Medical tourism#Turkey

The first recorded instance of people traveling for medical treatment dates back thousands of years to when Greek pilgrims traveled from the eastern Mediterranean to a small area in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria.{{cite web|title=History of Medical Tourism|url=http://www.discovermedicaltourism.com/history/|website=Discovermedicaltourism.com|access-date=2015-11-03|archive-date=2021-04-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430112222/http://www.discovermedicaltourism.com/history/|url-status=dead}} This territory was the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios.

Spa towns and sanitaria were early forms of medical tourism. In 18th-century Europe patients visited spas because they were places with supposedly health-giving mineral waters, treating diseases from gout to liver disorders and bronchitis.{{cite book|last=Gahlinger|first=PM|title=The Medical Tourism Travel Guide: Your Complete Reference to Top-Quality, Low-Cost Dental, Cosmetic, Medical Care & Surgery Overseas|publisher=Sunrise River Press|date=2008}}{{page needed|date=August 2024}}

Factors that have led to the increasing popularity of medical travel include the high cost of health care, long wait times for certain procedures, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in both technology and standards of care in many countries.{{cite news|first=Laurie|last=Goering|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-medical-tourism_goeringmar28,0,4555735.story|title=For big surgery, Delhi is dealing|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 28, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401041824/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-medical-tourism_goeringmar28%2C0%2C4555735.story |archive-date=April 1, 2008 }}{{cite journal|last1=Tompkins|first1=Olga|title=Medical Tourism|journal=AAOHN Journal|date=2010|volume=58|issue=1|page=40|doi=10.3928/08910162-20091223-04|pmid=20102121|s2cid=44770932 }} The avoidance of waiting times is the leading factor for medical tourism from the UK, whereas in the US, the main reason is cheaper prices abroad. Furthermore, death rates even in the developed countries differ extremely.{{Citation |last1=Roemer |first1=Marc |title=Changes in Hospitalizations and In-Hospital Deaths in the Initial Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic (April–December 2020), 38 States and DC |date=2006 |work=Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Statistical Briefs |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK588379/#:~:text=The%20overall%20in-hospital%20mortality,among%20females%20(2.4%20percent). |access-date=2024-08-16 |place=Rockville (MD) |publisher=Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US) |pmid=36622928 |last2=Welch |first2=Jennifer}}{{Cite journal |last1=Ruiz |first1=Milagros |last2=Bottle |first2=Alex |last3=Aylin |first3=Paul P. |date=2015-08-01 |title=The Global Comparators project: international comparison of 30-day in-hospital mortality by day of the week |url=https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/24/8/492 |journal=BMJ Quality & Safety |language=en |volume=24 |issue=8 |pages=492–504 |doi=10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003467 |issn=2044-5415 |pmid=26150550|pmc=4515980 }}{{Cite web |title=Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) - Deaths associated with hospitalisation |url=https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/shmi |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=NHS England Digital |language=en}}

Many surgical procedures performed in medical tourism destinations cost a fraction of the price they do in other countries. For example, in the United States, a liver transplant that may cost US$300,000, would generally cost about US$91,000 in Taiwan.{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2004023,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718234140/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2004023,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 18, 2010 | magazine=Time | first=Sarah | last=Tung | title=Is Taiwan Asia's Next One-Stop Plastic-Surgery Shop? | date=July 16, 2010}} A large draw to medical travel is convenience and speed. Countries that operate public health-care systems often have long wait times for certain operations, for example, an estimated 782,936 Canadian patients spent an average waiting time of 9.4 weeks on medical waiting lists in 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.fraserinstitute.org/Commerce.Web/product_files/PrivateCostofPublicQueues2005.pdf|title=The Private Cost of Public Queues in 2005|publisher=Fraser Institute}}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Canada has also set waiting time benchmarks for non-urgent medical procedures, including a 26-week waiting period for a hip replacement and a 16-week wait for cataract surgery.{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/Wait+times+shorter+some+medical+procedures+report/1528971/story.html|title=Wait times shorter for some medical procedures: report.|publisher=Canwest News Service|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427165059/http://www.canada.com/Wait+times+shorter+some+medical+procedures+report/1528971/story.html |archive-date=2009-04-27 }}

In developed countries such as the United States, medical tourism has large growth prospects and potentially destabilizing implications. A forecast by Deloitte Consulting published in August 2008 projected that medical tourism originating in the US could jump by a factor of ten over the next decade. An estimated 750,000 Americans went abroad for health care in 2007, and the report estimated that 1.5 million would seek health care outside the US in 2008. The growth in medical tourism has the potential to cost US health care providers billions of dollars in lost revenue.{{cite news|author=Linda A. Johnson|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/03/BUGA121GPF.DTL&type=health|title=Americans look abroad to save on health care: Medical tourism could jump tenfold in next decade|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|date=August 3, 2008}}

Manish Chandra, Co founder of Vaidam Health stated that " Medical tourism is a rapidly expanding sector within India's healthcare industry, offering immense potential. Over the years, a significant number of people have traveled across continents seeking medical care due to factors such as cost-effectiveness, faster and more efficient services, specialized healthcare, and advanced treatment options that may not be available in their home countries. Industry reports indicate that India's healthcare industry is projected to reach $280 billion by 2020, which will likely enhance the quality and scope of medical treatment offered by hospitals".{{Cite web |date=2018-02-20 |title=Vaidam Fostering Medical Tourism in India - Elets eHealth |url=https://ehealth.eletsonline.com/2018/02/vaidam-fostering-medical-tourism-in-india/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=eHealth Magazine |language=en}}

An authority at the Harvard Business School stated that "medical tourism is promoted much more heavily in the United Kingdom than in the United States".{{cite web|last=Lagace|first=Martha|url=http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5814.html|title=The Rise of Medical Tourism|url-status=live|publisher=Harvard Business School Working Knowledge|date=December 17, 2007|access-date=July 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427044019/https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5814.html |archive-date=2021-04-27 }}

Additionally, some patients in some First World countries are finding that insurance either does not cover orthopedic surgery (such as knee or hip replacement) or limits the choice of the facility, surgeon, or prosthetics to be used.

Popular medical travel worldwide destinations include: Canada, Cuba, Costa Rica, India, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States.{{cite web|publisher=Patients Beyond Borders|url=https://www.patientsbeyondborders.com/media|title=Quick Facts about Medical Tourism}}{{cite journal |title=Making Canada a Destination for Medical Tourists: Why Canadian Provinces Should Not Try to Become "Mayo Clinics of the North" |year=2012 |pmc=3359081 |last1=Turner |first1=L. |journal=Healthcare Policy |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=18–25 |doi=10.12927/hcpol.2013.22886 |pmid=23634159 }}

Popular destinations for cosmetic surgery include: Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, South Korea, South Africa, Turkey and Thailand.{{cite web|url=https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/briefing-papers/briefing-paper-cosmetic-surgery-tourism|title=Briefing Paper: Cosmetic Surgery Tourism|website=plasticsurgery.org}}

Some people travel for assisted pregnancy, such as in-vitro fertilization, or surrogacy,{{cite journal |last1=Jones|first1=CA|last2=Keith|first2=LG | year = 2006 | title = Medical tourism and reproductive outsourcing: the dawning of a new paradigm for healthcare | journal = Int J Fertil Womens Med | volume = 51 | issue = 6| pages = 251–255 | pmid = 17566566 }} or freezing embryos for retro-production.{{cite journal | author = Jones, C | year = 2007 | title = Ethical and legal conundrums of post-modern procreation | journal = Int J Gynaecol Obstet }}

However, perceptions of medical tourism are not always positive. In places like the US, which has high standards of quality, medical tourism is viewed as risky. In some parts of the world, wider political issues can influence where medical tourists will choose to seek out health care.

Medical tourism providers have developed as intermediaries which unite potential medical tourists with surgeons, provider hospitals and other organizations. In some cases, surgeons from the United States have signed up with medical tourism providers to travel to Mexico to treat American patients. The hope is that using an American surgeon may alleviate concerns about going outside the country, and persuade self-insured American employers to offer this cost-effective option to their workers as a way to save money while still provide high-quality care.{{cite web |last1=Galewitz |first1=Phil |title=To Save Money, American Patients And Surgeons Meet In Cancun |url=https://khn.org/news/to-save-money-american-patients-and-surgeons-meet-in-cancun/ |website=Kaiser Health News |publisher=Kaiser Family Foundation |access-date=14 August 2019|date=2019-08-12 }} Companies that focus on medical value travel typically provide nurse case managers to assist patients with pre- and post-travel medical issues. They may also help provide resources for follow-up care upon the patient's return.

