Does Medical Tourism Provide High Quality of Health Care? (Essay Sample)

Does Medical Tourism Provide High Quality of Care?
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Does Medical Tourism Provide High Quality of Care?
For long, wealthy patients from developing countries have travelled to developed countries to seek specialized care. The trend seems to be reversing, as some patients from developed countries are now travelling to third-world countries where the prices for treatment are lower. Some of the popular destination countries include India, Singapore, Argentina, and Thailand. In these countries, the labor and malpractice litigation costs are low translating to cheaper treatment costs. Americans are able to access quality services in Asia, Mexico and other Latin American countries. In Mexico, the prices of treatment are 40% lower than in the United States. Uninsured Americans benefit greatly from the cross-border medical tourism. Some of the American seniors have even migrated to Mexico where they receive nursing care services at affordable prices. However, critics argue that the quality of health care provided overseas is low. While opposing this argument, this paper shows that medical tourism provides high quality of care.
In this age of globalization, medical tourism has become prevalent. Poor patients from developed countries are now willing to travel to developing countries to seek treatment. Before arguing that cross-border medical tourism provides high quality of care, it will important to define the key terms. Medical tourism is regarded as the act of travelling across international borders to receive some form of medical treatment. It could also be defined as the organized travel outside the home country for restoration of one’s health. One of the popular destinations for medical tourists is India. The price for treatment in India is lower than in the U.S. and other developed countries. Many Indian hospitals serving medical tourists bundle services into one package. Another popular destination is Thailand, where prices are now as low as in India. Bangkok’s Bumrungrad International Hospital is one of the pioneer medical centers in Thailand. Gaol, Mars and Saragih (2014) examined the prevalence of medical tourism in Thailand. Thailand boasts qualified healthcare professionals, with medical certifications from the UK, U.S.A, and Canada. It is the medical tourism hub of Asia and the foreign medical services sector is estimated to be 100 billion baht. Singapore also has high-quality hospitals that attract medical tourists. However, the prices of treatments are higher than in Thailand and India. Mexico is another popular destination for cash-paying American patients. Medical tourists are also known to visit Costa Rica, Colombia, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.
Medical tourists visit foreign hospital primarily because they offer lower prices. The low labor costs in the developing countries allow hospitals to charge less compared to similar facilities in developed countries. The wages of skilled and unskilled workers in India, Singapore and Thailand is very low compared to the U.S. and European countries. The health care costs in the developing countries are also lower because there are fewer regulations and limited malpractice liability. The foreign medical providers also have very specialized facilities that are very efficient. For instance, the Rajan Dhall hospital in India has a very efficient system that allows it to operate optimally hence reducing the operating costs. The low operating costs translates to low prices for medical tourists. Medical tourism not only benefits international patients but also the destination countries. Medical tourism benefits poor countries and help their development by investments obtained either by government of by private laboratories for the research and development (Carrera & Lunt, 2010). According to Carrera and Lunt (2010), developing countries such as India and Philippines are affected by severe brain drain. Nurses and health workers leave their countries to work in developed countries. Medical tourism allows these poor countries to compensate from labor loss through revenue earned from foreign patients.
Another key driver for medical tourism is visiting exotic sites. International patients visit foreign hospitals not only to receive care but also have vacation. A growing number of tourists are combining holidays with healthcare. South Africa is a popular destination for international patients seeking medical safaris. The patients not only receive treatment but they are also able to visit safari lodges in places like Kruger National Park. Other patients visit foreign hospitals to avoid media attention or intrusion of privacy (Bookman & Bookman, 2007).
There are key concerns that medical tourists consider when seeking treatment in foreign countries. They are concerned about the quality and safety of the medical care provided by foreign hospitals. They are also concerned about the competence of health professionals in destination countries. Medical tourists are also concerned about linguistic and cultural challenges. In developed countries, patient’s written consent is sought before an elective procedure is performed. However, the cultural distance between the patient and the physician could affect communication and therapeutic relationships. The next sections argue that the medical tourism has addressed these concerns; hence, the medical tourists are assured of quality care services from overseas health providers.
To show that medical tourism provides high quality of care, it is important to travel to one of the pioneer facilities that serve foreigners. Bumrungrad International Hospital was established in 1997 and it offers a wide range of services to the local residents and medical tourists. It is located at the heart of Bangkok and its serves over 520,000 international patients. Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker travelled to Thailand carried an investigation to find out if the hospital offers quality services to medical tourists. He discovered that the hospital has qualified staff members, with some of them being American Board certified. Unlike in the American hospitals where a patient waits for 2 hours sometimes, patients at Bumrungrad International Hospital are promptly served. One of the American patients told Morgan Spurlock that, “The most I’ve sat waiting here has been 15 minutes.” According to Morgan Spurlock, the waiting room,”…looks more like a five star hotel than a hospital.” The hospital is also equipped with latest diagnostic equipment and is accredited by the Joint Commission International. The hospital has an elaborate system to recognize harmful drug interactions, store patient information and integrate patient data with hospital operations. The foreign patients are even facilitated with travel arrangements, and airport pickup. These findings clearly show that health-care facilities that serve medical tourists provide quality care at a cheaper cost.
In the face of growing medical tourism industry, countries such as India, Singapore and Thailand are investing heavily in healthcare facilities. Hospitals also engage qualified personnel to inspect the patients before they travel to foreign countries for treatment. There are many medical travel intermediaries that help international patients to choose the hospital of their choice. The medical travel intermediaries also help tourists to select physicians before they travel for treatment. These medical travel intermediaries are regulated, and so they only refer patients to international health care providers who meet American standards. The medical travel intermediaries work closely with international care providers to ensure they provide superior patient services. Before a medical tourist travels to a foreign county for treatment, he or she is first tested by an intermediary. The patient’s medical records are then reviewed by qualified physicians. The patient also discusses his condition with the selected physician in the foreign country through teleconferencing. The patient is allocated a case manager who facilitates transportation, accommodation and airport transfers. This elaborate process ensures that a medical tourist is thoroughly examined before he leaves for treatment in a foreign country. The process also allows the medical tourist to choose a quality physician and access the best facilities. In essence, the medical tourism industry has a well developed framework to ensure patients obtain quality care.
Medical tourism provides high quality care because international providers are accredited by bodies such as the Joint Commission International, Accreditation Canada and the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International. A medical tourist seeking medical attention would not have to be worry whether a physician in an overseas hospital is qualified or not. The accreditation process is viewed as a risk reduction and quality optimization strategy. The accreditation process assures medical tourists of standardized health care services, regardless of where the healthcare facility is located. Major hospitals in countries that serve medical tourists have been accredited; hence patients are assured of quality services. Some countries such as India have already developed accreditation standard to ensure potential patients receive high quality healthcare. Some of the foreign hospitals are actually owned, affiliated or run by American universities and healthcare institutions. For instance, the Bumrungard International hospital is managed by an American team to ensure medical tourists receive good care. On the other hand, Wockhardt hospital which is based in India is affiliated with Harvard medical school. In essence, patients seeking for treatment from institutions based in India or other developing countries are assured of quality services. This is ...