A look into the history and Types of medical tourism
History of medical tourism
The practice of seeking medical
help across the border has deep roots. It has been practiced for ages. People
have been traveling to other countries and cities seeking better medical
treatment since the Mesopotamian civilization. Moreover, archeological evidence
indicates people traveling to the temple of healing for eye disorders. It has
grown to the level of a whole industry where people seek medical treatment
and recreation
in medical tourism. The global medical tourism industry values USD 19.79
billion, which may reach USD 21.93 by 2023 with a CAGR of 10.8%. The numbers
are pretty significant. One reason for such high figures is that the industry
has expanded to several types of medical tourism.
However, at this point, it is
vital to mention that the account of the size of the medical tourism share is
not that easy, and this is for several reasons. The reasons may be the indirect
revenue stream such as tourism revenue, tourists, and medical tourists spending
5-10 times more than the typical tourists. Moreover, the tourists prefer to
include recreation in medical tourism as
well. Some other reasons for increased growth of the industry are cost for the
same level of quality treatments or maybe better therapy than the home country.
Types of medical tourism
For better services and
overview, medical tourism categorizes into the following types.
1.
Wellness tourism
2.
Sanatorium
3.
Hospital tourism
1.
Wellness tourism
According to the Global
Wellness Institute, wellness tourism refers to travel to maintain or improve
personal wellbeing. Confusing wellness tourism with the general term of medical
tourism is common. However, both the services are entirely different. Traveling
to seek specific medical treatment or surgery which is not available at home is
one thing. Conversely, wellness tourism is more related to restoring a healthy
lifestyle. It is related to avoiding a particular disease and stress reduction.
1.
Sanatorium
Another type of medical tourism
is sanatorium. It refers to complex medical and tourism activities carried out
in a health center or spa. Moreover, these health centers are primarily the
prime go-to place for rehabilitating, treating, and preventing several
diseases.
1.
Hospital tourism
Among all the three
types of medical tourism, hospital tourism represents the typical medical
tourism when a person travels to get quality treatment from a standard hospital
abroad. The most common procedure or medical therapies for which hospital
tourism is pursued include
·
Dental treatment
·
Orthopedic solutions
·
Cosmetic or plastic surgery
·
Laparoscopic
and bariatric surgery
·
Fertility treatment
·
Organ transplantation
·
Rehabilitation
·
Eyes treatment
Whatever the type of medical
tourism it is, recreation
in medical tourism is on the surge, which brings
opportunities for culture-rich developing countries like Pakistan.
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