Circumvention tourism is also an area of medical tourism that has grown. Circumvention tourism is travel in order to access medical services that are legal in the destination country but illegal in the home country. This can include travel for fertility treatments that are not yet approved in the home country, abortion, and doctor-assisted suicide.{{cite journal|last1=Cohen|first1=Glenn|title=Circumvention Tourism|journal=Cornell Law Review|date=2012|volume=97|issue=1309|pages=1309–98|pmid=23072007}} Abortion tourism can be found most commonly in Europe, where travel between countries is relatively simple. Poland, a European country with highly restrictive abortion laws, has one of the highest rates of circumvention tourism, as did Ireland before abortion was made legal in 2018. In Poland especially, it is estimated that each year nearly 7,000 women travel to the UK, where abortion services are free through the National Health Service.{{cite news|last1=Day|first1=Matthew|title=Polish women encouraged to come to UK for "free abortions" on NHS|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/7441990/Polish-women-encouraged-to-come-to-UK-for-free-abortions-on-NHS.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/7441990/Polish-women-encouraged-to-come-to-UK-for-free-abortions-on-NHS.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=28 April 2015|agency=The Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|date=March 15, 2010}}{{cbignore}} There are also efforts being made by independent organizations and doctors, such as with Women on Waves, to help women circumvent laws in order to access medical services. With Women on Waves, the organization uses a mobile clinic aboard a ship to provide medical abortions in international waters, where the law of the country whose flag is flown applies.{{cite web|title=Ship campaigns|url=http://www.womenonwaves.org/en/page/2582/ship-campaigns|website=Women on Waves}}

Dental tourism is travel for cheaper dentistry or oral surgery. The same porcelain veneer made in a lab in Sweden can be as much as 2500 AUD in Australia, but only 1200 AUD in India. The price difference here is not explainable by reference to the material cost.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/fashion/07SKIN.html|title=More Fun Than Root Canals? It's the Dental Vacation|newspaper=New York Times|date=2008-02-07}}

{{Main|International healthcare accreditation}}

International healthcare accreditation is the process of certifying a level of quality for healthcare providers and programs across multiple countries. International healthcare accreditation organizations certify a wide range of healthcare programs such as hospitals, primary care centers, medical transport, and ambulatory care services.{{citation|title=Joint Commission International Accreditation & Certificationweb |url=http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/Accreditation-and-Certification-Process/ |publisher=Joint Commission International |access-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722144022/http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/Accreditation-and-Certification-Process/ |archive-date=22 July 2011 }} There are a number of accreditation schemes available based in a number of different countries around the world.

The oldest international accrediting body is Accreditation Canada, formerly known as the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation,{{cite web |url=http://www.accreditation.ca/about-us/history/ |title=Accreditation Canada History |access-date=June 12, 2012}} which accredited the Bermuda Hospital Board as soon as 1968. Since then, it has accredited hospitals and health service organizations in ten other countries.

In the United States, the accreditation group Joint Commission International (JCI) was formed in 1994 to provide international clients education and consulting services.{{cite web|url=http://www.ncamss.org/AnnualMtg2009/Dengler%20-%20Joint%20Commission%20History.pdf|title=A Journal Through the History of The Joint Commission|publisher=The Joint Commission|access-date=2014-04-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413150707/http://www.ncamss.org/AnnualMtg2009/Dengler%20-%20Joint%20Commission%20History.pdf|archive-date=2014-04-13|url-status=dead}} Many international hospitals today see obtaining international accreditation as a way to attract American patients.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.medicaltravelauthority.com/Medical-Tourism-Magazine-Issue-2.pdf|title=Accreditation of Overseas Hospitals ~ JCI or Isqua?|magazine=Medical Tourism Magazine|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407144740/http://www.medicaltravelauthority.com/Medical-Tourism-Magazine-Issue-2.pdf |archive-date=2019-04-07|publisher=Medical Tourism Association|date=February 2008|last=Watson|first=Edward|page=12}}

Joint Commission International is a relative of the Joint Commission in the United States. Both are US-style independent private sector not-for-profit organizations that develop nationally and internationally recognized procedures and standards to help improve patient care and safety. They work with hospitals to help them meet Joint Commission standards for patient care and then accredit those hospitals meeting the standards.{{cite web|url=http://www.jointcommission.org/AboutUs/Fact_Sheets/jci_facts.htm |title=Facts about Joint Commission International |publisher=Joint Commission |date=2008-12-11 |access-date=2010-09-15}}

A British scheme, QHA Trent Accreditation, is an active independent holistic accreditation scheme, as well as GCR.org which monitors the success metrics and standards of almost 500,000 medical clinics worldwide.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-jECQAAQBAJ&q=qha+trent+accreditation&pg=PA378|title=Handbook on Medical Tourism and Patient Mobility|date=2015|isbn=9781783471195|last1=Lunt|first1=Neil|last2=Horsfall|first2=Daniel|last3=Hanefeld|first3=Johanna|publisher=Edward Elgar }}

The different international healthcare accreditation schemes vary in quality, size, cost, intent and the skill and intensity of their marketing. They also vary in terms of cost to hospitals and healthcare institutions making use of them.{{cite web|url=http://www.imtjonline.com/news/india-accreditation-a-must|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630100255/http://www.imtjonline.com/news/india-accreditation-a-must|archive-date=2008-06-30|url-status=dead|title=INDIA: Accreditation a must|publisher=International Medical Travel Journal}}

Increasingly, some hospitals are looking towards dual international accreditation, perhaps having both JCI to cover potential US clientele, and Accreditation Canada or QHA Trent. As a result of competition between clinics for American medical tourists, there have been initiatives to rank hospitals based on patient-reported metrics.{{cite web |url=http://www.worldhospitalmonitor.com/ |title=Home |publisher=World Hospital Monitor |access-date=2010-09-15 |archive-date=2019-04-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407203332/http://www.worldhospitalmonitor.com/ |url-status=dead }}

Medical tourism carries some risks that locally provided medical care either does not carry or carries to a much lesser degree.

Some countries, such as South Africa, or Thailand have very different infectious disease-related epidemiology to Europe and North America. Exposure to diseases without having built up natural immunity can be a hazard for weakened individuals, specifically with respect to gastrointestinal diseases (e.g. hepatitis A, amoebic dysentery, paratyphoid) which could weaken progress and expose the patient to mosquito-transmitted diseases, influenza, and tuberculosis. However, because in poor tropical nations diseases run the gamut, doctors seem to be more open to the possibility of considering any infectious disease, including HIV, TB, and typhoid, while there are cases in the Western world where patients were consistently misdiagnosed for years because such diseases are perceived to be "rare" in the West.{{cite web|url=http://www.lungil.org/il/copd/TBMisdiagnosed.asp|title=TB Often Misdiagnosed|publisher=American Lung Association of Illinois|access-date=2007-03-10 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070301064539/http://www.lungil.org/il/copd/TBMisdiagnosed.asp |archive-date = March 1, 2007}}{{bettersource|date=November 2024}}

The quality of post-operative care can also vary dramatically, depending on the hospital and country, and may be different from US or European standards. Also, traveling long distances soon after surgery can increase the risk of complications. Long flights and decreased mobility associated with window seats can predispose one towards developing deep vein thrombosis and potentially a pulmonary embolism.{{cite web |url=http://www.chestnet.org/accp/article/new-dvt-guidelines-no-evidence-support-economy-class-syndrome |title=New DVT Guidelines: No Evidence to Support "Economy Class Syndrome"; Oral Contraceptives, Sitting in a Window Seat, Advanced Age, and Pregnancy Increase DVT Risk in Long-distance Travelers |date=7 February 2012 |publisher=American College of Chest Physicians |access-date=10 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209195940/http://www.chestnet.org/accp/article/new-dvt-guidelines-no-evidence-support-economy-class-syndrome |archive-date=9 February 2012 |url-status=dead }} Other vacation activities can be problematic as well — for example, scars may become darker and more noticeable if they are sunburned while healing.{{cite web|url=http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/staying-healthy/first-aid/caring-for-your-incision-after-surgery.html|title=Caring for Your Incision After Surgery|website=FamilyDoctor.org|publisher=American Academy of Family Physicians|date=December 2010|access-date=July 23, 2013}}

Also, health facilities treating medical tourists may lack an adequate complaints policy to deal appropriately and fairly with complaints made by dissatisfied patients.{{cite web |url=http://www.pat.nhs.uk/downloads/ComplaintsleafletDec2011.pdf |title=Compliments, Comments, Concerns or Complaints |publisher=The Pennine Acute Hospitals |access-date=2015-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101195543/http://www.pat.nhs.uk/downloads/ComplaintsleafletDec2011.pdf |archive-date=2015-01-01 |url-status=dead }}

