2015: 'Policy Implications of Medical Tourism Development in Destination Countries: Revisiting and Revising an Existing Framework by Examining the Case of Jamaica', Globalization and Health, 11:29. DOI: 10.1186/s12992-015-0113-0 (original) (raw)
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Medical Tourism Industry : Its Framework and Impact on the Global Healthcare
2018
The global growth in the flow of patients and health professionals as well as capital funding and medical technology has given rise to the multi billion industry of medical tourism, on the global market. Experts often call it medical tourism Gold Rush, comparing the recent explosive growth and pace of medical tourism participants’ emergence on the international market with California gold rush. Nations’ Governments around the World express interest in cultivating sectors of medical tourism, as a source of lucrative income and an opportunity for economic growth, health system improvement. Experts of the field find big potential and forecast great perspectives in Health and Medical tourism for Georgia. However, the topic is not studied. For this purpose, firstly, scoping review of literature is conducted to overview the best practices in developing and less developed countries, to identify needs and topics to focus for the research, in Georgia. Studies mainly focus on the drivers of m...
Reflections on 'medical tourism' from the 2016 Global Healthcare Policy and Management Forum
BMC proceedings, 2017
In October 2016, the Global Healthcare Policy and Management Forum was held at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. The goal of the forum was to discuss the role of the state in regulating and supporting the development of medical tourism. Forum attendees came from 10 countries. In this short report article, we identify key lessons from the forum that can inform the direction of future scholarly engagement with medical tourism. In so doing, we reference on-going scholarly debates about this global health services practice that have appeared in multiple venues, including this very journal. Key questions for future research emerging from the forum include: who should be meaningfully involved in identifying and defining categories of those travelling across borders for health services and what risks exist if certain voices are underrepresented in such a process; who does and does not 'count' as a medical tourist and what are the implications of such quantitative assessments; ...
BMC Proceedings
In October 2016, the Global Healthcare Policy and Management Forum was held at Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. The goal of the forum was to discuss the role of the state in regulating and supporting the development of medical tourism. Forum attendees came from 10 countries. In this short report article, we identify key lessons from the forum that can inform the direction of future scholarly engagement with medical tourism. In so doing, we reference on-going scholarly debates about this global health services practice that have appeared in multiple venues, including this very journal. Key questions for future research emerging from the forum include: who should be meaningfully involved in identifying and defining categories of those travelling across borders for health services and what risks exist if certain voices are underrepresented in such a process; who does and does not ‘count’ as a medical tourist and what are the implications of such quantitative assessments; why have researchers not been able to address pressing knowledge gaps regarding the health equity impacts of medical tourism; and how do national-level polices and initiatives shape the ways in which medical tourism is unfolding in specific local centres and clinics? This short report as an important time capsule that summarises the current state of medical tourism research knowledge as articulated by the thought leaders in attendance at the forum while also pushing for research growth.
Atna - Journal of Tourism Studies, 2018
Medical tourism based on transnational journeys for health care, cure, and well-being is being widely discussed in the literature. As a fast-developing phenomenon, there are different views and perspectives on the concerns of medical tourists and various impacts created in destination areas. This paper critically observes the exertions of medical tourism on destination areas in the light of economic and socio-cultural influences. This paper tries to bring out the muddles of the phenomenon based on empirical research. The paper suggests that the socio-cultural impact of medical tourism on the health care of the poor local people must be viewed seriously and calls for rigid and efficient legislation from the authorities to enable and strengthen the public healthcare system.
Medical Tourism Industry Challenges In The Context Of Globalization
Management Strategies Journal, 2014
Medical tourism is not a new concept, even though there is still no international consensus on the name of this phenomenon that is manifesting itself for thousands of years. It is defined by moving patients in various countries to obtain medical care and combined with certain tourist facilities. Increased flow of patients seeking treatment abroad is a global phenomenon linked to economic growth which generates income revenue and a high level of education. Internationally, medical tourism increases by 20% per year, global market for medical tourism at present is estimated to be about 100 billion dollars. This study tries to highlight a conceptual analysis of medical tourism, the targeting of medical tourism flows and major destinations and the proposed tourism development strategies based on the experience of several countries medical.
