Medical Tourism: Globalization of Healthcare

Two good articles about Medical tourism, "Importing Competition" and "Operating Profit" have been printed in the latest Economist magazine.


The the short introductory article, "Importing Competition" has the following line:

"At the same time the best hospitals in Asia and Latin America now rival or surpass many hospitals in the rich world for safety and quality."

As I have said before, the biggest hurdle that is impeding medical tourism is the lack of confidence of foreigners in the competence of Indian doctors in the Indian health care setting to provide safe and effective treatment.

People promoting medical tourism should emphasize the quality of care and the safety record of the hospitals. More soundbites on this issue and a little less on the cost savings involved will allay a lot of fears in prospective patients.


The second article, "Operating Profit", tackles many of the issues raised by critics of medical tourism.

Unlike the dozens of articles written about medical tourism everyday, this article breaks away from the routine format and goes deeper into the issues and shows how it will impact the health care systems of the countries involved.

All in all, two good articles. As they say, read the whole thing.



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