Differences in healthcare provider standards around the world have been recognized by the World Health Organization, and in 2004 it launched the World Alliance for Patient Safety. This body assists hospitals and government around the world in setting patient safety policy and practices that can become particularly relevant when providing medical tourism services.{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/patientsafety/en/ |title=World Alliance for Patient Safety |publisher=Who.int |date=2010-05-05 |access-date=2011-10-29}}

Patients traveling to countries with less stringent surgical standards may be at higher risk for complications.{{Cite journal|last1=Cusumano|first1=Lucas R.|last2=Tran|first2=Vivy|last3=Tlamsa|first3=Aileen|last4=Chung|first4=Philip|last5=Grossberg|first5=Robert|last6=Weston|first6=Gregory|last7=Sarwar|first7=Uzma N.|date=October 2017|title=Rapidly growing Mycobacterium infections after cosmetic surgery in medical tourists: the Bronx experience and a review of the literature|journal=International Journal of Infectious Diseases |volume=63|pages=1–6|doi=10.1016/j.ijid.2017.07.022|issn=1878-3511|pmid=28780185|doi-access=free}} If complications arise, the patient may be required to remain in the foreign country longer than initially planned. Alternatively, if they have already returned home, access to appropriate follow-up care may be limited.{{cite news|url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/06/07/20090607rxtourism0607.html?nclick_check=1#reply17699291|title=Globe-trotting to cut down on medical costs|last=Rough|first=Ginger |date=June 7, 2009|work=The Arizona Republic|access-date=1 January 2013}}

Patients sometimes travel to another country to obtain medical procedures that doctors in their home country refuse to perform because they believed that the risks of the procedure outweigh the benefits. Such patients may have difficulty getting insurance (whether public or private) to cover follow up medical costs should the feared complications indeed arise.

Receiving medical care abroad may subject medical tourists to unfamiliar legal issues.{{cite web |url=http://www.ahcpub.com/hot_topics/?htid=1&httid=1874 |title=Medical Tourism: Ethical Pitfalls of Seeking Health Care Overseas |publisher=Ahcpub.com |access-date=2011-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707094359/http://www.ahcpub.com/hot_topics/?htid=1&httid=1874 |archive-date=2011-07-07 |url-status=dead }} The limited nature of litigation in various countries is a reason for accessibility of care overseas. While some countries currently presenting themselves as attractive medical tourism destinations provide some form of legal remedies for medical malpractice, these legal avenues may be unappealing to the medical tourist. Should problems arise, patients might not be covered by adequate personal insurance or might be unable to seek compensation via malpractice lawsuits. Hospitals and/or doctors in some countries may be unable to pay the financial damages awarded by a court to a patient who has sued them, owing to the hospital and/or the doctor not possessing appropriate insurance cover and/or medical indemnity.{{cite web|url=http://www.medicalprotection.org/uk |title=Medical Protection Society {{pipe}} MPS UK |publisher=Medicalprotection.org |access-date=2011-10-29}}

Issues can also arise for patients who seek out services that are illegal in their home country. In this case, some countries have the jurisdiction to prosecute their citizen once they have returned home, or in extreme cases extraterritorially arrest and prosecute. In Ireland, especially, in the 1980s-90s there were cases of young rape victims who were banned from traveling to Europe to get legal abortions. Ultimately, Ireland's Supreme Court overturned the ban; they and many other countries have since created "right to travel" amendments.{{cite book|last1=Spreng|first1=Jennifer|title=Abortion and Divorce Law in Ireland|date=2004|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn=978-0786416752|page=150}}

There can be major ethical issues around medical tourism. For example, the illegal purchase of organs and tissues for transplantation had been methodically documented and studied in countries such as China,{{cite web|author1=David Kilgour|author1-link=David Kilgour|author2=David Matas|author2-link=David Matas|date=31 January 2007|url=http://organharvestinvestigation.net |title=An Independent Investigation into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China}} Pakistan,{{Cite news|date=2017-09-11|title=Debt drives kidney harvesting in Pakistan's citrus orchards|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-trafficking-organs-idUSKCN1BM17K|access-date=2021-11-16}} Colombia{{cite journal | author = Lee Mendoza Roger | year = 2010 | title = Colombia's organ trade: Evidence from Bogotá and Medellín | journal = Journal of Public Health | volume = 18 | issue = 4| pages = 375–384 | doi=10.1007/s10389-010-0320-3| s2cid = 35056299 }} and the Philippines.{{cite journal|author=Roger Lee Mendoza|date=2010|title=Price deflation and the underground organ economy in the Philippines|journal=Oxford Journal of Public Health|volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=101–107|url=http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/1/101.abstract|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324163031/http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/1/101.abstract|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-03-24}} The Declaration of Istanbul distinguishes between ethically problematic "transplant tourism" and "travel for transplantation".{{cite journal | year = 2008| title = The Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism | doi = 10.1038/ki.2008.388 | pmid = 20142924| journal = Kidney International | volume = 74 | issue = 7| pages = 854–59 | pmc = 2813140 }}

Medical tourism may raise broader ethical issues for the countries in which it is promoted. For example, in India, some argue that a "policy of "medical tourism for the classes and health missions for the masses" will lead to a deepening of the inequities" already embedded in the health care system.{{cite web|url=http://www.issuesinmedicalethics.org/132ed042.html|title=Indian Journal of Medical Ethics|access-date=9 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730071321/http://www.issuesinmedicalethics.org/132ed042.html|archive-date=30 July 2013|url-status=dead}} In Thailand, in 2008 it was stated that, "Doctors in Thailand have become so busy with foreigners that Thai patients are having trouble getting care".{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16735157 |title=Medical Tourism Creates Thai Doctor Shortage |website=NPR.org |date=29 November 2007 |publisher=NPR |access-date=2011-10-29 |last1=Hamilton |first1=Jon }} Medical tourism centered on new technologies, such as stem cell treatments, is often criticized on grounds of fraud, blatant lack of scientific rationale and patient safety. However, when pioneering advanced technologies, such as providing "unproven" therapies to patients outside of regular clinical trials, it is often challenging to differentiate between acceptable medical innovation and unacceptable patient exploitation.{{cite journal|title= Medical innovation versus stem cell tourism|date=2011-10-03 |pmid=19556497 | doi=10.1126/science.1171749 |volume=324 |issue=5935 |journal=Science |pages=1664–5 |last1=Lindvall|first1=O|last2=Hyun|first2=I |s2cid=27119258 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.isscr.org/clinical_trans/index.cfm|title=ISSCR Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells|year=2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603085208/http://www.isscr.org/clinical_trans/index.cfm |archive-date=June 3, 2009 }}

The field of the medical tourism (referring to volunteers who travel overseas to deliver medical care) has recently attracted negative criticism when compared to the alternative notion of sustainable capacities, i.e., work done in the context of long-term, locally-run, and foreign-supported infrastructures. A preponderance of this criticism appears largely in scientific and peer-reviewed literature.{{cite journal|last=Bezruchka|first=S.|date=2000|title=Medical Tourism as Medical Harm to the Third World: Why? For Whom?|journal=Wilderness and Environmental Medicine|volume=11|issue=2 |pages=77–78|doi=10.1580/1080-6032(2000)011[0077:mtamht]2.3.co;2|pmid=10921355|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10921355/}}{{cite journal|last=Roberts|first=M.|year=2006|title=A piece of my mind. Duffle Bag Medicine|journal=Journal of the American Medical Association|volume=295|issue=13 |pages=1491–1492|doi= 10.1001/jama.295.13.1491|pmid=16595744|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16595744/}}{{cite journal|last1=Pinto|first1=A.D.|last2=Upshur|first2=R.E.G.|date=2009|title=Global Health Ethics for Students|journal=Developing World Bioethics|volume=9|issue=1 |pages=1–10|doi=10.1111/j.1471-8847.2007.00209.x|pmid=19302567|url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19302567/}} Recently, media outlets with more general readerships have published such criticisms as well.{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Jamie|title=Think looking after turtles in Costa Rica for three weeks is good for your CV? Think again|url=http://theconversation.com/think-looking-after-turtles-in-costa-rica-for-three-weeks-is-good-for-your-cv-think-again-66148|access-date=2021-10-19|website=The Conversation|date=4 November 2016 |language=en}}

Some US employers have begun exploring medical travel programs as a way to cut employee health care costs. Such proposals have raised stormy debates between employers and trade unions representing workers, with one union stating that it deplored the "shocking new approach" of offering employees overseas treatment in return for a share of the company's savings. The unions also raise the issues of legal liability should something go wrong, and potential job losses in the US health care industry if treatment is outsourced.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/business/worldbusiness/11health.html|title=Union Disrupts Plan to Send Ailing Workers to India for Cheaper Medical Care|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2006-10-11}}

Employers may offer incentives such as paying for air travel and waiving out-of-pocket expenses for care outside of the US. For example, in January 2008, Hannaford Bros., a supermarket chain based in Maine, began paying the entire medical bill for employees to travel to Singapore for hip and knee replacements, including travel for the patient and companion.{{cite news|last=McGinley|first=Laurie|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120283288380762505|title=Health Matters: The next wave of medical tourists might include you|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=February 16, 2008|access-date=March 13, 2008}} Medical travel packages can integrate with all types of health insurance, including limited benefit plans,

{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2004/02/16/focus7.html|title=Mini-Meds: Limited benefit plans provide cost-effective compromise|publisher=Houston Business Journal}} preferred provider organizations and high deductible health plans.