Medical Tourism, the Future of Health Services
'Medical tourism' is a term used to refer to a travel activity that involves a medical procedure or to activities that promote the wellbeing of the tourist. This paper utilises the factors in Porter's diamond to evaluate, analyse and discuss the growth and development of medical tourism. Unacceptably long hospital queues and high costs of medical procedures in western society have created a demand for medical tourism. Hence, as this new global product gains popularity, increased monitoring and greater accreditation of this service is required to keep pace with an increase in its international demand.
Global Journal of Health Science, 2010
Medical tourism is a general term that describes patients traveling to obtain health services. The growth of medical tourism is due to a broad range of motivators and increasingly, developing countries are seeking to capitalize on these flows and are linking medical care with actual tourist activities. This commercial linkage between healthcare and tourism is a rapidly developing and profitable industry that is attracting growing interest amongst health researchers. This article summarizes seven leading issues concerning medically-motivated travel that were identified by academic researchers during a November 2009 Symposium on the Implications of Medical Tourism for Canadian Health and Health Policy. These issues include emerging technologies, particular vulnerable populations, Canadian business ties to the industry, patient populations excluded from analysis, and comparative analyses between health service providers for medical travelers. This article aims to help guide researchers as they investigate ethical, legal, social, public health, and economic issues related to the growing medical tourism industry.
Background: Medical tourism involves patients intentionally leaving their home country to access non-emergency health care services abroad. Growth in the popularity of this practice has resulted in a significant amount of attention being given to it from researchers, policy-makers, and the media. Yet, there has been little effort to systematically synthesize what is known about the effects of this phenomenon. This article presents the findings of a scoping review examining what is known about the effects of medical tourism in destination and departure countries. Methods: Drawing on academic articles, grey literature, and media sources extracted from18 databases, we follow a widely used scoping review protocol to synthesize what is known about the effects of medical tourism in destination and departure countries. The review design has three main stages: (1) identifying the question and relevant literature; (2) selecting the literature; and (3) charting, collating, and summarizing the data. Results: The large majority of the 203 sources accepted into the review offer a perspective of medical tourism from the Global North, focusing on the flow of patients from high income nations to lower and middle income countries. This greatly shapes any discussion of the effects of medical tourism on destination and departure countries. Five interrelated themes that characterize existing discussion of the effects of this practice were extracted from the reviewed sources. These themes frame medical tourism as a: (1) user of public resources; (2) solution to health system problems; (3) revenue generating industry; (4) standard of care; and (5) source of inequity. It is observed that what is currently known about the effects of medical tourism is minimal, unreliable, geographically restricted and mostly based on speculation. Conclusions: Given its positive and negative effects on the health care systems of departure and destination countries, medical tourism is a highly significant and contested phenomenon. This is especially true given its potential to serve as a powerful force for the inequitable delivery of health care services globally. It is recommended that empirical evidence and other data associated with medical tourism be subjected to clear and coherent definitions, including reports focused on the flows of medical tourists and surgery success rates. Additional primary research on the effects of medical tourism is needed if the industry is to develop in a manner that is beneficial to citizens of both departure and destination countries.
Medical tourism today: What is the state of existing knowledge&quest
Journal of public …, 2010
One manifestation of globalization is medical tourism. As its implications remain largely unknown, we reviewed claimed benefits and risks. Driven by high health-care costs, long waiting periods, or lack of access to new therapies in developed countries, most medical tourists (largely from the United States, Canada, and Western Europe) seek care in Asia and Latin America. Although individual patient risks may be offset by credentialing and sophistication in (some) destination country facilities, lack of benefits to poorer citizens in developing countries offering medical tourism remains a generic equity issue. Data collection, measures, and studies of medical tourism all need to be greatly improved if countries are to assess better both the magnitude and potential health implications of this trade.