What consequences will the development of medical tourism have for the country of origin?
According to the social reporter of Moj news agency, while the “medical tourism industry” is expanding and growing all over the world, some experts believe that one should not be optimistic about this because in many cases the hidden costs imposed on the communities can It creates problems that we have never thought of.
The concern of these people arises just when the citizens of some countries such as the United States and the Green Continent, considering receiving cheaper and faster medical services in other parts of the world, use the health and treatment systems of their country, pack their travel bags and go to other parts of the world.
According to the statistics published from the beginning of 2017 to 2023, medical tourism around the world experiences a growth of 21.4%, which apparently can bring a sweet dream of rich foreign exchange earnings for destination countries; But countries of origin certainly experience challenges.
Considering the growing trend of the medical tourism industry and the increase in the travel demand of the nationals of the countries of origin to travel to medical tourism destinations in other parts of the world, the country’s insurance industry and of course the health system of the same country will also be involved in significant costs.
So let’s ask ourselves what effect will the growth of medical tourism have on the sending community and the health care providers of origin? Or how will inflation and the quality of medical services be controlled by the respective governments in the destination country?
According to tourism industry experts Health These are the questions for which we must provide key, logical and accurate answers, otherwise the problems will be doubled.
In this regard, Emad Alipour; Field active Tourism He told the reporter of Moj news agency: According to the statistics published by the World Health Organization, the leadership of sending health and medical tourists to other parts of the world is in the hands of the United States of America, and in recent years, the Green Continent has taken the second place. Is. Because in these areas, either the cost of receiving medical services is high, or the waiting period to use the required services is not suitable for patients and applicants.
He continued: For example, if American health tourists travel to one of the main destinations to receive health or medical tourism services, they sometimes save up to 60% of the cost of the service they are looking for; Or that the British now have to wait on a waiting list for more than a year to use public health services.
This tourism activist stated: Last year, the NHS public health service system of England announced that, taking into account the increase in demand for medical services in Wales, the waiting period for patients to receive their desired services has increased by 400% compared to 2013; This process has brought about a 50% increase in the demand for traveling abroad for treatment.
Alipour continued: Considering these conditions, many English people prefer to look for a suitable opportunity outside the borders by using insurance and the conditions of the country’s medical services provision law, so that they can, in addition to receiving suitable services, also enjoy sightseeing. . This is while the main destinations of medical tourists from the two mentioned regions are parts of Southeast Asia, Asia, South America and the Middle East.
He emphasized: So, taking into account the surrounding factors, i.e. inflation, the rate of providing medical services to the lack of access to home care and the reduction of health services, we can say that every day we must witness the expansion of the demand for travel to obtain appropriate services, which usually add costs to the service system. Medical and insurance industry of the country of origin will impose.
What is the main problem of the states of origin?
This expert stated that thousands of foreign patients travel every year to get the medical and health services they need and will end up in one of the destination countries for medical and wellness tourism. The insurance system and medical services of the country of origin will be affected by factors and a high financial burden, for which the authorities must have an accurate and convincing answer for its cost and benefit.
Alipour added: Even if we believe that the cost of treatment outside the borders is much lower than receiving the same service in our own land, we must accept that part of the treatment costs outside the borders will have domestic consequences, which can show the problems more prominently in the long run.
He reminded: At the same time, the main point that the authorities of the countries of origin of medical tourists such as the United States and the United Kingdom must answer is whether foreigners are prioritized in the destination country or whether local voters are at the top of the list of receiving appropriate services? Are the best medical services really offered to foreign patients by institutions and medical centers and insurances? The answers to these questions can convince the government of countries like the United States, which is the main sender of health tourists to other parts of the world, that it is not really better to bear the cost of the applicants’ travel abroad in the dream of making medical services cheaper; spend the same money on completing and developing the infrastructure of his country?
This tourism activist emphasized: Let’s not forget that the more this policy is implemented, the investment in local medical infrastructure will gradually decrease and eventually more inflation will be created in the medical and health services sector of the region in question, which will bring an uncertain and worrying future for the region. brought
Regarding why the demand for medical tourism has increased to such an extent in recent years, Alipour explained: At first glance, the main answer is the increase in population, increase in medical expenses in the mainland, class gap, lack of specialist staff, lifestyle change and so on. .. But are all these cases really involved or is the real story something else? For example, the US government announced last year that 1.7 million Americans filed for bankruptcy this year due to the inability to pay their medical bills.
He added: However, in the same period, if an American who is unable to pay his medical expenses travels to the occupied Palestinian country to receive the same services; It experiences approximately 65 to 80 percent economic savings in the entire treatment process. Therefore, in some cases, governments will even welcome the medical tourism option of their citizens.
This tourism activist said: On the other hand, there are countries that have not really been able to provide the expertise needed by their citizens and have basically relied on the capabilities of other parts of the world for treatment, and in some way even strict laws have been established for this issue, a clear example of which can be The country of Algeria or Nigeria raised. For example, the National Health Service of Nigeria used to send many patients abroad for treatment every year, but since the beginning of last year, it has tried to reduce this trend in favor of its domestic market and is trying to make a significant investment in its domestic health system. to give
In the end, Alipour pointed out: Although some countries are very happy with the influx of foreign patients interested in using the cheaper care system as health and medical tourism destinations, but in the hidden half of the story, the nationals and natives of the countries of origin face major problems to receive the same services. have became. For example, in 2012, Costa Rica gained 338 million dollars in economic benefits from the growth and development of its medical tourism, while the public health system of England suffered an additional budget of 2 billion pounds in the same period, which means that from the public health budget of the British people, three Ten percent was deducted so that some of their compatriots could be treated outside the borders.