In 2000, Blue Shield of California began the United States' first cross-border health plan. Patients in California could travel to one of the three certified hospitals in Mexico for treatment under California Blue Shield.{{cite web |url=https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsc/newsroom/pr/United_Behavioral_Health.jhtml |title=Blue Shield of California Press Release |website=www.blueshieldca.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229023927/https://www.blueshieldca.com/bsc/newsroom/pr/United_Behavioral_Health.jhtml |archive-date=29 December 2010 |url-status=dead}} In 2007, a subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Companion Global Healthcare, teamed up with hospitals in Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Ireland, Costa Rica and India.{{cite web|author=Bruce Einhorn|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_12/b4076036777780.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319234741/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_12/b4076036777780.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5|archive-date=March 19, 2008|title=Outsourcing the Patients|publisher=BusinessWeek|date=March 13, 2008}} A 2008 article in Fast Company discusses the globalization of healthcare and describes how various players in the US healthcare market have begun to explore it.{{cite web|author=Greg Lindsay|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/125/medical-leave.html|title=Medical Leave|publisher=Fast Company|date=May 2008|access-date=October 15, 2008}}

The growth of Global Medical Tourism in the last decade has influenced overall growth of health care sector. Due to the multidimensional impact of the Pandemic COVID-19 in the form of a global healthcare crisis, falling global economy, restricted international travel, the medical tourism industry is undergoing a substantial decline.{{cite news|newspaper=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/travel/medical-tourism-coronavirus-pandemic.html/|title=Why Medical Tourism Is Drawing Patients, Even in a Pandemic|date=January 19, 2021}}

The CDC has listed various levels of different destinations or countries that are ranked from 1 to 3, with 1 and 2 considered safe to travel. A destination ranked level-3 is considered a warning not to travel to that area.{{cite web|publisher=Jet Medical Tourism|url=https://jetmedicaltourism.com/impact-of-coronavirus-covid-19-on-medical-tourism/|title=Impact Of Coronavirus (COVID-19) On Medical Tourism|date=March 17, 2020}}

In the later half of February 2021, it was reported that wealthy and influential people from Canada{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/14313783-cd7e-497a-bb92-92bcb94cda91 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211/https://www.ft.com/content/14313783-cd7e-497a-bb92-92bcb94cda91 |archive-date=2022-12-11 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Head of Canada's largest pension fund quits after Covid vaccine trip|newspaper=Financial Times|date=26 February 2021|access-date=30 November 2021|last1=Vandevelde|first1=Mark|last2=Noonan|first2=Laura|last3=Kerr|first3=Simeon|last4=Borrelli|first4=Silvia Sciorilli}} and European countries flew to the United Arab Emirates to secure early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/dd2e4aeb-e3df-48f1-b634-89ebf685a92c |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211/https://www.ft.com/content/dd2e4aeb-e3df-48f1-b634-89ebf685a92c |archive-date=2022-12-11 |url-access=subscription|title=How global high flyers get vaccinated in the UAE|newspaper=Financial Times|date=9 March 2021 |access-date=30 November 2021}} The UAE promoted Dubai as a vaccine holiday hub for the wealthy, who could pay large sums of money to get inoculated before they became eligible in their home countries.{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/are-the-superrich-skipping-the-vaccine-queue-b921226.html|title=Meet the super-rich skipping the queue for a vaccine vacation|date=2 March 2021 |access-date=30 November 2021|publisher=Evening Standard}}

In January 2021, Canadian snowbirds traveled to the United States (specifically Florida and Arizona) via air charter for quicker access to the COVID-19 vaccine.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-07|title=Canadian snowbirds chartering private jets to fly south for faster COVID-19 vaccine access|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canadian-snowbirds-chartering-private-jets-to-fly-south-for-faster-covid-19-vaccine-access-1.5257752|access-date=2021-03-28|website=CTV News|language=en|archive-date=2021-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117051531/https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canadian-snowbirds-chartering-private-jets-to-fly-south-for-faster-covid-19-vaccine-access-1.5257752|url-status=dead}}

In 2012, 30,000 people came to Iran to receive medical treatment.{{cite web |url=http://english.farsnews.ir/newstext.php?nn=9010171549 |title=Ahmadinejad Stresses Iran's Growing Medical Tourism Industry |publisher=Fars News Agency|date=2012-01-17 |access-date=2012-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://swap.stanford.edu/20120213085015/http%3A//english.farsnews.ir/newstext.php?nn%3D9010171549 |archive-date=2012-02-13 }}

In 2015, it is estimated that between 150,000 and 200,000 health tourists came to Iran, and this figure is expected to rise to 500,000 a year.{{cite web|url=http://www.irna.ir/en/News/81456929/ |title=500,000 health tourists coming to Iran for medical treatment |website=Irna.ir |date=8 January 2015 |access-date=2017-01-08}} Iran medical services are low cost in the fields of cosmetic and plastic surgeries, infertility treatment and dentistry services.{{cite web |url=https://global.datikan.com/2020/12/09/providing-health-tourism-services-in-iran/ |title=Providing Health Tourism Services in Iran |website=Global Datikan |access-date=2020-09-12 |archive-date=2021-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430112220/https://global.datikan.com/2020/12/09/providing-health-tourism-services-in-iran/ |url-status=dead }} According to a report in 2016 by Big Market Research, the global medical tourism market is expected to reach $143 billion by 2022. It was reported in May that the number of tourists traveling to Iran for advanced medical services has grown by 40% over past five years.{{cite web | url=https://en.irna.ir/news/83638397/More-than-600-000-health-tourists-visit-Iran-every-year#:~:text=Tehran%2C%20Jan%2018%2C%20IRNA%20%E2%80%93,management%20at%20Health%20Ministry%20said | title=More than 600,000 health tourists visit Iran every year | work=IRNA English | date=18 January 2020 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.irna.ir/news/85128602/%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%DA%AF%D8%B0%D8%B4%D8%AA%D9%87-%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%B2%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86-%DB%B1-%DB%B2-%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%84%DB%8C%D9%88%D9%86-%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AA | title=معاون وزیر خارجه: ایران سال گذشته میزبان ۱.۲ میلیون گردشگر سلامت بود |trans-title=Deputy Foreign Minister: Iran hosted 1.2 million health tourists last year| date=June 2023|language=fa}}

{{See also|Medical tourism in Israel}}

Israel is a popular destination for medical tourism.{{cite web|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/health-ministry-to-probe-israel-medical-tourism-industry-following-haaretz-expose-1.325424|title=Health Ministry to probe Israel medical tourism industry following Haaretz exposé|publisher=Haaretz|date=November 18, 2010}} Many medical tourists to Israel come from Europe, particularly the former Soviet Union, as well as the United States, Australia, Cyprus, and South Africa. Medical tourists come to Israel for a variety of surgical procedures and therapies, including bone marrow transplants, heart surgery, and catheterization, oncological and neurological treatments, orthopedic procedures, car accident rehabilitation, and in-vitro fertilization. Israel's popularity as a destination for medical tourism stems from its status as a developed country with a high-quality level of medical care, while at the same time having lower medical costs than many other developed countries. Israel is particularly popular as a destination for bone marrow transplants among Cypriots, as the procedure is not available in Cyprus, and for orthopedic procedures among Americans, as the cost of orthopedic procedures in Israel is about half that of in the United States. Israel is a particularly popular destination for people seeking IVF treatments. Medical tourists in Israel use both public and private hospitals, and all major Israeli hospitals offer medical tourism packages which typically cost far less than comparable procedures than in facilities elsewhere with a similarly high standard of care. In 2014, it was estimated that roughly 50,000 medical tourists came to Israel annually.{{Cite web | url=https://www.imtj.com/articles/update-medical-tourism-development-israel/ | title=An overview of medical tourism in Israel|publisher= IMTJ| date=27 June 2013}}{{Cite web | url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-ranks-as-a-top-medical-tourism-destination/ | title=Israel ranks high as a medical tourism destination| website=The Times of Israel}}{{Cite news | url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/health/1.631674 | title=Doing Fertility Treatments in Israel: Pros and Cons| newspaper=Haaretz| date=2015-03-09}}{{Cite web | url=http://www.zendette.com/2015/04/14/medical-tourism-why-israel/ | title=Medical tourism – why Israel?| date=2015-04-14}} There are reports that these medical tourists obtain preferential treatment, to the detriment of local patients. In addition, some people come to Israel to visit health resorts at the Dead Sea, and on Lake Kinneret.

