What is health tourism?  Most people understand the idea of health, and the idea of tourism, and combining the two may seem like a new idea, but it actually has its roots dating back thousands of years.  Centuries ago, pilgrims from Greece would travel from the Mediterranean to a small area called Epidauria, a territory in the Saronic Gulf.  Here, there was a sanctuary for the god Asklepios, whose powers included healing.  Over time, whole towns based on spas and sanitariums arose and patients traveled to them in order to bathe in the healing minerals of the water to treat everything from bronchitis to liver problems.  Today, the idea of health tourism has expanded.  Because international travel is relatively easy and other countries have increased their levels of care standards, many people have opted to travel outside their country’s borders and find health care far from home.  The health tourist will travel from the United States, Europe, Middle East, Japan, or Canada to other parts of the world; if the health concern isn’t life-threatening, such as plastic surgery, the patient may combine the surgery with a vacation.

Just a few years ago, as many as three-quarters of a million Americans sought health care abroad (2007), and that number is growing.  The main reasons for going so far from home is convenience and speed.  In some places, such as Canada and the UK, there is a wait for non-urgent medical procedures such as a hip replacement or a cataract surgery.  Instead of waiting nearly half a year for the procedure, some choose to travel.  For instance, it’s possible to get a knee replacement in places like Columbia for about five thousand U.S. currency; although not all clinics will provide a quote that includes everything.  Increasingly, though, it’s cost that is driving people to India, or Thailand, or South Africa, paying one-tenth of the price of surgery in the United States or Western Europe.

Typically, a person will seek medical treatment by speaking with a health tourism provider.  The provider will ask for a medical report, the opinion of a local doctor, a medical history, and so on.  Once this has been reviewed by a certified consultant or doctor, then arrangements are made for the choice of hospital, tourist destinations, length of stay and so forth.  The patient will then acquire a medical visa to be received from the embassy of the country in question.  Next, the patient travels to the country, where the provider assigns a case executive who is in charge of obtaining the patient’s accommodation and treatment.  After the medical procedure is complete, the patient may stay longer in the country, to become an actual tourist, or to return to his or her home country.  Clearly, health tourism in the 21st Century has progressed a long way from the days of Asklepios at Epidauria.