Medical Tourism in Mexico and Panama

The term “Medical Tourism” also known as health tourism is becoming very popular in these days. It means to travel across different countries to find health care. These health care or treatments include common problems and complex treatments such as cardiac surgery, joint replacement, cosmetic surgery and dental surgery.

The customer and provider communicate through reliable sources to assure quality of service and making contract. Such medical tours need leisure aspects of tourism and travel. Health tourism patients should know the extra cost in traveling, health care and accommodations on treatment locations. The popularity of medical tourism is increased by many factors such as long waits for certain procedures, high costs, affordability of travel, standard and quality of health and care services. Medical tourists travel to Europe, United States, UK, Canada, Middle East, Canada and Japan to obtain quality health care services at reasonable prices.

 

Mexico

Medical Tourism in Mexico
The specialists of plastic surgery and dentistry are very popular in Mexico. Medical tourism patients travel to Mexico from all over the world to obtain quality medical care in dentistry and plastic surgery. Americans also move to Mexico for dental health care because the charges of dentist in America are very high as compare to the charges of Mexican dentist. Mexican dentists charge one fourth to one fifth of US dentists price. This trend of medical tourism to Mexico is very alarming for American dentists so they have spread many rumors of infections, oral cancer and poor treatments against Mexican dentists.

In Texas, it is explored that health organizations can operate on both sides of the border but physicians of south Texas argue that they cannot compete with the lower costs of Mexican dentists. Legal system of Mexico doesn’t allow any kind of sue against Mexican doctors. Medical tourists are satisfied with the quality of health services in Mexico and according to an advocacy group of health care issues 90 percent care they received in Mexico is excellent. Mexican hospitals are not popular only for dental and plastic surgery but they provide quality services for bar iatric surgery for weight loss. Lap band surgery, a popular bar iatric surgery is approved by FDA in 2001 in US is also performed by the surgeons of Mexico. The hospitals of Mexico are well equipped with latest technology and medical equipments for all medical tourism requirements.

Medical Tourism in Panama
Panama is also a popular place for medical tourism due to its tourist appeal, position and use of dollar as the official currency. The medical specialists of Panama are very popular all over the world and use latest technology and equipment to treat patients. Doctors of Panama are bilingual and can operate on the same technology and medical equipment which are used in Europe and America. The charges of health care in Panama are 50% less than the charges of US. In addition to dental implants, assisted reproduction, plastic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, cardialogy, eye surgery orthopedics and pulmonology are the popular treatments in the hospitals of Panama for people in medical tourism to this country.

 

The equipment and technology used in the hospitals of Panama is up-to-date and the hospitals are affiliated with international organizations such as Cleveland Clinic, Baptist Health International of Miami, Johns Hopkins International, Miami Children's Hospital, Tulane Health Science Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Harvard Medical Faculty and Physicians at Beth Israel, The Kendall Medical Center in Florida and Deaconess Medical Center in US. The doctors of these hospitals have latest information about the diseases and medicines.

US trained physicians of Panama provide high quality medical services at reasonable prices. The techniuqes used in health care, facilities and medications are not less than USA. Panama is rich with beautiful tourism destinations such as mountains, beaches and natural places which affect medical tourists pleasantly.

 

Technorati : Medical Tourism,Tourism

Panama (Country Guide) Author by : Matthew Firestone We Have More Tourism Guide Book in : BookmanClub. ....

Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is the process of traveling abroad in order to receive medical care, be it cosmetic surgery, heart surgery, breast implants, a hip replacement, or dental work.

Rising health care costs and longer waiting times in the western countries like United States, Canada, and UK etc. are inducing patients to seek treatment overseas. While U.S. consumers are concerned mainly with the exorbitant cost of health care, Canadians are more troubled by wait-times for certain treatments. Indeed, approximately 1 million Canadians claim to be experiencing difficulties in access to care. As for UK, it is believed that more than 50,000 people from the UK travel for treatment abroad because of high medical care costs in UK.