Jordan, through their Private Hospitals Association, attracted 250,000 international patients accompanied by more than 500,000 companions in 2012, with total revenues exceeding 1B US$.{{cite web|url=http://awards.imtj.com/results |title=IMTJ MEDICAL TRAVEL AWARDS 2014 |work=IMTJ Medical Travel Awards |access-date=2014-04-25}} Jordan won the Medical Destination of the year award in 2014 in the IMTJ Medical Travel Awards.

South Africa is the first country in Africa to emerge as a medical tourism destination.{{cite web |url=http://www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1274:sa-medical-tourism-060809&catid=50:visitnews&Itemid=117 |title=Medical tourism in SA |publisher=Mediaclubsouthafrica.com |date=2009-08-06 |access-date=2011-10-29 |archive-date=2018-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107000327/http://www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1274:sa-medical-tourism-060809&catid=50:visitnews&Itemid=117 |url-status=dead }}

On the African scale, Tunisia ranks second in the field of health tourism. It is also named the world's second best thalassotherapy destination, behind France.{{cite web|url=https://www.webmanagercenter.com/2018/03/09/417123/tourisme-medical-la-tunisie-est-classee-au-2eme-rang-en-afrique/ |title=Tourisme médical : La Tunisie est classée au 2ème rang en Afrique |trans-title=Medical tourism: Tunisia ranked 2nd in Africa|language=fr|publisher=www.webmanagercenter.com |date=2018-03-09 |access-date=2020-02-05}}

The cost of medical recourses in Turkey is quite affordable compared to Western European countries. Therefore, thousands of people each year travel to Turkey for their medical treatments.{{cite web|url=http://www.turkishhealthcaretravelcouncil.org/|title=THTC - Turkish Healthcare Travel Council|access-date=9 June 2015|archive-date=27 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327105943/http://turkishhealthcaretravelcouncil.org/|url-status=dead}} Turkey is especially becoming a hub for hair transplant surgery.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-05-10/turkeys-thriving-business-in-hair-beard-and-mustache-implants|title=Turkey's Thriving Business in Hair, Beard, and Mustache Implants|author=Sarah A. Topol|work=Businessweek.com|date=10 May 2013 |access-date=9 June 2015}} Almost 178,000 tourists visited for health purposes in the first six months of 2018. 67% used private hospital, 24% public hospitals and 9% university hospitals. The Regulation on International Health Tourism and Tourist Health came into force on 13 July 2017. It only applies to those coming specifically for treatment.{{cite news |title=International Health Tourism in Turkey |url=https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=640bb91d-e7b6-4ef4-bf87-2fd5abf8f69b& |access-date=13 February 2019 |publisher=Lexology |date=8 January 2018}}

USHAŞ was established in 2019 by Turkish Ministry of Health to promote and regulate medical tourism in Turkey.{{cite web |title=Why Invest in Turkish Medical Technologies Industry? |url=https://www.invest.gov.tr/en/library/publications/lists/investpublications/medical-technologies-industry.pdf |access-date=14 January 2022}}

{{cite web |title=About Us|work=USHAŞ |url=https://www.ushas.com.tr/en/about-us/ |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-date=15 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215131011/https://www.ushas.com.tr/en/about-us/}}

United Arab Emirates, especially Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah is a popular destination for medical tourism. The Dubai Health authority has been spearheading medical tourism into UAE, especially Dubai. However, hospitals providing medical tourism are spread all over the seven emirates. UAE has the distinction of having the maximum number of JCI accredited hospitals (under various heads).{{Cite web|url=https://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/about-jci/jci-accredited-organizations/?c=United%20Arab%20Emirates|title=JCI-Accredited Organizations |publisher=Joint Commission International}} UAE has inbound medical tourism as well as people going out for medical treatment. The inbound tourism usually is from African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, etc. The outbound can be categorized into two segments - the local population (citizens of UAE) and the expats. The locals prefer to go to European destinations like the UK, Germany etc. The expats prefer to go back to their home countries for treatment.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

In Brazil, Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo was the first JCI-accredited facility outside of the US,{{cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hospital-israelita-albert-einstein-becomes-first-hospital-accredited-by-joint-commission-international-72671117.html |title=Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein Becomes First Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission International |access-date=2014-11-12 |format=Blog |publisher=PR Newswire}} and more than a dozen Brazilian medical facilities have since been similarly accredited.{{cite web |url=http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/JCI-Accredited-Organizations/ |title=(JCI) Accredited Organizations |publisher=Joint Commission International |access-date=2011-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728035151/http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/jci-accredited-organizations/ |archive-date=2012-07-28 |url-status=dead }}

In comparison to US health costs, patients can save 30 to 60 percent on health costs in Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ca/Documents/life-sciences-health-care/ca-en-health-care-life-sciences-evolving-medical-tourism-exploring-a-new-frontier.pdf |title=Evolving medical tourism in Canada |website=Deloitte.com |access-date=2017-01-08}}

In the early 1990s, Americans illegally using counterfeit, borrowed, or fraudulently obtained Canadian health insurance cards to obtain free healthcare in Canada became a serious issue due to the high costs it imposed.{{cite news|last=Farnsworth |first=Clyde H. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/20/world/americans-filching-free-health-care-in-canada.html?pagewanted=all |title=Americans Filching Free Health Care in Canada |location=Ontario, Canada; United States |website=The New York Times |date=1993-12-20 |access-date=2017-01-08}}

In Costa Rica, there are two Joint Commission International accredited (JCI) hospitals. Both are in San Jose, Costa Rica. When the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the world's health systems in the year 2000, Costa Rica was ranked as no. 26, which was higher than the US, and together with Dominica it dominated the list among the Central American countries.{{cite web|url=http://www.imtj.com/news/?entryid82=290909&source=email&campaign=imtj_news_110527 |title=South Korea wants to expand medical tourism beyond cosmetic surgery |publisher=Imtj.com |date=2009-05-08 |access-date=2011-10-29}}

The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions in 2008 reported a cost savings average of between 30 and 70 percent of US prices.{{cite web|url=http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-Croatia/Local%20Assets/Documents/hr_Medical_tourism(3).pdf |title=Medical Tourism Consumers in Search of Value|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130003746/http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-Croatia/Local%20Assets/Documents/hr_Medical_tourism(3).pdf |archive-date=2013-01-30|date=2008|publisher=Deloitte Development LLC}} In 2019 a knee operation in Clinica Biblica which would have cost around $44,000 in the USA cost $12,200.{{cite news |title=I had my misgivings about going abroad for surgery |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47704954 |access-date=7 April 2019 |publisher=BBC |date=28 March 2019}}

{{main|Health City Cayman Islands}}

{{main|Health care in Cuba#Health tourism}}

The Dominican Republic has been a popular destination for US medical tourists, because it is fairly close. Since 2003, the CDC has reported adverse events after cosmetic surgery, particularly due to liposuction in combination with gluteal fat transfer, abdominoplasty, and breast augmentation. During 2009–2022, 93 U.S. citizens died after cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic, and 90% of autopsy-confirmed deaths were due to embolism; in 55% due to fat embolism and in 35% due to pulmonary venous thromboembolism.{{Cite journal |last=Hudson |first=Matthew |date=2024 |title=Deaths of U.S. Citizens Undergoing Cosmetic Surgery — Dominican Republic, 2009–2022 |url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7303a3.htm |access-date=2024-01-25 |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |volume=73 |issue=3 |pages=62–65 |language=en-us |doi=10.15585/mmwr.mm7303a3|pmid=38271279 |pmc=10824547 }}

Mexico has 98 hospitals accredited by the country's Federal Health Ministry and seven hospitals which are JCI-accredited. Mexico is most reputed for advanced care in dentistry and cosmetic surgery.

