Need a Medical Procedure? Then Choose an Exotic Destination

There is a new market opening up in the travel industry and one that has nothing to do with business or leisure but which has everything to do with health. It is becoming increasingly popular for Americans to hop on a plane and take off to foreign climes for their health services. The reason for this is they are escaping from the high priced medical costs in the USA.

These people return from their trip to exotic places such as Thailand or India and their only snapshots they return with are their x-rays. They stay in lodgings at the clinic where they are being cared for and are treated to the most meticulous medical care.

Medical tourism is beginning to boom. One definition of medical tourism is 'the practice of a patient seeking healthcare in a foreign land in order to enjoy excellent care and benefits at a relatively low cost'.

And when you consider, for example, that there are some first-rate Asian doctors and hospitals that are having great accomplishments in treating illnesses at a fraction of the cost in the U.S. and are located in some spectacular destinations it can be understood why medical tourism is becoming popular. You receive relatively inexpensive medical treatment and get to see some great sights.

According to Dr. Matt Fontana, the Chief Medical Officer of GlobalChoice Healthcare, as the health care crisis depends in the U.S. people are saying "I'll pick the procedure and then I'll pick the destination'"

Let's take a look at Thailand. Known for its palaces, beaches, Buddhas and Bangkok it is also home to Bumrungrad Hospital. Bumrungrad Hospital is a medical center cum resort and boasts that it has treated more foreign patients than any other such facility in the world.

Bumrungrad has a staff of over 500 doctors most of which have American or European accreditation and specialize from oncology to plastic surgery.

Bumrungrad's group marketing director reports that they receive an average of 400 new emails a day from the United States. With this in mind the hospital has now partnered with Diethelm Travel Asia tour operator who arrange excursions to nearby attractions.

Its North American counterpart is Flight Center North America who will arrange travel and treatment.

Some people attending Bumrungrad are vacationers seeking minor outpatient procedures such as dental or cosmetic surgery whilst others are looking for more serious treatment. But most show an interest in exploring the local tourist haunts.

Treatment at Thailand's Bumrungrad costs less than one eighth of that in the United States so add that to staying in a facility that resembles a high end hotel these people certainly have a good reason for taking this route to medical care.

India is another destination to consider when choosing a medical vacation. The costs of medical procedures here are about one-thirteenth of the price in the United States and on top of that many hospitals offer post-operative care that also includes spectacular sight seeing tours.

The recovery phase of any procedure is an important factor so choosing the right destination for you is important.

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