 

Medical Tourism in South Korea
South Korea has been growing as a tourist destination of choice for health and vacation because of their world class physicians, modern technology, and unique caring and compassion at great values for money at a fraction of the cost in the west. The country is home to some of the best hospitals and stand alone Specialty clinics in the world, offering world-class expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, http://www.koreahealthtour.co.kr and the warmth of hospitality. Also, some of the world's best spa retreat resorts and tour destinations can be found in this part of the earth. Additionally, it's not unusual to find plus accommodations, foreign language translators, and other amenities at some of the major facilities.
South Korea has made its initial foray into the lucrative market of medical tourism by launching the Council for Korea Medicine Overseas Promotion. Funded by the Government and 28 private hospitals, this organization will market medical packages to foreign patients seeking affordable health care. The Council has initiated a set of measures to promote the medical vacation industry by aiding hospitals in their marketing strategies. In this way, South Korea can generate greater overseas awareness of the country's medical and tourism offerings. According to a Council official:
The average charge for an in-patient visit in a US hospital is dollar3,762, which is 13 times higher than in South Korea.
The average charge for outpatients in the US is dollar13,000 which is 9 times higher than in South Korea.

South Korea's affordable health care system has seen the number of foreign patients rise from 10,000 to 13,000 in just 2 years. With all these added measures in place, South Korea is on its way to claim its share in the prosperous medical vacation business

Benefits of Medical Tourism
Health care costs are constantly on the rise in countless Western countries. In the US alone, it is already a multi-billion dollar industry that shows no sign of stopping (worldwide it is over dollar3 trillion US). But why pay exorbitant prices at home when you can travel abroad and receive the same treatment (if not better) from a fully certified medical facility for a fraction of the price?

The following are some of the benefits of medical tourism:
Affordable
For many procedures, it's often more expensive to receive treatment at home than it is to purchase a plane ticket, book a hotel, and pay for all medical expenses out of pocket in a foreign country. This is especially true in popular medical tourism destinations such as India, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea.

No wait times
Because popular medical destinations actively recruit patients from abroad, they do everything they can to eliminate wait times, provide patients with options, and ensure optimal care.

Many Options are Available
Some countries heavily regulate (or even ban) certain elective procedures or complicated surgeries. Hip resurfacing, for example, was only recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, despite its widespread use and success rate at many popular medical tourism destinations around the world. With medical tourism, you can travel to parts of the world where hospitals specialize in the aforementioned procedures.

More personalized care
Many providers offer more personalized care--i.e., a higher physician-to-patient ratio--than is commonly available in the United States or Canada.

Enjoy the Medical Vacations
The fact of the matter is, most of us need medical treatment from time to time, and most of us plan vacations every year or so. Combine the two into an all-out medical vacation and enjoy! Recuperating after surgery on a white sand beach while sipping island drinks and receiving full-body massages.

Important Tips
Besides doing a thorough research on the procedure, hospital, surgeon and the destination country, keep the following contact information handy when you go abroad for any medical treatment:
Emergency contacts like relatives and friends

Destination embassy
Hospital
Hotel
Local surgeon / doctor
Employer
Conclusion

Depending on the location and procedure, a medical vacation can cost 50%, 30%, or even 10% of what you would pay at home. The appeal of this phenomenon is driven by cost savings as high as 90%, depending on the procedure and the country in which it is performed, and virtually no wait times. Even when you factor in air fare, hotels, travel insurance, car rentals, shopping, and dining, many medical vacations are substantially more affordable than domestic health care is. This means that those who choose medical tourism are able to utilize the services of some of the top surgeons in the world, all while enjoying exotic locales and accommodations. Patients can put the money they are saving on the procedure into turning their journey into a magnificent, world-class retreat. For millions of patients, it is the only way to get the needed or desired medical treatment, without wiping out their entire life-savings.

 

Technorati : South Korea,Tourism,Medical Tourism

How India's Mission to be the #1 Medical Tourism Destination Can Benefit You

Copyright (c) 2008 Medical-Tourism-Guide.com

The Medical Tourism Council (MTC) of Maharashtra has a mission of making India the #1 medical tourism destination in the world. The members are working diligently to bring together corporate interests in both the medical sector and the tourism sector. The vision is to offer world class medical services to foreigners in a land that offers exotic vacations as well.