In recent years, Los Algodones, Baja California, a settlement of fewer than 6,000 people located on the US border near Yuma, Arizona, has become a major destination for Americans and Canadians seeking dental services. Roughly 600 dentists practice in the community, catering mainly to tourists, leading the community to be nicknamed "Molar City".{{cite web |title=This tiny Mexican town has more than 350 dentists |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-waits-photos-of-molar-city-2014-6 |website=Business Insider |access-date=27 April 2019}}{{cite news |last=Young |first=Jeffrey |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/welcome-to-molar-city-mexico-the-dental-mecca-americas-health-care-costs-built_n_5dc5772ae4b0fcfb7f651721?1jg |title=Welcome to Molar City, Mexico, The Dental Mecca America's Health Care Costs Built |work=HuffPost |date=2019-11-14 |access-date=2019-11-15 }}

{{Main|Health care in the United States}}

A 2015 report from the United States International Trade Commission found that between 150,000 and 320,000 medical tourists from the United States were traveling worldwide for the purpose of receiving in-patient medical care.{{cite news |author=Allison Van Dusen |title=U.S. Hospitals Worth The Trip |url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/05/25/health-hospitals-care-forbeslife-cx_avd_outsourcing08_0529healthoutsourcing.html |quote=It narrowly defined medical travelers as only those whose primary and explicit purpose in traveling was to obtain in-patient medical treatment in a foreign country, putting the total number of travelers at 60,000 to 85,000 per year. |newspaper=Forbes |date=May 29, 2008 |access-date=2012-09-17 }}{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Arthur |date=August 2015 |title=Trends in U.S. Health Travel Services Trade |url=https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/executive_briefings/chambers_health-related_travel_final.pdf |access-date=October 3, 2023}} While some have estimated that 750,000 American medical tourists traveled from the United States to other countries in 2007 (up from 500,000 in 2006),{{cite web|author=Fred Hansen|url=http://web.mnstate.edu/robertsb/390/A%20revolution%20in%20healthcare%20Medicine%20meets%20the%20marketplace.pdf|title=A revolution in healthcare: Medicine meets the marketplace|publisher=Institute of Public Affairs|date=January 2008}} according to the McKinsey report,{{cite report|url=http://www.heal-wheel-india.com/white-pappers/McKinsey-Report-Medical-Travel.pdf|title=Mapping the market for medical travel|last1=Ehrbeck|first1=Tilman|last2=Guevara|first2=Ceani|last3=Mango|first3=Paul D.|publisher=The McKinsey Quarterly|date=May 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101050107/http://www.heal-wheel-india.com/white-pappers/McKinsey-Report-Medical-Travel.pdf |archive-date=2020-11-01 }} 45% of North American medical tourists travel to Asia, 26% go to Latin America, 2% go to the Middle East, and 27% travel to another country in North America. None travel to Europe.

The availability of advanced medical technology and sophisticated training of physicians are cited as driving motivators for growth in foreigners traveling to the US for medical care, whereas the low costs for hospital stays and major/complex procedures at Western-accredited medical facilities abroad are cited as major motivators for American travelers. Also, the decline in value of the US dollar between 2007 and 2013 used to offer additional incentives for foreign travel to the US, although cost differences between the US and many locations in Asia are larger than any currency fluctuations.

Several major medical centers and teaching hospitals offer international patient centers that cater to patients from foreign countries who seek medical treatment in the US.{{cite web|url=http://stanfordhospital.org/forPatients/patientServices/internationalMedicalServices.html |title=International Medical Services|publisher=Stanford Hospital & Clinics|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612212550/http://stanfordhospital.org/forPatients/patientServices/internationalMedicalServices.html |archive-date=2010-06-12 }} Many of these organizations offer service coordinators to assist international patients with arrangements for medical care, accommodations, finances and transportation including air ambulance services.

{{Main|Healthcare in China}}

Ctrip's 2016 Online Medical Tourism Report indicates that the number of travelers who enroll in the oversea medical tourism through its platform increased fivefold over the previous year, and more than 500,000 Chinese visitors are expected to go on medical tourism. The top ten medical tourism destinations are Japan, Korea,{{Cite news |url=https://www.koreaworldtimes.com/topics/news/8312/|script-title=ja:中国人の韓国美容整形ツーリズム頭打ち 韓国で整形手術を避けるワケ|trans-title=Chinese cosmetic surgery tourism to Korea has plateaued: Why people are avoiding plastic surgery in Korea|newspaper=KoreaWorldTimes |date=2020-12-13|language=ja|access-date=2021-06-05}} the US, Taiwan, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Sweden, Thailand, and India.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marcetable.com/2017/01/29/medical-tourism-2016-report-china/|title=2016 China Medical Tourism Report|date=2017-01-29|website=Marcetable|access-date=2017-02-12|archive-date=2019-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129102606/https://www.marcetable.com/2017/01/29/medical-tourism-2016-report-china/|url-status=dead}} Regular health checks made up the majority share of Chinese medical tourism in 2016, representing over 50% of all medical tourism trips for tourists originating in China.

All twelve of Hong Kong's private hospitals have been surveyed and accredited by the UK's Trent Accreditation Scheme since early 2001.{{cite web |url=http://www.1stor.co.uk/trentaccreditationscheme.org/news/tasnews6-200110.pdf |title=Many Congratulations to Hong Kong Hospitals, and thanks to all involved|page=2 |website=www.1stor.co.uk |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227022521/http://www.1stor.co.uk/trentaccreditationscheme.org/news/tasnews6-200110.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2008 |url-status=dead}}

{{Main|Medical tourism in India}}

Medical tourism is a growing sector in India. India is becoming the 2nd medical tourism destination after Thailand. Gurgaon is India's largest Medical Tourism hub,{{Cite web |date=2020-05-16 |title=Medical tourism companies turn to telemedicine in wake of Covid-19 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/medical-tourism-companies-turn-to-telemedicine-in-wake-of-covid-19/story-YA0OpXnbjgmvZfsRoHObRP.html |access-date=2022-06-18 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}} followed by Chennai, which is regarded as "India's Health City" as it attracts 45% of health tourists visiting India and 40% of domestic health tourists.

India's medical tourism sector was expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30% from 2012, making it a $2 billion industry by 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.indianhealthcare.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=39%3ANews&id=357%3AINDIAN+MEDICAL+TOURISM+TO+TOUCH+RS+9,500+CRORE+BY+2015:+ASSOCHAM§ionid=17&Itemid=77|title=Indian Medical Tourism To Touch Rs 9,500 Crore By 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215024002/http://www.indianhealthcare.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=39%3ANews&id=357%3AINDIAN+MEDICAL+TOURISM+TO+TOUCH+RS+9,500+CRORE+BY+2015:+ASSOCHAM§ionid=17&Itemid=77|archive-date=2018-02-15|publisher=The Economic Times|website=IndianHealthCare.in}}{{cite news|last=Hamid|first=Zubeda|date=20 August 2012|title=The medical capital's place in history|newspaper=The Hindu|location=Chennai|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3796305.ece|access-date=15 Sep 2012}}

In August 2019, the Indian government made it easier for foreigners to receive medical treatment without necessarily applying for a medical visa. These initiatives by Indian government are help Medical Tourism market to reach around $9 Billion in 2020. Furthermore, the major reason for foreign tourist to choose India is because it has 40 hospitals accredited by the US Joint Commission.{{cite web | url=https://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/about-jci/accredited-organizations/#f:_Facet_Country=%5BIndia%5D | title=JCI-Accredited Organizations|publisher=Joint Commission International }}{{cite news|last=Palash|first=Ghosh|date=26 November 2019|title=India's Medical Tourism Market|language=en|pages=Business|newspaper=International business times|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/indias-medical-tourism-market-could-reach-9-billion-next-year-buoyed-low-cost-high-2874034|access-date=9 December 2019}}

As medical treatment costs in the developed world balloon—with the United States leading the way—more and more Westerners are finding the prospect of international travel for medical care increasingly appealing. An estimated 150,000 of these travel to India for low-priced healthcare procedures every year.

India is increasingly becoming popular with Africans seeking medical treatment overseas. Treatments are approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Food and Drug Administration.{{cite news|last=Pavithra|first=Rao|date=26 March 2017|title=India's medical tourism|language=en|pages=Health & Well being|newspaper=Africa Renewal|url=https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2016-march-2017/india%E2%80%99s-medical-tourism-gets-africans%E2%80%99-attention|access-date=10 December 2019}}

The Government has also started various initiative that can be of great push to help international patients get the right kind of treatment at affordable prices.

