Medical Tourism Heads Toward Robust Industry

Medical Value Travel: A Step in Right Direction

Due to rising health care costs in the U.S., millions of American patients have recently started looking towards medical value travel in foreign countries. The fact that countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and the Philippines hasn’t gone unnoticed by patients back West. Some of the hospitals in these countries provide world class medical facilities and competent doctors at unbelievably competitive rates. They are now established destinations for health and wellness tourism.  Their respective governments are trying to do everything possible to prove their medical tourism capabilities.

The Rise of Medical Tourism in the Philippines

Following the success of Thailand, a medical tourism program was officially launched last year by the government of the Philippines.  They have created a task force of public and private sectors comprising high ranking officials and executives of some of their top hospitals and premier health care institutions to launch the country as the world's favorite medical value travel destination. Medical tourism is a rapidly growing industry in South East Asia, and the Philippines are intent on not being left out. American patients are undergoing routine and complex medical treatments and surgeries in the Philippines, where competent health care professionals and comparatively advanced medical facilities and health services are offered for a fraction of the costs that American hospitals charge.

Health and Wellness Tourism in the Philippines

The Philippines have developed historical sight-seeing and natural history tourist destinations to help entice medical visitors from abroad.  But the biggest attraction of health and wellness tourism is the low cost of treatment and surgery for American people who cannot afford health insurance back home. An average 87% increase in medical insurance premiums in the US has been observed since 2000, whereas average earnings have increased by only 20%.  With discrepancies like this, it’s easy to see why medical tourism has become such a booming business of late.

Source: Jun Ilagan, “Philippines Touts High-Quality But Cheap Medical Tourism,” New America Media, March 8, 2007