Countries such as India have been quick to recognize that the Western world is not providing timely and affordable medical care to its citizens. In both the United States and Canada, it is not uncommon to wait for more than 4 months to be seen after a referral is made. Then, there is more waiting time while tests are scheduled. Additional time passes waiting for the test results. If the result is that there is a need for a procedure, it could be several more weeks before surgery is scheduled. Non emergency medical attention may be extended for up to two years. There is basically no wait time in foreign countries such as India.

The MTC is targeting several Western markets. One of those is the 43 million uninsured in the United States. What happens to the average person from a developed country, who is uninsured and in need of a heart bypass? If not aware of the option of medical tourism, the uninsured worker will face the choice of going without the surgery, or of withdrawing his life savings, or taking out a loan in order to pay for the surgery. The same worker can obtain the surgery in another country for $10,000 vs. $70,000 in the US. He can get a knee replacement for $6,000 vs. $50,000! Although still a large amount of money, it is much more attainable abroad than in the home country. The cost of services in India is approximately 1/3 less than other Asian countries that are competing as the destination of choice for medical tourists.

The Medical Tourism Council is also doing heavy marketing campaigns to Western insurance companies. More and more, it is the insurance agent who suggests (and in some instances, mandates) having the surgery done in another country. An increasing number of insurance companies are not only agreeing to overseas medical services, but are advocating or insisting that the patient obtain the less expensive services as a medical tourist. They are recognizing that outsourcing medical services to India will save tens of thousands of dollars in payouts, even if they need to pay airfare in addition to the medical bills.

The Indian Finance Minister recognizes that the opportunity exists to rebuild the infrastructure of the country, by generating medical tourism revenue. While the MTC is busy marketing, the government of India is working to ensure that state of the art facilities are built and that accreditations are secured. India is experiencing a medical tourism growth rate of 15-20% annually, and it is anticipated that 2.3 billion in revenue will be generated by 2012. The monies can then be used to provide a better lifestyle, including medical services, to the citizens of India who are living in poverty. It is anticipated that the flourish in the medical tourism industry will provide 40 million jobs to Indians.

India has long since been recognized for its top education systems. The universities are producing between 20,000 and 30,000 new doctors and nurses a year, designed to staff the state of the art hospitals across the country. Upon graduation, many travel to developed countries for further training. In the past, many of the graduates who have left their homeland to work in the developed countries have not returned to India. They have continued practicing in the developed nations, choosing to reap the benefits of the high salaries that countries such as the U.S. offer. The trend is reversing and now many of the doctors who have practiced as some of the top surgeons and specialists in developed countries are now returning to set up specialty clinics and hospitals. India now offers over 200 specialty services and is recognized worldwide to be on par with the best in the world.

The medical tourist destined for India need only decide which part of India they would like to visit and recover in. For those wanting the hustle and bustle of city life, a destination would be Delhi. Agra offers the medical tourist one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. Rajasthan borders the Thar Desert and has a history of romance and heroism. Goa is the home of miles of golden sand beaches and palm trees, and Kerela is the location of the networking of forty four rivers. Muntui (Bombay) is the equivalent to Hollywood in the United States and is the finance capitol of India. For those wanting to absorb the cultural mecca of India, with music and world class art, coffee and fragrances, one would want to travel to Karnataka, in South India.

 

The collaborative goal, powered by the vision of the Medical Tourism Council, is to make India the number one destination choice in the global medical community. The low costs and high quality services, the education of world renowned doctors, the cutting edge technology, the state of the art resort type hospitals and the beautiful vacation spots are all being highlighted by the MTC, and India is quickly moving to the forefront of the global medical tourism industry

 

Technorati : Tourism,Medical Tourism

 

India And South Asia: A Short History Author by : David Ludden We Have More Tourism Guide Book in : BookmanClub. ....

What You Need to Know About Emerging Trends in Medical Tourism

Copyright (c) 2008 Medical-Tourism-Guide.com

Medical tourism is commonly described as the practice of obtaining medical services in a foreign destination. Although this niche market is now being capitalized on and becoming better known, the practice of traveling abroad for services is not new.

