medical tourism

If you have never heard of this concept, it is actually pretty phenomenal. There are a number of countries/cities in the world that have built a full service tourism around its medical practices. The draw is both for financial reasons as well as quality. In the past, it was the wealthy from the third world countries that would travel to developed countries for quality health care. However, it has evolved to third world countries spending billions to develop this industry. Tourist companies have also provided full travel packages including after-care facilities and services.

Brumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok is well renowned with top of the line machinery and practitioners who have studied in the top rated medical schools around the world. Many expats in Asia travel to Bangkok for their annual physical as the hospital offers a full comprehensive package. Historically, patients came for elective surgeries such as cosmetic surgeries; however, they are now top for critical surgical practices such as cardiac surgeries.

Brumrungrad is also a well oiled machine in processing patients from start to finish. Appointments can be made online. They have translators for most languages. Patients are processed timely with medical bracelets through the various medical centers on premise. The hospital rooms are like hotel rooms with flat screen TVs, modern furniture and kitchenette. After-care also includes Skype or FaceTime with medical practitioners.

For Americans, the incentive includes medical practices that have not been FDA approved but are legal in other countries. The costs for travel, hospital, after-care and some vacation are many times equal or less than the costs to do it in the U.S. The risks usually relates to the ongoing check-ups, after-care, legal issues, etc. However, in many cases, the pros outweigh the cons.