{{Main|Medical tourism in Malaysia}}The majority of the foreign patients seeking medical treatments in Malaysia are from Indonesia, with smaller numbers of foreign patients coming from India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Europe, the US and the Middle East. In 2008, Indonesians comprised 75% of all foreign patients receiving care in Malaysia; Europeans, 3%; Japanese, 3%; Singaporeans, 1% and citizens from Middle Eastern countries, 1%. By 2011, Indonesians comprised 57% of all foreign patients in Malaysia as the number of patients of other nationalities grew.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Health insurance companies in Singapore have recently permitted their policyholders to be treated in Malaysia where services are cheaper than in Singapore.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

{{Main|Health care in New Zealand}}

In 2008, it was estimated that on average New Zealand's surgical costs are around 15 to 20% the cost of the same surgical procedure in the USA.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/03/AR2008070303532_pf.html|title=One Company With an Eye on U.S. Customers|last=Eleanor Black Watkin|date=July 8, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=1 January 2013}}

{{Main|Medical tourism in Pakistan}}

Pakistan has four Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospitals in Pakistan. Mostly people travel for treatments in Pakistan from Afghanistan, Iran, United Kingdom, Middle East and United States.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Singapore has a dozen hospitals and health centers with JCI accreditation.[http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/about-jci/jci-accredited-organizations/?c=SG Joint Commission International (JCI) Accredited Organizations] In 2013 medical expenditure generated from medical tourists, mostly from more complex medical procedures, such as heart surgery, was S$832 million, a decline of 25 percent from 2012's S$1.11 billion, as the hospitals faced more competition from neighboring countries for less complex work.{{cite news|title=The rise of 5-star hospitals in Singapore|url=http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/hotel-or-hospital|access-date=10 February 2017|publisher=Today on line|date=8 March 2016}}

{{Main|Health in Thailand|Tourism in Thailand}}

Foreigners seeking treatment for everything from open-heart surgery to fertility treatments have made Thailand and its accredited hospitals a popular destination for medical tourism, attracting an estimated 2.81 million patients in 2015, up 10.2 percent.{{cite news|title=Medical Tourism in Thailand: When Treatment Costs and Starbucks Clash|url=http://www.medicaltourismmag.com/medical-tourism-in-thailand-when-treatment-costs-and-starbucks-clash/|access-date=14 October 2015|work=Medical Tourism Magazine|date=2015-10-13|archive-date=2018-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710024110/http://www.medicaltourismmag.com/medical-tourism-in-thailand-when-treatment-costs-and-starbucks-clash/|url-status=dead}} In 2013, medical tourists spent as much as US$4.7 billion, according to government statistics.{{cite news|last1=Mellor|first1=William|title=Medical Tourists Flock to Thailand Spurring Post-Coup Economy|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-18/medical-tourists-flock-to-thailand-spurring-post-coup-economy|access-date=19 February 2015|work=Bloomberg|date=19 November 2014}} {{as of|2019}}, with 64 accredited hospitals, Thailand is currently among the top 10 medical tourism destinations in the world. In 2017, Thailand registered 3.3 million visits by foreigners seeking specialized medical treatment. In 2018, this number grew to 3.5 million.{{cite news |last1=Otage |first1=Stephen |title=Uganda: What Uganda Can Learn From Thailand's Medical Tourism |url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Prosper/What-Uganda-can-learn-Thailand-medical-tourism/688616-4977826-11vacmh/index.html |access-date=15 February 2019 |work=Daily Monitor |date=12 February 2019 |location=Kampala}}

Even within Europe, although therapy protocols might be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), several countries have their own review organizations in order to evaluate whether the same therapy protocol would be "cost-effective", so that patients face differences in the therapy protocols, particularly in the access of these drugs, which might be partially explained by the financial strength of the particular Health System.

In 2006, it was ruled that under the conditions of the E112 European health scheme, UK health authorities had to pay the bill if one of their patients could establish urgent medical reasons for seeking quicker treatment in another European union country.{{cite web |url=http://www.thompsons.law.co.uk/clinical-negligence/nhs-waiting-lists-targets.htm |title=NHS Waiting lists: targets and England&Wales comparison |publisher=Thompsons.law.co.uk |date=2006-05-16 |access-date=2011-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202222100/http://www.thompsons.law.co.uk/clinical-negligence/nhs-waiting-lists-targets.htm |archive-date=2014-02-02 |url-status=dead }}

The European directive on the application of patients' rights to cross-border healthcare was agreed in 2011.{{cite news|title=Outcomes in EHCI 2015|url=http://www.healthpowerhouse.com/files/EHCI_2015/EHCI_2015_report.pdf|access-date=27 January 2016|publisher=Health Consumer Powerhouse|date=26 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606082345/http://www.healthpowerhouse.com/files/EHCI_2015/EHCI_2015_report.pdf|archive-date=6 June 2017|url-status=dead}}

An online survey of EU migrants, mostly from Poland, Hungary and Romania, in the UK by the Centre for Population Change in 2019 showed that 46% of them preferred the health system in their country of origin. Only 36% preferred NHS medical treatment, and fewer among those from Western Europe.{{cite news |last1=Worstall |first1=Tim |title=NHS Not Much Cop Say Those Who've Tried Other Health Care Systems |url=https://www.continentaltelegraph.com/healthcare/nhs-not-much-cop-say-those-whove-tried-other-health-care-systems/ |access-date=25 March 2019 |publisher=Continental Telegraph |date=22 March 2019}}

Albania become a health target for Italian and few other European countries mostly in aesthetic surgery. Albania has invested in attracting not only international patients but also staff with mostly Italian doctors. As recognized by AP news KEIT Day Hospital was built in 2011 with international patient in mind. Albania is also known for dental tourism, where over 200 dental clinics are providing services to international patients.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-17 |title=KEIT Day Hospital: Elevating Albania as a Premier Destination for Medical Tourism |url=https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/albania-europe-692610ad0fecc0b9774a0a3814041fd4 |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=AP News |language=en}}

Azerbaijan is a target of health tourists from Iran, Turkey, Georgia and Russia. The Bona Dea International Hospital in Baku was built in 2018 to attract international patients, and has staff from various European countries.{{cite news |title=Azerbaijan Improves Medical Infrastructure To Lure Health-Conscious Travelers |url=https://caspiannews.com/news-detail/azerbaijan-improves-medical-infrastructure-to-lure-health-conscious-travelers-2018-4-13-15/ |access-date=7 March 2019 |publisher=Caspian News |date=16 April 2018}}

Croatia has some claims to be the oldest health tourism destination in Europe, as the Hygienic Association of Hvar was founded in 1868.{{cite news |title=History of Tourism from 1868 |url=https://www.total-croatia-news.com/history-2/3218-history-of-tourism-from-1868 |access-date=27 December 2018 |publisher=Total Croatia |date=24 October 2011 |archive-date=31 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531155227/https://www.total-croatia-news.com/history-2/3218-history-of-tourism-from-1868 |url-status=dead }}

On December 9, 2013, the City of Helsinki decided that all minors under the age of 18 and all pregnant mothers living in Helsinki without a valid visa or residence permit are granted the right to the same health care and at the same price as all citizens of the city.

Volunteer doctors of Global Clinic have tried to help these people, for whom only acute care has been available. This means that the Finnish health care system is open for all people coming outside of the European Union.

British NHS patients have been offered treatment in France to reduce waiting lists for hip, knee and cataract surgery since 2002.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1770348.stm | work=BBC News | title=NHS patients recover after surgery abroad | date=January 19, 2002}} France is a popular tourist destination but also ranked the world's leading health care system by the World Health Organization.{{cite web|url=https://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/|title=World Health Organization Assesses the World's Health Systems|access-date=13 October 2016}} European Court of Justice said that National Health Service (England) has to pay back British patients.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4985190.stm|title=BBC NEWS - Health - NHS told to fund treatment abroad|access-date=9 June 2015}}

The number of patients is growing, and in 2016, France scored # 7 in the Medical Tourism Index.{{cite web|url=http://www.medicaltourismindex.com/overview/destination-ranking/|title=Medical Tourism Index: Destination Ranking|access-date=13 October 2016}}

In 2017 there were said to be around 250,000 foreign patients who brought more than 1.2 billion euros income to German hospitals. Some were visitors who fell ill unexpectedly, but it is estimated that more than 40 percent came for planned treatment, the majority from Poland, the Netherlands or France. There have long been medical tourists from the Middle East. University hospitals and the large municipal clinics, such as University Hospital Freiburg or Vivantes in Berlin, are the most popular destinations.{{cite news |title=Das Riesengeschäft mit dem Medizintourismus in Deutschland|trans-title=The huge business of medical tourism in Germany|language=de|url=https://www.dw.com/de/das-riesengesch%C3%A4ft-mit-dem-medizintourismus-in-deutschland/a-42114866 |access-date=7 March 2019 |publisher=DW |date=11 January 2018}} Some require payment in full before they start treatment.{{cite web |title=Information on Treatment Costs |url=https://www.heidelberg-university-hospital.com/en/finance/ |website=Heildelberg University |access-date=20 March 2019 |archive-date=18 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170718054323/https://www.heidelberg-university-hospital.com/en/finance/ |url-status=dead }}

The Hallwang Clinic GmbH is said to be the most high-profile clinic in the European private cancer industry, centred in Germany, which attracts patients from the US, the UK, Australia and the Middle East,{{cite news |title=Cancer crowdfunding 'couldn't save my daughter' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47442946 |access-date=6 March 2019 |publisher=BBC |date=6 March 2019}} offering a variety of different treatments, some of which do not appear to be evidence based; the clinic has been accused of selling false hope.{{cite news |title=The deadly false hope of German alternative cancer clinics |url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-deadly-false-hope-of-german-cancer-clinics/ |access-date=7 March 2019 |publisher=sciencebasedmedicine.org |date=26 March 2018}}