Switzerland, in particular, has long since been attracting the rich and famous to its beautiful surroundings, for innovative procedures and a relaxing vacation. There are many sources that site Switzerland as the pioneer of medical tourism.

Medical tourism is not just for the rich and famous anymore, and Switzerland is not the only destination. About ten years ago, countries in Asia realized that the opportunity exists to fill the unmet needs of millions worldwide.

For nearly a decade, the concept of medical tourism has been misunderstood and received bad media coverage in developed countries. Today not only has that trend reversed, but medical tourism is being embraced as a viable option for people in need of affordable medical care. Well known newspapers and television networks are doing pieces medical tourism as a whole and are spotlighting individuals who have taken advantage of the cost saving option.

What is driving the expansion of the medical tourism industry? Countries such as India have been quick to recognize that the Western world is not providing timely medical care to its citizens. In both the United States and Canada, it is not uncommon to wait for more than 4 months to be seen after a referral is made. Then, there is more waiting time while tests are scheduled. Additional time passes waiting for the test results. If the result is that there is a need for a procedure, it could be several more weeks before surgery is scheduled. Non emergency medical attention may be extended for up to two years. There is basically no wait time in foreign countries such as India and Thailand.

Another driving force is the outrageous and ever rising costs of medical insurance. It is not uncommon for a family to be quoted $1,000 or more for monthly insurance premiums, which only covers a portion of the bill, AFTER the $5,000 annual deductible is met! That equates to $17,000 in out of pocket payments before the insurance coverage kicks in. The average worker cannot afford $17,000 and in many instances, that figure far supercedes the annual income! In the United States, there are 43.3 million uninsured people.

What happens then, to the average person who is uninsured and in need of a heart bypass? If not aware of the option of medical tourism, the uninsured worker will face the choice of going without the surgery, or of withdrawing his life savings, or taking out a loan in order to pay for the surgery.

The same worker can obtain the surgery in another country for $10,000 vs. $70,000 in the US. He can get a knee replacement for $6,000 vs. $50,000! Although still a large amount of money, it is much more attainable abroad than in the home country.

Those in the medical tourism industry recognize that time is a precious commodity. Another aspect to the trends of medical tourism is to market to those who have little vacation or sick leave available to them. Multitasking is not new in the business world, and countries desiring to attract the medical tourist are appealing to those who would like to have an exotic and affordable vacation, but may feel they need to forgo it, in light of the upcoming surgery in the spring. Many countries are marketing their accredited, resort type facilities, and the amenities of the surrounding countryside to those in need of medical services.

We are truly living in a global medical community that knows no borders. With the Internet readily at the fingertips of anyone desiring to use it, information about various facilities, services, and destinations can be searched out. An emerging trend is for the facility to offer "inclusive" packages. That is right! You and a companion can now surf the internet and find an exotic location to have your serious surgeries, or one of a more cosmetic nature. On site travel agents are standing by, offering a package that includes discounted airfare, ground transportation, all meals and accommodations in a resort type facility, with internationally trained doctors and medical staff who will be extremely attentive before, during and after your procedure. The price will undoubtedly be about 1/6 of the cost of just the medical procedure in a developed country.

The bottom line is that medical tourism is here to stay. India has a goal of becoming the number one destination in the world. Other countries are setting similar goals. As they begin to compete with each other, vying for our business, services and options are increasing while the costs remain low. Most countries are seeing a growth of 20-30% in medical tourism, as medical services in the Western countries are being outsourced.

 

Technorati : Tourism,Medical Tourism

 

Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Tourism Author by : Josef Woodman We Have More Tourism Guide Book in : BookmanClub. ....

Medical Tourism – A Fast Developing Sector In Healthcare Industry In Malaysia

Medical Tourism is fast developing sector in healthcare industry in Malaysia. Year on year basis for last 5 years medical tourism in Malaysia, is growing with estimated exponential growth of about 30%.

The key factors of burgeoning rise in medical tourists in Malaysia are its affordable healthcare packages, excellent tourist attractions, world class infra structure, wide network of latest communication systems. An award winning Malaysian Airlines, MAS, service flying form all around the world, to Malaysia. An even low cost local airlines service providers like Airlines and Firefly has added affordability to this sector of development for medical tourism. An English speaking country, where healthcare system is wholly based on English and it is widely spoken at all level of work in healthcare facilities. The high conversion of USD to local currency, ringgit Malaysia also provides an excellent opportunity for travelers and tourists to come to Malaysia, to get more out of their money.

