Alex is an expat from England living in Prague. He works as a blogger and editor, and studied History at university. Alex is an avid fan of Czech literature and film.
Facelifts, tummy tucks, breast implants and fat transfers. These are just some of the procedures that are clocking up many millions of dollars in the global market of medical tourism, an industry that has thrived on customers seeking surgery holidays, plastic surgery overseas and cosmetic surgery travel packages. As more and more countries get into the competitive industry of international medical tourism, it seems that customers are presented with an ever growing range of options that can at times be quite confusing. It seems that with the number of choices expanding people have become willing to go to quite extraordinary lengths for discounted procedures. Just how far? In this article, we take a look at the true extent of this industry.
Europe is of course the continent which began to develop a reputation for international medical tourism by boasting high standards of healthcare and professional doctors that operate at a fraction of the price of Western clinics. Customers in the United States of America and the United Kingdom are readily able to get to areas such as Prague, Czech Republic, which has gained a strong following in the medical tourism industry. It is no surprise, as such an area is easily accessible and holds up to the expectations of medical tourists in their own countries – however others have been willing to risk going even further, and challenge their own standards in the industry.
A recent player in cosmetic surgery travel packages and plastic surgery travel has been India, who now holds an industry worth $8 billion. With low prices and exotic sights, people are flocking to taste some of what is on offer at private Indian clinics. Leaving further from home of course means adjusting your expectations, and numerous tourists have expressed concerns about hygiene and regulation in Indian medical tourism. Similarly Mexico has entered onto the scene, which now contains several hospitals that are owned by American businessmen. Close to the border of the United States, it is no surprise that surgery holidays have taken off here, although largely with Americans.
A final and interesting note is Korea – which has for a long time had very high medical standards. Their technology that has raced ahead in the form of dental implants and other cosmetic equipment has earned them a name for high precision medical procedures, although at not the same low prices as their competitors in Mexico, India and Europe. The choices as we have seen are indeed wide, and it is easy to see why consumers need to make intelligent selections more than ever when consider international medical tourism or plastic surgery holiday packages.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612301/
https://www.imtj.com/news/most-medical-tourism-mexico-dental-or-cosmetic/
https://www.ft.com/content/b84a4f08-4570-11e4-9b71-00144feabdc0?mhq5j=e3
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/internationallivingcom/medical-tourism_b_11573814.html