Travel to foreign countries for the purpose of finding medical care is become a booming industry called “medical tourism”.  Many of the countries that are actively participating in and advertising for various procedures and surgeries are South America, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, India and South Africa.  This is one way in which people are able to combine exotic vacations with medical or dental care, often times at a significantly lower cost than staying and receiving the care in their own country.  The cost is so greatly different, that most of the time the whole trip combined is less than staying at home.

The kinds of surgeries offered are…well, just about anything.  From hip replacement to open heart surgery, these countries are becoming filled with some of the most experienced doctors in their fields just simply due to the number of procedures they perform.  People travel too, for surgeries that have yet to be approved and performed in their own countries.  One of the common kinds of surgery, one that many people are traveling to the country of South America to have done, is plastic surgery.  This is the kind of work that is generally not covered by medical insurance and is very expensive in many countries, including the United States.

For North Americans to travel to South America, it is a relatively quick trip, and the money that is saved is a vast amount.  Now, there are even entire package deals, where you are picked up at the airport, driven in luxury vehicles to luxury resorts.  They pick you up on the day of the surgery and bring you back to the hotel when it is completed.  This is an option for people needing the kinds of surgeries that will save their lives, as well as an option for those wanting to change their appearances.  Even some of the airline companies now, such as Malaysian Air, offer deals for travel for the purpose of medical tourism, so it is looking as though this one industry that will just continue to grow.