The most important components in medical tourisms are healthcare providers and facilitators. Medical Tourism Facilitators are the first contact with the patients in this industry. Medical tourism facilitator, websites like wellnessvisit.com, are there to provide all important arrangements like choosing the right procedure and best available hospital and healthcare provider, connecting consultant doctors with the patients, getting information channeled to and fro till finalizing the medical tourism journey for a patient who had no experience, of this before.

Medical Tourism Facilitators, like wellnessvisit.com, are there at the provider’s side to arrange all tour and travel services, booking hotel accommodations, receiving at airport, arranging personal assistants and helpers to concierge all the trip into a personalized affair. There are more service addition with the development of this industry. Medical tourism facilitators are arranging insurance policies, providing some home healthcare facilities through their partners.

Medical tourism is certainly becoming a hope for more and more countries and healthcare providers to reduce the increasing costs and over the waiting time issue for certain important procedures for their patients, due to shortage of experts. On the other hand it is shaping a new industry in tourism and health for revenue generation. Thus countries like Malaysia are fast becoming a hub for medical tourism and providing affordable healthcare packages for medical tourists from around the world at world class facilities.
Wellnessvisit.com takes care of all the steps to make medical tourism and health tourism trip a success.

 

Technorati : India Tourism,Tourism,Medical Tourism

 

Medical Tourism in Developing Countries Author by : Milica Z. Bookman We Have More Tourism Guide Book in : BookmanClub. ....

Medical Tourism in India, a Boon for Tourists

Medical tourism is nothing but traveling to other countries to undergo any kind of medical procedure including surgery and others. India is one of the front runners as a destination for medical tourism. Here the word tourism is different from the ordinary destination tourism. Basically this is cost effective tourism that is done generally by private medical practitioners in collaboration with the tourism industry.

medical tourism in india is catching up in a huge way and if you see carefully you will find that many people these days are opting for medical tourism in India. Under medical tourism you will find almost all kinds of medical condition and health conditions covered, so you just need to find out a destination that is offering you the best services and go there to get the procedure done. Medical tourism helps one to combine physical wellness with relaxation and leisure so that you are completely rejuvenated after the entire process.

Comparatively India is a recent entrant in the field of medical tourism, but medical tourism in India has made a huge mark and impact. In India the internet revolution and the revolution in the field of science and technology has made huge changes and medical tourism is a result of this. In India you can find the latest medical equipments and technology being used for treating various medical conditions. The cost of the treatment is much lower than what one would have had to pay in their home country. So this is very advantageous for people who are coming to visit India. Studies have indicated that the health sector in India is growing at about 30% annually and when this is combined with tourism one be greatly benefited by this. Today you will find many tour operators offering medical tourism to foreigners coming to visit India.

Medical tourism in India is gaining wide popularity because there are several things which work as an advantage for India. First the infrastructure and the healthcare facilities available here match up to the world class standards. Second the cost of getting the treatment done aboard is very expensive whereas in India this can be done at less than half the cost and the patient gets the best possible treatment available.

 

In India one can find a large number of medical professionals who are well versed in English and this is another factor for which patients from abroad opt to get their treatments done India since most of the things here are conducive to them.
Some other Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand and others are giving a tough competition to India in the field of medical tourism. However, with the kind of facilities and other amenities available here, it will take a long time before any other country can outdo India in the field of medical tourism. To take advantage of the best medical tourism facility in India you must get in touch with a good tour operator who will provide you with the best medical tourism package in India. Make sure that you do not lose out on visiting some of the famous places while you are visiting India.

 

Technorati : India Tourism,Medical Tourism,Tourism

 

The Medical Tourism Travel Guide: Your Complete Reference to Top-Quality, Low-Cost Dental, Cosmetic, Medical Care & Surgery Overseas Author by : Paul Gahlinger We Have More Tourism Guide Book in : BookmanClub. ....