Medical tourism refers to the activity of going to a different country in order to receive medical treatment. The term was invented by travel agencies and the media to describe what is a fast-growing practice. The term medical tourism can also be used to describe the actions of healthcare providers that travel across international borders to deliver healthcare.
Very often, so-called medical tourists go abroad to have elective procedures (those that aren’t medically necessary – including but not limited to cosmetic surgery). In other cases, people travel in order to undergo complicated, specialist procedures such as joint replacements or heart surgery. Pretty much all types of healthcare are available for those that choose to look for it overseas – that includes alternative therapies, psychiatric treatments, care for the elderly and more.
Already, more than 50 countries have recognised medical tourism as a national industry. However, accreditation and other quality controls are far from consistent from one country to the next, and some destinations can be dangerous places for medical tourists.
Records of practices that can reasonably be labelled as medical tourism date back as far as Ancient Greece, when pilgrims travelled from around the Mediterranean to Epidauria – a territory in the Saronic Gulf and home to the healing god Asklepios. Spa towns can also be seen as one of the first forms of medical tourism. In 18th century England and elsewhere, people visited spas because the mineral waters were supposed to have a variety of health benefits. Gout and bronchitis were just a couple of the diseases people went to spas for.
In 2010, residents of Qatar spent 85 million on medical tourism, due to the high cost of healthcare within the country, and a shortage of modern hospitals, whilst Turkey was one of the most successful destinations treating patients from other countries.
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