What is medical tourism?
Medicine is an
ever growing field which constantly adapts to changing lifestyles, technology
and growth, all around the world. The rising demand for good facilities in
terms of doctors, surgeries and after care has made hospitals in many countries
to adapt and occupy the best of apparatus and ensure that they are hiring the
best team of health care professionals.
But not all countries
have access to resources in comparison to the developed countries. Even though
they try their best, they will have limited access to facilities due to lack of
development. So then, what happens to those who require medical attention from
these countries? This is how medical tourism gave rise where initially people
from the developing or underdeveloped nations would travel to other countries
which were developed to receive treatment for various medical reasons including
surgeries, dental, and fertility treatments.
The travelling
actually dates back to thousands of years ago, when the pilgrims from Greek
would travel to other cities in search of a healing god. Spa towns were also
one of the early forms of medical tourism which the European travellers indulged
in.
Current scenario:
Although medical
tourism initially began due to limited resources, times have changed. Today,
many people from developed countries travel to developing countries in order to
cut costs on their treatment and services. This kind of tourism also helps
people receive treatments that may be banned in their own country or which may
be illegal.
Medical tourism
includes all kind of treatment ranging from health car, psychology, psychiatry,
burial services and even alterative medicines. Domestic medical care is a
practise of people travelling within their country, from one city to another to
receive better care from bigger and well established health care departments.
There are medical tourism facilitators who help coordinate the trip of the
patient, especially to another country.
Health and wellness tourism:
A broader term
is health tourism which focuses on not just medical treatments, but on the
holistic health of the individual which ranges from preventive measures,
rehabilitation after surgeries, and other curative forms of travelling. Another
related field to Medical tourism would be Wellness tourism in which people
travel from one country to another in order to promote services and facilities
in terms of mental and physical wellbeing. You would often notice this in under
developed countries where campaign, free services and other activities are
conducted by various organisations for the same purpose of creating awareness.
Medical tourism in India:
Medical tourism
in India is also a growing sector and it attracts many people from abroad due
to cost effective services and affordable treatments. There are many medical tourism websites
that you can look up. Vaidam.com is one such website that allows you to
compare, analyse and do a thorough research based on your needs and
availabilities. India is one of the top countries for Russians who are seeking
medical services from cities such as Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, etc. Chennai
has come to be called “India’s health capital” and is offering excellent
treatment at very reasonable prices.