Medical Tourism and Global Health Care – Where are you?
The American Medical Association (AMA) defines “medical tourism” trips organized outside the responsibility of health care to increase in good standing of their own country, or restore health through medical intervention. ” A less technical definition of the Harvard Business School, medical tourism is defined as an act of “travel far for care, which is often better and certainly cheaper than at home.” The practice is known as health tourism, health tourism or international medtrotting. Medical tourism is booming and is now an industry with $ 40000000000 dollars. About 10,000 Americans each year engaging in medical tourism, without plastic surgery and dental treatments. Other estimates range from 50,000 to 500,000, including all procedures. In 2005, approximately 150,000 people worldwide were medical tourists. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India are the leading countries in medical tourism. Although it has become very popular only in recent years, medical tourism is not a new phenomenon. In fact, hundreds, even thousands of years people have been known to visit the areas known for their healing properties. In England, the World Heritage city of Bath received its name from the many hot springs and Roman baths, which have become very popular with the rich and famous of Europe in the 17th and 18th Century. The word “spa” comes from a small Belgian town of that name, made famous for its thermal springs. The French Riviera also has a history as a spa weekend for English and Russian nobility followed fleeing the cold winters of northern Europe, in more recent history, medical tourism report medical advances that many people developing countries to more developed countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Other countries (eg Switzerland specialized) in shop services such as health plastic surgery and rehabilitation clinics. Trip to large scale air and globalization have triggered the rise in medical tourism, with approximately two important trends in health tourism. (1) Medical tourism is in general. Although the means to pay before, only the rich and famous to medical tourists, medical tourism is now open to all. Hundreds of travel agencies specialize in this niche quite lucrative. In Europe, where national borders are now less restricted with the inclusion of countries in Eastern Europe to the European Union, medical tourism has become widespread. This hypothesis is supported by the short distance and the fact that the destinations of health care are accessible by car, train or short flight. For Americans, medical tourism can provide long-distance travel, but with cheaper flights have become popular destinations in Central America. (Direction 2) Medical tourism is changing. Medical tourism 50 years consisted primarily of travel from a less developed country to a more advanced and medically advanced. Today, medical tourism goes both directions, but predominantly in the direction of developing countries, where good quality but affordable health care can be found. Current trends in medical tourism may result in the following factors: (1) The rising cost of health care. Rising health care costs in developed countries to force the United States in particular, to seek their citizens to affordable care elsewhere. The cost of common procedures as bypass surgery Can $ 11,000 in Thailand compared to $ 130,000 U.S.. Knee replacement costs $ 40,000 $ 13,000 compared to Singapore. This is even offering health insurance and employers to cover the cost of medical tourism encouraged. One case is that of the insurer WellPoint Inc. and a self-funded, Wisconsin company called Specialty Graphics screen. Reportedly Silkscreen waived co-payments and coinsurance for each of its 650 employees in India for some non-emergency medical procedures such as replacement fly large municipalities and the upper and lower back fusion. Screenprinting is also for all expenses paid trip for employees and as a companion. “(2) International Medical Education. Physicians increasingly in developing countries and studied abroad. India, for example, has trained many physicians in the United States and the United Kingdom, who speak very good English and understand the medical needs of medical tourists from western countries. The same applies to Mexico from the United States and Australia in the case of Thailand. (3) A holistic approach to medicine. In the last decade has also seen the popularity of alternative medicine. More and more are seeking alternative health care such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic (Indian), Unani (Arabic), homeopathy and herbal medicine, among others. Many Asian countries have this type of medication for Western tourists. (4) accreditation. To overcome the skepticism of patients, many medical tourism facilities apply for accreditation. Several U.S. organizations inspections, evaluations and clearances to medical services outside the United States. A copy of the Joint Commission International (JCI). is the Expanded Accreditation by the International Society for Quality Healthcare, which is the umbrella organization of accrediting agencies in many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and Ireland . The most popular destinations in Asia and Latin America. However, it is estimated that nearly 50 countries on all continents involved in the industry. India tops the list of most popular destinations for medical tourism. According an article from the University of Delaware “India has world-class centers for open heart surgery, pediatric cardiac surgery, hip and knee replacement, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, bone marrow transplants and the treatment of cancer, and almost all Indian hospitals are equipped with the latest electronic equipment and medical diagnostics. For example, patients with hip surgery in India for a procedure of hip resurfacing, is removed in the damaged bone scraped and replaced with chrome alloy – an operation performed that is cheaper and causes less trauma Post surgery than the conventional method for exchanging opt for the U. S “. CABG ranges from $ 10,000 and $ 9,000 for a hip replacement, compared to $ 130,000 and $ 43,000 respectively in the United States.” Besides the additional attraction of the destination equipment to the beaches of Phuket in Thailand is well-known effect for sex reassignment surgery, which is one of the top 10 procedures for patients to travel to Thailand “. For Americans, Mexico and Costa Rica because of their proximity. Arizona retirement communities organize regular bus tours now for dental work and inexpensive drugs of Mexico is appealing. treat lowercase and border communities, to Others are an hour from Ciudad Juarez, always boomtowns Dental growing flow of American patients flying from as far away as Alaska. “remain, despite the growth of medical tourism and health sector controversial World in several respects. (1) disparities in health care. A main argument of those who are medical tourism, however, differences in the provision of private services for medical tourists delivered food and public health for local residents. It is more than half of primary health care in India is estimated to be careful not a delivery room, laboratory, or a phone equipped and supplied with essential drugs. (2) The in vitro fertilization. In January 2009, was the star when Canadian woman delivered twins at the age of 60 years. Under Canadian law to have the age limit for a woman, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is 45 years up. India is home to the oldest child first in the world, a young girl last November at the age of 70 years. Laws that fertility treatments are virtually nonexistent in India, unlike many countries, there are no provisions to limit the age of the mother or the number of embryos implanted. (3) commercial surrogacy or reproductive outsourcing. This is another form of assisted procreation and related medical tourism in India is again in front of the line. women whose uterus is unable to pay a baby station to other women to be surrogate mothers. In India, women earn as respectable as a way to help save and at the same time, women without children. ‘S commercial surrogacy legal in India since 2002, as in many other countries, the U.S. included. But India is a leader in the production is a viable industry rather than a rare fertility treatment (4). transplantation. One of the dirty business of medical tourism is the organ transplant. Who is not willing to wait and can afford a lot of money may also be other ways to find an institution in the developing world. “Transplant tourism”, as he sometimes calls it, is to grow in developing countries. In 2006, The Guardian reported that British patients have traveled to China for transplants of organs from executed prisoners, without the consent or the prisoner or his family. “medical tourism is increasing and is expected to become increasingly popular and acceptable in the future. According to the American Medical Association, the global economy and the changing rules of trade offer opportunities and challenges for the medical profession and public health. “As in all sectors, medical tourism by supply and demand is governed. It’s certainly great demand in the developed and developing countries provide voluntary. However, need boundaries and rules in place to protect patients and the involvement of the service provider. Only then will the industry worthy of the term “Global Health Care” will be.
Article Source:Health Guidance
