Universal Medical Travel

What is Medical Tourism?

Medical tourism is when people travel from one country or city to a different country or city for a medical or dental procedure.  It’s estimated that up to 750,000 or more US residents travel abroad for healthcare services each year. Traveling for medical care is not a new phenomenon. Individuals have been traveling abroad for health benefits since ancient times. Traditionally, people would travel from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for medical treatment that was unavailable in their own country. The recent trend is for people to travel from well developed countries to a less-developed country for medical treatments because of cost considerations, though the traditional pattern continues.

The second word in the phrase medical “tourism” is very meaningful. Traveling for a medical procedure is a major benefit because it gives you the opportunity to explore a foreign land and experience a new culture. One of the main reasons people decide to travel for medical procedures is the affordable cost. Some medical procedures in your homeland may be so expensive, it may be financially impossible to have them done there, so an alternative plan is needed. It has been well documented that certain medical procedures are more economical in some countries, like Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and many others. The price difference can sometimes be startling, even when you add in some other costs such as the price of your flight, hotel, transportation, and food. There are many complex medical procedures, such as cardiac surgeries, plastic surgeries, orthopedic surgeries, and organ transplants, that have a very high cost. People who choose medical tourism don’t have to spend nearly as much money to cover the costs of their medical expenses as those who choose to have a procedure done locally. They are able to pay for travel, medical treatment, and other accommodation expenses in emerging medical tourism destinations for a lesser price than how much the treatment alone would cost in their home countries, while receiving quality medical care at many health tourism destinations. Medical tourism also gives patients access to instant medical care with a short to zero waiting period. Medical tourism serves as a timely and effective solution to patients whose health condition requires immediate attention, or who are not able to receive such medical care in domestic hospitals. Factors that have led to the increasing popularity of medical travel include the high cost of health care, long wait times for certain procedures, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in both technology and standards of care in many other countries.

Contact Universal Medical Travel, and we will assign you a medical tourism facilitator who will plan, coordinate, and manage every step of your trip from beginning to end to ensure that you have a successful outcome.