Research Design Report On Medical Tourism Medicine Research Paper (Research Paper Sample)

21648 Assessment task 2
Research Design Report (PART A&B)
Medical Tourism
Chen Zhao
12643250
PART A
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Recent years we witnessed an increasing number of people engaging in medical tourism. According to Reteurs (2017) information, the global medical tourism market was worth $ 19.7 billion in 2016, and it was estimated to grow more than double of that by 2021. Medical tourism is one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors in the world. Moreover, the most frequently visited services are dental care, fertility treatment, elective surgery, and cosmetic surgery. Currently, many countries, especially developing countries, already have legal and practical actions focusing on this sector. It is said that the medical tourism sector has a significant economic impact on the destination country; thus it is wise for governments to invest in the sector as a way to improve economic conditions and increase tourism activities (Heung, Kucukusta & Song, 2010).
Definition of medical tourism
Medical tourism is an issue involving a person travelling to another country, usually from a developed country to a developing country, or vice a versa, to receive a variety range of medical treatments or services. It normally includes relaxation activities, leisure, wellness, fun and health-care service (Heung, Kucukusta & Song, 2010). But the focus of this research is people traveling from developing countries to Australia for health-care services.
Background of medical tourism
It is believed that patients who look for medical treatments or services in another country usually do it for cost reasons, that they would pay less than what they would pay at their home country. This is usually the case when patients from developed countries like the United States or European countries seek for medical services in developing nations such as India, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and so on (Connell, 2006). Developing countries are fueling the medical tourism industry with their evolving innovation and technology at low costs.
Singh (2013) adds that though cost remains an important factor affecting tourists’ choice of destination for medical services, factors like medical facilities and services, hotels and food/beverage quality, governmental policies and laws, and general tourism supply are also critical. The quality of medical services and facilities should be a determining factor, as that is the core of medical tourism. Similarly, Ulaş & Anadol (2016) found that governmental support such as issuing of visas to international tourists who come for medical tourism, supporting marketing activities, providing language interpreters and so on, is an important factor that Turkey attracts many international patient tourists.
Therefore, it is believed that most tourists from developed countries go to developing countries for medical tourism because it is cheaper to receive healthcare in those countries. Those countries have high standard medical facilities and services, as well as technology and innovations to ensure international patients have a safe and comfortable healthcare environment. Many people go to another country to seek medical treatments because they are not available in the home country. Besides, the government’s support in visa policies and other relevant policies is critical to the development of the medical tourism industry. After reviewing the literature, it is evident that there lacks an investigation of people from developing countries travels to developed countries like Australia to seek medical treatments. Thus this research aims to close this research gap.
Justification of relevance of the issue
Australia is viewed as a country with very high standard and quality healthcare services and sophisticated health treatments. This makes it an ideal destination for medical tourists who seek medical services/treatments unavailable at their home countries, but available in Australia. Cost is not an advantage in Australian hospitals. Therefore potential patients are most likely affluent international tourists. Moreover, the Australian government has several initiatives such as a subsidised medical system Medicare, to help defray potential risks and costs associated with international medical tourism. Though none of the initiatives covers the costs of medical services/treatments for international tourists (Tham, 2018).
It is believed that there will be a lot of opportunities for hospitality as well as health-care industries, as the growth of medical tourism continues to increase. For example, a luxury hotel near the destination hospital will have the opportunity to host a patient who just underwent surgery, and the patient will need some relaxation activities or just some good time there. Besides, the hotel will have to design rooms that meet patients' needs, such as special suspension beds and good follow-up care in cooperation with medical staff. Thus, all these activities will require the coordination between hotels and hospitals, and together they meed the needs of medical tourists (Heung, Kucukusta & Song, 2010). Therefore, a good understanding of what motivates tourists to engage in medical tourism, and what medical services/treatments are the most popular and relevant information, should provide useful implications for the medical tourism industry in Victoria Australia.