The emergent business of global healthcare, or medical tourism, is generating a lot of income. Seeking medical attention in other countries is seen now as a more practical choice. In the coming year, this $ 20 billion-industry is expected to grow double with more and more people considering getting medical care abroad.

More about the industry

Crossing borders in order to seek medical attention is essentially the practice of medical tourism. The industry has emerged due to the fact that a lot of people are looking for more affordable healthcare. The cost of medical procedures in other countries could be half of that in the US. For people who have no health insurance, this sounds very appealing.

According to reviews, the countries that are now known for catering to medical tourists are Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, and India. Every year, each South East Asian destination gets half a million healthcare visitors on average.

For cosmetic surgery overseas, most medical tourists go for South American destinations like Costa Rica, or Brazil. Brazil tops all other countries with the most number of professionals in the field of cosmetic surgery. There are around 4,500 cosmetic doctors in Brazil today.

Hospitals and clinics abroad are also applying for accreditation from JCI. This institution, Journal of Clinical Investigation, is the same one that sets the standards for hospitals and clinics in the US. An accreditation from this institution ensures patients that they are in good hands, and that the service they are getting is of the highest quality in the world. Currently, JCI has certified around a hundred hospitals outside the US.

Medical tourists can also be assured that medical procedures and cosmetic surgery overseas are performed with the latest technology in the field. Hospitals abroad now anticipate the number of their foreign patient to increase. Medical tourists usually go for popular cosmetic procedures like breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty, and laser skin resurfacing.

How to plan a medical trip

There are two ways to go about getting an operation done abroad. One can either plan the whole thing on his/her own, or seek assistance from a medical tourism agency. The latter is usually the best choice, especially for people who are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of medical tourism. For a reasonable fee, one is guaranteed that the arrangements for the trip as well as the operation are well taken care of.

When it comes to researching on a particular procedure you are interested in, medical tourism agencies can be a big help. They furnish their customers with information regarding the operation, and they also suggest alternatives and other possible options. Matching a client’s needs with an appropriate destination is one of the main responsibilities taken on by these agencies. They make sure that the country their client is bound for has hospitals that can cater to their customer’s cosmetic needs, and that the trip is well within their client’s budget. More importantly, these companies take on the responsibility of finding a suitable hospital and surgeon for their clients.

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