People use to go to developed countries to seek the right treatment for their disease. Over time, people have become more accustomed to the idea of traveling to another country for medical treatment. This is due to lack of medical treatment, specialized doctors or lack of health facilities in their country.

If at the beginning people were traveling to developed countries like the USA or Germany and France in Europe, now the scenario has changed. Nowadays, countries like India, Turkey or Malaysia have developed and improved their health care system in such a way that attracts millions of medical tourists every year.

These developing countries have improved their health infrastructure. This means that patients will spend less money on treatments and medical interventions.

But Which Are the Most Common Conditions People Are Seeking Treatment For?

People travel to other countries to get treatment for different conditions. Most health insurance companies do not offer enough money for treatment to be done in the country of residence. And so, most people search for treatment in other developing countries, where the costs are lower.

Among the most popular medical procedures people travel to another country are cardiovascular health (every condition that is related to the heart), dentistry, dermatology, and weight loss. When talking about surgeries, people search for cosmetic surgery, spinal surgery or liver and kidney transplants. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is also among the treatments that are part of medical tourism.

For example, Thailand is among the top preferences when talking about cosmetic surgeries. People travel to Bangkok for procedures like breast augmentation and reduction or buttock implant and hair transplant.

India is among the countries which are the most preferred when talking about hip surgeries or knee replacements. The reason people choose this country is simple: the total cost of the treatment is lower even if compared to ones in Thailand or Indonesia.

Preferences of Medical Tourism Markets

Billy Jones, a daily contributor to ukwritings who offers the best essay writing services review says that the preferences of people depend on their culture and country of residence. People will search for countries closer to their residence to minimize traveling costs. It is also important the quality of health services offered in that specific country.

For example, Americans who want to make look changes, go to Mexico, Panama, Thailand or Costa Rica. The costs of dentistry services or cosmetic surgeries are much lower than in the USA. If there are Americans who need orthopedic and cardiovascular interventions, they opt for countries in Southeast Asia and India. There are a lot of doctors who are members of the USA accredited doctor’s association.

People around the world have become more relaxed and friendlier, so new medical tourism preferences arise. People from the UK are traveling to Poland, but also to Spain, Cyprus, and Malta. The effects of historical colonialism are still present today. India has developed a strong and professional healthcare system after British mastery has ended.

How Much Money Do Patients Save?

One of the reasons people are looking for medical treatments and interventions in a foreign country is the reduced cost these have. Compared with the costs in the USA, people can save up to 20-30 % of the money in Brazil, 40-55% in Taiwan or 50-75% in Thailand. In India, for the same medical treatment, they can save up to 65% or even 90%. The USA is among the priciest and most expensive countries when talking about health services.

Countries have identified the need for development for their healthcare systems. They have designed special packages for tourists and they have custom visa policies. These packages can include accommodation and travel costs, as well as surgery or treatment costs. They are available in countries like Thailand, India, Turkey, Malaysia or Mauritius.

Which Are the Countries Which Will Experience the Fastest Growth?

With medical tourism increasing year after year, some regions benefit more than others. People are traveling to not so developed countries to seek cancer, neurological or orthopedic treatments. And whether some are not so well developed, their government encourages medical tourism by offering new visa policies to the ones who are going there for treatment.

The countries that will experience the fastest growth are the ones from the Asia Pacific region. Countries like Thailand, Singapore, India or South Korea offer top-notch medical services. The number of specialized physicians is constantly increasing and the total costs of treatment are lowering.

However, as Mariah Kunis blogger at essayedge review says, there are big changes regarding medical tourism that take place within the Asia Pacific region. Singapore was an important medical tourism center in Asia, having more than 850,000 people traveling there for medical reasons. But a new report suggests that people are now going to Malaysia or Thailand for health services because they have lower costs.

How Much Money Are Involved?

The medical tourism market is among the fastest-growing markets in the world. Researchers say that people spend between 3,000$ and 10,000$ per tourist for medical services It is estimated that the medical tourism market will have a value of 125 billion by 2021. The wellness market was estimated at 4,2$ trillion in 2017, so it is expected to experience a growth of over 6.4 percent per year in the future.

Conclusion

The medical tourism market is an ever-growing market. People travel to cheap countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and India for cancer treatments, cosmetic or cardiovascular surgery.

People can save up to 90% of the total costs of treatment in India or up to 75% in Thailand. The global medical tourism market is constantly changing and evolving and new treatment options become available every day.