meanwhile, Korea has found itself in the
not-entirely enviable position as the world's best market for cosmetic
procedures per capita.
In the Middle East the most popular cosmetic
surgeries are liposuction and breast augmentation. Face lifts are quite popular
as well and both genders are taking advantage of medical tourism with 47% of
recipients of these treatments being male.
This is a drastic jump from the low 8% of men
during the 1990s. Men are becoming more conscious of how they look and the
discrete nature of medical tourism may also play a part in this increasing
trend.
Projections are high, showing a rise in
medical tourism in the years to come. An estimated 81.6 million USD was spent
in the United Arab Emirates on cosmetic procedures alone.
But in terms of raw numbers, the top three
countries are: U.S., Brazil, China with China probably surpassing the top two
given a steady economic growth in the next few years.
Hetty Proudhonne
Plasticsurgeryguide.com
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