Globalization of Healthcare
As developed countries struggle to provide efficient and affordable healthcare for their citizens, medical tourism has increasingly become common practice among tourists that cross international borders to developing countries seeking medical treatment. The following review will examine three current articles from various trade journals by scholars in economics, tourism and business with supporting and opposing arguments for medical tourism. The objective of this literature review is to identify the ramifications of medical tourism on the host developing economy, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages, as well as determine whether the globalization of healthcare is merely a business or does in fulfill a common
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Especially when a required treatment is not available, or is only partially covered by health insurance, it is simply favorable for a patient to be treated abroad. Also, the leisure activities often associated with visiting a foreign country can be had, before and after receiving treatment. Conversely, the appeal with medical tourism has its health disadvantages. Post-operative complications and the possibility of contracting foreign hospital-borne diseases can certainly compound to the initial cost of treatment. Also, follow-ups can sometimes only be performed by the medical team abroad, which can easily lead to further travel expenses. Thus, Freire is keen to state, “The first thing, which it is advisable to remind, is that the zero risk does not exist in General Medicine and even less in surgery, independently of the country where the intervention is realized” …show more content…
Therefore, medical insurance companies have now started covering medical travel as part of healthcare packages. Medical tourism lends to opportunities of economic development, thus, various governments have been actively involved with the promotion of medical tourism as international fairs or press campaigns. As an example, “Other countries offer economic stimulants: India has untaxed contracts for hospital investments and special visas for medical tourism for their foreigners” (Patrichi and Dodu, 2014). Therefore, medical tourism has transformed into a business as result of becoming a global
The globalization of trade is predominantly relevant for health services that have become a commodity that can be traded in distinct ways. Primarily, health services can be provided across countries. Examples of this include a range of telemedicine tools like tele-diagnostics and tele-radiology as well as medical consultation through traditional and electronic methods. Secondly, patients can travel overseas/abroad to obtain health care or use certain facilities available elsewhere (Pang, 2004).
Many developed countries in Europe and the west which are facing a severe dearth of doctors are trying to tackle this problem by bringing in health care professionals from other countries. In a survey it was found that
First, Agro-Eco tourism is the tourism that blends the environment and economic development. The advantages of this type are regional development especially rural area, cultural diffusion and supporting Thai folk wisdom. For example, when the tourists comes to Elephant village in Surin, they can live close to the elephants and experience the villagers’ life and culture.” Aruninta’s research points out that the occurrence of balancing relationship between business and agriculture that produce income to people in rural area to raise their living standards and some people can be vehicle owners. The Agro-Eco tourism takes the visitors to live with the environment and experience with local wisdom. For example, “how to” live with water in the Thai way of life, the ecosystem of human life and other elements are parts of the unlimited resources available to agro-eco tourism development (Aruninta, 2011).” Second, medical tourism is the tourism that people from developed countries came to developing countries where they can get treated at lower price. In Asia, medical tourism is highest in India, Singapore and Thailand. Although medical tourists are still a small fraction of the 1.5 million foreigners who receive medical care in Thailand, they are the group to affect the country in a major way (Anchana NaRanong; Viroj NaRanong). As Heung et al. says, there are many people in developed countries came to get treatments especially Japanese while patients from the United States, United Kingdom, and Middle East also contribute a quite large number (2011). Medical tourism in Thailand may be also famous in cosmetic surgery much so the visitors flows to attend the medical because prices of cosmetic surgery and beauty treatments in Thailand are generally reasonable. It results in the increased national income and medical care will be improved to be higher quality service. Finally, creative tourism is the tourism that
Dianne is a single woman who has just graduated from nursing school. She has always loved traveling the United States, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures. Dianne wonders how she can be successful with her career as a nurse but still get to do what she loves. Before settling down and establishing a career in one particular hospital or clinical setting, Dianne is trying to figure out a way to experience something new in the medical field. She has researched and is considering travel nursing. Travel nurses are nurses who are hired to typically contract to work specific periods in one location and then move around the country, depending on where they want to go and where they are needed; this is an opportunity many new nurses are
Medical tourism is defined as patients traveling abroad to seek health care outside of their healthcare jurisdiction. The medical treatments are sometimes combined with recreational activities, hence the term ‘medical tourism’. In Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, medical tourism has emerged as an industry and has become a key economic strategy in these two countries. Malaysia and Thailand have also become main medical hubs in the region, attracting patients from within and outside Southeast Asia.
Personal liability travel insurance covers third party insurance claims. In other words, this insurance covers cost of damages or loss to someone else’s property that you or a member of your travelling party is personally responsible for. This type of insurance also covers bodily harm caused to someone who is not family or a member of your travelling party. However, intentional harm or negligence to someone is not covered under a personal liability insurance policy.
