In the last decade, traveling to another country to receive medical and dental services has created a new reform called “medical tourism”. Many of these medical services are not allowed or approved in the country where the person resides or surgery appointments are very long and they have been in waiting list for a while. Therefore, people have to travel to secondary countries for treatment. Of course, various other factors such as the high costs of health care, lack of health insurance, deficiency in receiving better quality medical services, lack or unavailability of specialized treatment methods in the country of origin can be among the motivations of people to plan a trip with be the goal of treatment.
Especially after the corona virus epidemic, in America and many European countries, people inevitably lost their health insurance, which can be considered as one of the reasons for the medical tourism of the people of these regions. Treatment and plastic surgeries in the host countries of health tourism are far more affordable and can save between 25% and 400% in costs.
But what are the advantages and disadvantages of this emerging phenomenon of tourism? The most common surgeries and medical treatments for which people around the world turn to medical tourism can be different depending on the geographical area where they live. For example, infertility treatments are not available in some Arabic countries and maybe they are not culturally accepted. Or dentistry and cosmetic surgeries are one of the most frequent motivations for American people to plan travel to other countries. In the field of treatment, diagnostic tests are very expensive in many countries such as United States, and if the surgery does not require a long and complicated recovery period, the treatment can be followed up with a reasonable cost.
One of the main reasons for the high cost of treatment services in countries is the high cost of labor, and even the high costs of malpractice insurance for doctors and treatment staff, which protect them from lawsuits, has a great impact on the cost of treatment. In a situation where hospitalization in third-country hospitals can be equivalent to staying in several star hotels in addition to receiving high quality medical services, especially for treatments that are not covered by insurance or for people who do not have health insurance, this difference in cost and sometimes services can be very important.
The interesting thing is that today many insurance companies encourage people to receive health tourism services in third countries and even include discounts in other medical bills for the insured and we all know why. Of course, in medical treatments and not cosmetic surgeries, a number of insurance companies do not pay the costs of surgery abroad except in emergency cases.
Since medical tourism is a profitable business for many countries due to the difference in currency value with the dollar and euro, these countries have taken steps to strengthen their tourism and medical infrastructures, and patients can receive personalized services at reasonable costs and luxury hoteling services. Many hospitals or international patient wards in medical centers are not less than luxury hotel rooms with high level nursing care of the patient; they create the feeling of a “relaxed vacation”.
Another benefit of having cosmetic surgery abroad is maintaining your privacy, especially if this is an important issue for you. This means going on vacation and coming home without anyone finding out about your cosmetic surgery and how it went.
Of course, therapeutic travel has its own risks, which can be minimized with your careful consideration. Some of these risks are general in all countries. For example, whether you want to do cosmetic surgery in your own country or in another country, you must pay attention to these things: The most important danger is weak surgeons. If the number of surgeries performed by no-competent surgeon (inexperienced surgeon) or if you do not go to a well-known and prominent hospital or clinic, the risk of surgery will increase. Find an experienced and skilled doctor with a long and complete surgical resume.
Of course, famous hospitals use doctors and specialists who have a lot of surgical experience. Being a general hospital is also very important because in addition to many equipment and facilities, General Hospital has many doctors and professors in all medical groups, while; Day Clinics are only for outpatient and without anesthesia’s surgeries. Remember that the presence of ICU department and complete facilities in the treatment center is very important in critical times.
Return home for medical trips that include surgery and anesthesia due to the pressure during the plane flight should be at least one week after the surgery to minimize the risk of blood clots. During the flight, walk the aisles of the plane at least every hour to improve the blood flow in your legs. While traveling to another country for treatment, you may be exposed to diseases caused by poor hygiene in that country, improper food, improper drinking water, or environmental pollution. So be sure to check the health tips at the travel destination. To travel to some destinations, it is necessary to inject a series of vaccines. Another important thing in the therapeutic journey is the shared language to convey concepts. This point is very important, especially if you are traveling alone and do not have a companion. Having a translator who is familiar with medical information and can establish your relationship with the treatment staff correctly is a challenging point.
If you are traveling for organ or tissue transplantation, be very careful. Most of these organs and tissues are not obtained from the legal channels and are from “black market” and are not only of low quality, but it is not ethical to use them. For example, in India, most of the donors sell their organs due to poverty, they are scammed and they are not paid. In addition to this, the new organ can cause the transmission of many diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, which have not been screened in India, which endangers the person’s life and the consequences of which are with the person until the end of his life.
It is difficult to do these researches from a distance and this is where we suggest you go through an ethical medical facilitation company for therapeutic travel. These companies are well acquainted with the reputable hospitals and doctors of that country and know the quality of work of each hospital and each doctor. Also, medical tourism facilitation companies are fully familiar with the laws of treating international patients in their country and can protect your rights well.
In the end, if you decided to undergo cosmetic surgery and medical treatment with full knowledge and careful consideration, medical tourism in a suitable country is a golden opportunity that will bring you a sweet experience. Here in Nora Health Tour we have a slogan: “Your health matters, but Nora helps”. So, if you are considering a medical trip to another country, consult with Nora Health Tour experts.
