Overview Of Medical Tourism To Asia And India

People travel from one part of the world to another to undergo treatment for various medical conditions. The mounting medical costs have been a cause of concern. Hence, people look for alternatives. It’s a major reason for the popularity of Medical tourism. In modern times, medical tourism has become a popular practice. We will discuss the reasons behind its popularity in this article.

The global medical tourism industry overview
The market size of the global medical tourism industry has recorded a steady rise. At around $54.4 billion as recorded in 2021, the market is huge and rising at a CAGR of 21.1%. It is anticipated to reach approximately $207.9 billion by 2027. All due to the most recent health emergencies that alarmed the world – Yes, the pandemic like Corona, where people were exposed to various illnesses and thus has been the greatest eye-opener for the medical fraternity.

Because of the availability of advanced medical treatments and cost-effectivity, people flock to various destinations for medical tourism. If you consider the most favoured and sought after locations for medical tourism today then that list would certainly include countries like India, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico and Singapore.

Hyderabad is an Indian city particularly well known for medical tourism because it offers advanced medical treatment services at a cost-effective rate. The patients can save around sixty to eighty percent in healthcare facilities in Hyderabad provided without compromising quality. There are other reasons behind Hyderabad’s popularity. The city offers world-class healthcare infrastructure, expert medical professionals, a holistic healing environment, and a short waiting period, thus contributing to its overall popularity.

Why has medical tourism become important?
There are several reasons medical tourism has become significant and popular all across the globe. Some of those reasons are:

Cost effectiveness: Medical tourism offers cost-effective options to medical patients seeking cures from all over the world. It becomes easy for the patients to access good quality treatment at half the price. World-Class Care- Many medical tourism destination countries offer world-class care facilities accredited by international organizations like the Joint Commission International or JCI.

Shorter waiting periods: Most popular medical tourism destinations offer quick treatment to patients coming from abroad. In their countries, they have to wait to receive treatments from thousands of patients, but in the destination countries, they receive treatment in record time.

Alternative therapies: Alternative therapies are available in Southeast Asia to help treat specific disorders. People from Western countries visit Southeast Asian countries primarily to get such wellness and medical treatments.
Cosmetic surgeries, dental care, fertility treatments, oncology, cardiac procedures, and orthopaedic treatments are some of the common treatments sought in medical tourism.

Concerns and risks
Some common risks in seeking medical tourism in other countries include legal and ethical issues and post-operative care. Different countries have different regulations on medical practices that might trigger ethical and legal concerns for patients. Also, the follow-up on the procedure and its aftermath becomes difficult in such a situation. If the patient is in a hurry to return home, the post-treatment issues cannot be addressed.

Case studies have shown that India provides advanced infrastructure combined with affordability for patients, and thus attracts a large number of medical tourism patients. Wellness tourism and medical tourism are popular. Hence, there has been a spurt in European travellers over the years.