The Effects of Tourism on MEDC Tourism has changed dramatically in recent years, due to the improvements in technology of transport which have gotten faster and more efficient, allowing people to even travel hundreds of miles abroad which before the invention of the plane would have been only for those in the army, explorers or the unbelievably wealthy whereas today flights on planes can be bought very cheaply and people have a greater amount of free time which can be spent on holiday because of paid holiday leave, earlier retirement, increases in awareness of other cultures and countries through the media which often have a more reliable climate than of local holiday destinations. Tourists used to mainly travel to more traditional holiday destinations like the countryside or sea side resorts, for example Blackpool, which have struggled to survive against competition from foreign holidays which are seen as more interesting and exciting. In modern times longer holidays are taken abroad which are available to people from all levels of wealth, so even low class people can go to popular overseas destinations, so types of holidays that are popular have changed, which can be seen from the increase in popularity or activity holidays that are being taken. Holidays are becoming more active, the once relaxing day trip to the seaside now seems to most people boring with little to do except swim in the sea and make sand castles with little alternative entertainment aside from visiting the arcade, whereas modern holidays are more exciting with diving, safariing, skiing to see unfamiliar and unusual things, which has not changed, what has changed is what is ‘unfamiliar and unusual’ partly because of the availability of information on the internet and television, once people learn about things like rhinoceros’s or Chinese new year festivals, being at a crowded beach with a few rock pools is going to look pretty dull in comparison to the modern traveler.
Travelling is going from one place to another might it be by land, air or ocean. Due to technology advancement and globalization, the demand for travelling increases as it becomes a requisite to earn for some people and for business expansion. People often travel for pleasure, relaxation, business, and even for education and health purposes. As a result, tourism and demands for air transportation grow rapidly. This growth sees by different airlines as an opportunity to put up business in the Philippines and targeted a big size of market which are Filipinos. Airlines segmented its market into domestic/national or international flights, three general classes of flights; economic, business and first classes, and age.
This coordinated move will synergize the operations and minimize the scope of service failures. For example, with the objective of promoting and establishing Kerala as a medical tourism destination, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Intersight Tours have signed a MoU. The consortium plans to promote Kerala as a medical tourism destination, where medical treatment will be provided at AIMS, holiday options will be provided by KTDC and the logistics of travel will be provided by
A journey that patients take from one country to another country to get cost effective and efficient medical treatment, followed by a great vacation at some of the most beautiful locations is called medical tourism. In simple terms, the medical tourism refers to “visit by overseas patients for medical treatment and relaxation”. Thus, it is an amalgamation of two distinct services: healthcare and tourism. Although the medical tourism is a recent phenomenon, this sector grows exponentially and emerges as a major force for the growth of services exports worldwide. Currently, it is a multibillion dollar industry.Countries like Belgium, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dubai, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand etc are actively involved in medical tourism. India is one of the major democratic nations of the world. It has achieved considerable progress after initiation of reforms in 1991. It has emerged as the fourth largest economy in purchasing power. It is amongst the fastest growing
While medical tourism is often generalized to travel from high-income countries to low-cost developing economies, other factors can influence a decision to travel as well, including diferences between the funding of public healtcare or general access to healthcare.
Half of century has gone since ‘tourism boom’ began in 1960s (Tirados, 2011). Nowadays, desire to be a tourist is virtually universe which has made tourism become a central element of globalization. The profit brought from tourism is something that we cannot deny however everything has its two sides which are good and bad, advantages and disadvantages or positive and negative. Thailand is a great example to find out the advantages and disadvantages of the development of tourism impact on the country.
The economy can be clearly identified as the most beneficial aspect of tourism. “According to recent statistics, tourism provides about 10% of the world’s income and employs almost one tenth of the world’s workforce” (Mirbabayev, 2007). In Australia alone, Tourism contributed $87.3 billion in 2012, and employed 908,434 (7.9%) people (Kookana & Duc Pham, 2013). Tourism is “one of the most profitable and rapidly developing industries in the world” (Popushoi, 2004). Every year the number of tourists increase dramatically and consequently the revenues from tourism will increase substantially.
To cope with seasonal demand variations, Andorra has developed diversity of tourism products. One of them is ‘Health Tourism’ which is a combination of two potential sectors of Andorra, ideal environment and medical & wellness services. According to health tourism connects with various sectors, strong networks among stakeholders in its supply chain is essential. Andorra has developed the Health and Wellness cluster, which recently has 140 members, aiming to improve medical infrastructures and provide medical technology to both Andorrans and international patients (ACTUA, 2017). For more development in tourism product, Andorra linked health tourism with sports and represented through ‘the Center of reference in sports
Tourism is something that has continuously been growing at a rapid rate, providing both positive impacts as well as negative. There are so many different reasons why people decide to travel to certain destinations, and a person’s character plays a huge role in this. Certain types of tourism would include, dark tourism, adventure, culinary, and ecotourism to name a few. One type of tourism that has become increasingly popular is volunteering tourism. “Volunteer tourism, sometimes called "voluntourism," refers to the practice of spending vacation time and money traveling to a destination to perform volunteer service. While people have engaged in the practice of paying their way to help in another area for many years, the concept grew in