Greece starts playing a major role in the field of medical tourism worldwide; while it has always been a notable tourist destination, improvements in healthcare services and medical professionals' training account expanding Greece as a destination for international patients.{{cite web |url=https://www.magazine.medicaltourism.com/article/medical-tourism-market-greece-current-trends-future |title=Medical Tourism Market in Greece: Current Trends and the Future}}

During the Goulash Communism era, Germans and Austrian tourists in Hungary also began visiting dentists. {{as of|2015}} Mosonmagyaróvár had about 350 dental clinics, more per capita than anywhere else on Earth. Prices for dental procedures are one third to one half of the price in Vienna, Austria, {{Convert|60|km|abbr=on}} away, and one quarter that of Switzerland or Denmark. An Austrian can be treated during a day trip, or also have a vacation in the area for the price of one or two nights in a Vienna hotel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jul/02/cross-border-buying-shopping-bargains-globalisation|title=Shop frontiers: the rise of cross-border buying around the world|work=The Guardian|date=2 July 2015}}

Health Tourism Lithuania, a booking agent, was established in 2018, focusing on the Scandinavian market, but in 2019 in response to longer waiting lists in the NHS noticed an increase in enquiries about hip replacements, in addition to the existing interest in cosmetic surgery and dentistry from Britons. A hip replacement costs £3,340, about a third of the price of a commercial procedure in the UK.{{cite news |title=Lithuania to offer Britons cheap surgery as millions stuck on longest NHS waiting list |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1132690/NHS-crisis-lithuania-hospitals-Reda-Ambrozaite-HTL-Peter-Gaillard-hip-replacement |access-date=1 June 2019 |publisher=Express |date=27 May 2019}}

In his address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation dated March 1, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to develop health care and export services in the field of medicine and tourism.{{cite web |script-title=ru:Послание Президента Федеральному Собранию |trans-title=Message from the President to the Federal Assembly|language=ru|url=http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957 |website=kremlin.ru |date=March 2018 |access-date=16 July 2019}}

In accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 7, 2018 No. 204 "on national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024" the volume of exports of medical services by 2024 will have to be $1 billion per year. RAMT in order to implement the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 7 May 2018 No. 204, the Federal non-profit organization Russian Association of Medical Tourism was established.

Serbia has a variety of clinics catering to medical tourists in areas of cosmetic surgery, dental care, fertility treatment and weight loss procedures.{{cite web |url=http://www.treatmentabroad.com/destinations/serbia/why-choose-serbia |title=Why choose Serbia for medical tourism |website=Treatmentabroad.com |date=2013-10-08 |access-date=2017-01-08 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202114501/https://www.treatmentabroad.com/destinations/serbia/why-choose-serbia |url-status=dead }} The country is also a major international hub for gender reassignment surgery.{{cite news|author=Dan Bilefsky |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/world/europe/serbia-becomes-a-hub-for-sex-change-surgery.html |title=Serbia Becomes a Hub for Sex-Change Surgery |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2012-07-23 |access-date=2017-01-08}}

Both the publicly owned National Health Service and private hospitals attracts medical tourism. Many private hospitals and clinics in the United Kingdom are medical tourism destinations.{{cite web|url=http://www.imtj.com/articles/2009/the-forgotten-medical-tourism-destination-30026/?locale=en|title=The forgotten medical tourism destination|access-date=9 June 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126192002/http://www.imtj.com/articles/2009/the-forgotten-medical-tourism-destination-30026/?locale=en|archive-date=26 January 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.imtj.com/news/?EntryId82=285641 |title=UK: New London agency could promote medical tourism |date=20 April 2011}} UK private hospitals have mandatory registration with the UK's watchdog, the Care Quality Commission. The vast majority of medical tourism in the UK is attracted to London where there are 25 private hospitals and clinics and 12 private patient units run by NHS hospital trusts. In 2017 there was a 3% decline in the £1.55 billion market because of fewer clients from the Middle East. Overseas patients coming to London are particularly likely to be seeking complex cancer, neurosciences, cardiovascular and pediatric services supported by strong clinical expertise reflected by the leading teaching hospitals based in the UK. Income for NHS providers rose by 9% in 2018–9, pushing the Royal Marsden nearer the 50% statutory limit.{{cite news |title=Cancer care becomes biggest earner for London's private hospitals |url=https://www.ft.com/content/befcda6c-2b91-11e9-a5ab-ff8ef2b976c7 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211/https://www.ft.com/content/befcda6c-2b91-11e9-a5ab-ff8ef2b976c7 |archive-date=2022-12-11 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=19 March 2019 |publisher=Financial Times |date=8 February 2019}}

It is alleged that health tourists in the UK often target the NHS for its free-at-the-point-of-care treatment, allegedly costing the NHS up to £200 million.{{cite web |url= https://fullfact.org/health/costs_health_tourism-37227|title= Health tourists: How much do they cost and who pays?|publisher=Full Fact|date=6 September 2015}} A study in 2013 concluded that the UK was a net exporter of medical tourists, with 63,000 UK residents traveling abroad for treatment and about 52,000 patients getting treatment in UK. Medical tourists treated as private patients by NHS trusts are more profitable than UK private patients, yielding close to a quarter of the revenue from only seven percent of volume of cases. UK dental patients largely go to Hungary and Poland. Fertility tourists mostly travel to Eastern Europe, Cyprus and Spain.{{cite journal|last1=Hannefeld|first1=Johanna|last2=Horsfall|first2=Daniel|last3=Lunt|first3=Neil|last4=Smith|first4=Richard|title=Medical Tourism: A Cost or Benefit to the NHS?|journal=PLOS ONE|date=24 October 2013|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0070406|pmid=24204556|pmc=3812100|volume=8|issue=10|pages=e70406|bibcode=2013PLoSO...870406H|doi-access=free}}

In the summer of 2015 immigration officers from the Border Force were stationed in St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to train staff to identify "potentially chargeable patients".{{cite news|title=Immigration officers at London trust for patient charging pilot|url=http://www.lgcplus.com/news/health/social-care/immigration-officers-at-london-trust-for-patient-charging-pilot/5087970.article|access-date=24 September 2015|publisher=Local Government Chronicle|date=20 July 2015}} In October 2016 the trust announced that it planned to require photo identity papers or proof of their right to remain in the UK such as asylum status or a visa for pregnant women. Those not able to provide satisfactory documents would be sent to the trust's overseas patient team "for specialist document screening, in liaison with the UK Border Agency and the Home Office." It was estimated that £4.6 million a year was spent on care for ineligible patients.{{cite news|title=Pregnant women could need photo ID to get maternity care as St George's Hospital in Tooting cracks down on NHS tourism|url=http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/14794980.Pregnant_women_could_need_photo_ID_to_get_maternity_care_at_hospital/|access-date=29 October 2016|publisher=Richmond and Twickenham Times|date=11 October 2016}} A pilot scheme to check whether patients were entitled to free NHS care in 18 NHS trusts, 11 in London, for two months in 2017 asked 8,894 people for two forms of ID prior to non-emergency care. Only 50 were not eligible for free NHS treatment. Campaigners claimed this was "part of the Government's hostile environment policy", and that in Newham hospital "you will see huge signs saying you may not be eligible for free NHS treatment".{{cite news|title=8,900 checks on NHS "health tourists" find just 50 liable to pay|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/8900-checks-on-nhs-health-tourists-find-just-50-liable-to-pay-a3850121.html|access-date=30 May 2018|publisher=Evening Standard|date=29 May 2018}}

The bills issued to patients thought to be ineligible far exceed the sums actually collected. Most trusts do not have dedicated staff for the task. Ineligible patients generally live overseas, many have no money, and some demonstrate that they were eligible for free treatment after invoices had been issued.{{cite news |title=Trusts missing out on tens of millions from overseas patients |url=https://www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-efficiency/trusts-missing-out-on-tens-of-millions-from-overseas-patients/7026384.article |access-date=9 January 2020 |publisher=Health Service Journal |date=19 November 2019}}

{{Portal|Medicine}}

• Consumer import of prescription drugs
• Immigration health surcharge
• Wellness tourism
• Yoga tourism

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Wikivoyage|Medical tourism}}

• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/02/AR2006110200728_pf.html Businesses May Move Health Care Overseas (Washington Post)]
• [http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/healthcare/medicaltourism.html CBC News on "Medical tourism: Need surgery, will travel"]
• [https://abcnews.go.com/Business/IndustryInfo/story?id=2320839&page=1 A Cut Below: Americans Look Abroad for Health Care (ABC News)]

{{Tourism}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medical Tourism}}

Category:Types of tourism

Category:Health care

Category:Medical treatments