The Benefits of Medical Tourism

Affordability and Cost-effectiveness

The low cost of medical procedures, is the number one reason why people go offshore for medical treatments. The savings range between 30% and 80% of the cost that you would normally pay in the USA.

Due to the low prices of medical procedures and surgery abroad, some people worry that medical tourism might be fraud or a scam. The main reason behind the low prices of medical treatments abroad is the low cost of labor in the popular medical tourism destinations.

Although the treatments are cheap, in most cases surgical procedures are performed by well trained experts who are using top notch technology. In addition, the lower costs of malpractice, insurance and administration also contribute to the low prices of overseas medical procedures.

High-Quality Healthcare

Many of the doctors and surgeons that offer healthcare services to international patients are trained and certified in Western countries, such as United States and Great Britain.

Medical centers all over the world have acquired accreditation from well known international organizations such as JCI, JCAHO and ISO to express their dedication to excellence.

Some institutes and medical centers are members of the NIH (National Institutes of Health), which is a federal agency that gives leadership and financial support to researchers in the field of medicine and health.

Immediate Service

Another advantage of medical tourism is the immediate access to health care services. For those who have come from countries with public health care systems, medical tourism offers them the chance to be placed on the priority list. When dealing with matters of health, waiting is not always an option.

Improved Flight and Communication Services

Most procedures performed abroad can be scheduled via the internet or by phone. People have the flexibility to book flights and schedule surgery procedures from the comfort of their own home. This eliminates the inconvenience of going to the hospital or clinic for evaluations and assessments. The only time a person has to leave their house is on the day or week of the surgery, or procedure.

Travel Opportunities

Even though medical tourism is about obtaining medical care, a side benefit of medical tourism is having the opportunity to travel to another country. For some medical tourists, especially those seeking dental care, cosmetic care or wellness treatments, these can enjoy the opportunity to travel overseas in addition to receiving less expensive healthcare.

Around US$4.0 billion ( 34,200 Crore Taka) flies out of the country as medical expenses annually’ screamed the headline of a report published in one of the Bengali contemporaries late last week. Half of the amount goes to neighbouring India. News Oct 2019.

Special Correspondent: About 700,000 people go to abroad every year for treatment spending US$ 3.5 billion due to lack of confidence on the local physicians and poor diagnosis system.

This also drainage hard-earned foreign currency at the same time Bangladesh is becoming health tourism market for neighboring countries.People suffering from various critical diseases mainly go to India, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia for treatment. Sources said India attracts the highest number of medical tourists from Bangladesh while an estimated 425,000 patient’s travel to different south Asian countries for treatment every year.

Patients with complicated diseases like open heart surgery, kidney transplantation and liver cirrhosis go abroad for better treatment, but those treatments are possible in the country. But the doctors should be very cordial with the patients to help reduce medical tourism,” he also said.
He also called upon the government and private sector to take up a holistic approach to scale up their service quality in a bid to bring back the outgoing patients, adding that this will also help keep the money that would be otherwise spent abroad within the country.

Seeking anonymity, a senior clinician at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) told that the private hospitals in Dhaka charge around Tk 400,000 to Tk 600,000 for an open-heart surgery, but for the same surgery requires Tk 300,000 in Bangalore, India.