Seeking Treatments Abroad
People travel abroad for different reasons. Some to enjoy a well-deserved vacation, to meet up with relatives and friends living in other countries, or simply to spend some quality time with family and other loved ones. There are however, a growing number of travellers who choose to visit other countries not for the change of scenery or to relax in spas and high quality hotels – most are seeking cheaper medical treatment in other countries, but for the same excellent health care standards. Medical tourism is growing into a multi-billion dollar business that has been attracting tourists and would-be patients from countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan.
One of the major reasons that some people may decide on medical travel is not simply for the inexpensive treatment, though this is a decided bonus. Many medical health care plans in the United States and Europe are restricted to only certain health clinics and types of treatment, which means that patients are therefore unable to avail of the best medical services in their country, and is only limited to those that come with their health plans. Many of the doctors that cater to medical tourists are among some of the best certified practitioners in the world, ensuring that only the best care will be provided for.
Many patients from these countries are also forced to suffer long waiting periods before they can be treated. Most patients in need of heart transplants or hip replacements can wait a year or even longer for their surgeries. There is virtually no waiting time in the medical tourism industry, where patients are able to enjoy faster care and faster results.
Almost all types of medical treatments are available within the medical tourism industry, and most of these health facilities can be found in Asia, or even in some developing countries where some may not always expect high quality health care treatments to be conducted. For primary medical health care, India is easily one of the best places for undergoing surgeries at almost half the fees it would cost in the United States. India possesses excellent medical facilities that meet American and European medical standards, has some of the world’s best surgeons. Some of the medical treatments that can be done here include hip replacement surgery, where the damaged bone in the hip is replaced with prosthetic joints. Hip replacements using chrome alloy, in particular, is one of the cheapest medical procedures and can be provided for in India. Costing as much as 10,000 pounds in the United Kingdom, it can be done for only Rs. 2.50 Lakh in India.