Medical Tourism is in the rise around the world. With health Care costs in the U.S. rising and technology in other countries rising at the same speed, it is a very lucrative option. Imagine landing in a beautiful country and getting an expensive surgery done for a mere percentage of what it would cost in the U.S. On top of the savings, many countries like India have a tradition of relaxation techniques and healing methods that are incomparable.

Medical tourism gained popularity with plastic surgeries. It was much cheaper to get cosmetic surgeries in places like Thailand and Mexico than here in the U.S. At this time, unfortunately there were not many reviews of the doctors and a lot of botch surgeries were reported. Now Medical Tourism has spread to knee and heart surgeries. Many people needing transplants opt to get their surgeries in other countries where the list is much shorter. Doctors in India are well trained and have years of experience. Recently, state of the art facilities have been built in order to entice the flow of medical tourism in this country.

Along with the benefits, there are some costs. Most of these countries have communities that are very poor. In discussing transplants, there are people who have reportedly been murdered for their organs. People who are paid for their organs do not always receive the state of the art treatment that those receiving the organ do and can suffer from infections or even death. Measures have been taken to stop the buying and selling of human organs and reported cases have dropped significantly.

In India, the government has actively put together world class treatment centers in order to encourage this type of tourism. Even with the most expensive care available, airfare, and vacation stay, the bill is less than standard hospitalization alone in the U.S. Destination medical care is the new wave of tourism and the bad economy is actually boosting this tourism rather than stifling it.