Of all the necessities in life, medical care remains to be one of the most important ones. A person may have everything in life – a luxurious house to live, food to eat and a family to support – however, it may mean nothing if he or she is not healthy or do not have a proper and an easy access to proper medical care and facilities.
Some countries are advanced enough to provide complete medical care and facilities to their citizens. However, people from some countries required to travel abroad for treatment and holistic medical care. The decision to travel abroad for medical treatment may depend on several reasons, and not having proper facilities in one's own country is one of them.
This article examines some of the reasons that give rise to medical refugees, a practice termed as medical tourism.
Reason #1: Delay in obtaining access to medical facilities
Explanation: There are a number of patients in different countries who face trouble getting quick access to medical treatment and services. This is the primary reason that prompts such patients to travel abroad to countries where quick and immediate treatment is guaranteed. It is estimated that thousands of people from the UK and Canada travel to countries like India, where quick access to several complicated procedures is available, including knee and hip replacement surgeries.
Reason #2: High health care costs, lack of insurance
Explanation: There are millions of people around the world who cannot afford the expenses of getting state-of-the-art health care facilities within their own countries because of huge costs. In fact, some people are not even able to get “affordable” care at state-run hospitals and clinics because they are either under-insured or not insured at all. This is yet another major reason that prompts people to go to countries such as India, Thailand and Mexico, where affordable medical care is easily accessible.
Reason #3: Because of “unethical” procedures and practices
Explanation: Each country has a set of rules and regulations, according to which healthcare facilities are offered to its nationals and people who come from abroad to receive treatment. While one procedure may be considered as an ethical medical treatment in one country, it may be deemed as unethical in the other. For example, buying and selling organs for transplant is considered illegal in some countries. However, a patient suffering from kidney failure may decide to travel abroad to pay for a kidney and get an organ transplant done.
Reason #4: More confidence in native country's health care system
Explanation: Some immigrants prefer to go back to their country of origin to receive medical treatment. They may be more familiar with the healthcare system of their own country or they may find it more affordable than the country that they currently reside in. In addition, people may decide to go back to the countries that they have once lived in because of economic, quality-related or any other reasons.
Reason #5: Unapproved medical practices
Explanation: There are certain medical procedures and practices that are not approved by all the countries. For example, use of stem cell therapy and hip resurfacing is not as popular with all countries as it may seem. This is the reason why some patients risk to go to other countries to avail such interventions of uncertain therapeutic value, especially in clinics across China and Ukraine.
Reason #6: Not so advanced quality of medical care
Explanation: Reduced quality of care offered by a healthcare facility, in addition to presence of unqualified and inexperienced physicians is yet another reason why people travel abroad for medical treatment. Countries famous for medical tourism offer well-designed packages for the patients from abroad, which not only provides great quality care and treatment facilities, but also makes sure that only very experiences and dedicated physicians handle the patient.
Reason # 7: For the love of excluded treatments
Explanation: Not all treatments and procedures – especially those related to vision, dental care and cosmetic surgeries – are covered by the insurance provider. As a result, the patients have to pay the expenses out of his own pocket. In countries where a hugs cost is associated with such procedures, patients decide to go abroad to receive the treatment as they find this option more affordable. Orthopaedic surgeries, prosthetics and weight loss programs are some of the most popular choices excluded from a majority of insurance plan for which patients plan to go abroad.
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