What Makes Medical Tourism So Popular?

For those stuck on a waiting list for treatment, medical tourism can be a saving grace. This has been especially true for patients in the UK. A report conducted by the Medical Technology Group shows that NHS waiting times are “a postcode lottery.” Waiting times are up by 400% since 2013 in Wales, and there was recently an announcement of an initiative aiming to cut down on waiting times in NHS.

With costs and waiting times skyrocketing, medical tourism is becoming both a feasible and cost-effective option for patients in the UK. So what countries are being travelled to? An article recently published in The Telegraph describes the rising popularity of this trend:

Medical tourism is growing in Asia

Asia is the fastest growing destination for medical tourism, with an outstanding reputation both in terms of expertise and drastically reduced waiting times for treatment.

In Singapore and Thailand, government agencies have been set up to market their expertise globally and top hospitals across the continent have special international service departments to assist overseas patients with everything from appointments to accommodations.

Increasingly, countries are recognizing the value of specializing:

• Singapore has an international reputation for diagnosis and oncology, organ transplantation, and stem cell and regenerative therapies
• Malaysia is popular for executive health screenings, fertility treatments including IVF, and the treatment of skin conditions including severe burns
• Taiwan is fast building a reputation for weight loss and cosmetic surgery as well as cancer treatments
• China offers visitors everything from high-tech hospitals to traditional treatments.

India lifts many visa restrictions

In a bid to attract more visitors, the Indian government has backed the medical tourism industry by removing many visa restrictions.

A visa-on-arrival scheme has been introduced for medical tourists from selected countries; this allows foreign nationals to stay in India for 30 days for medical reasons and, depending on the treatment, there is even an option to get a visa for a year. India has a world-class reputation for cardiovascular treatments, orthopedic procedures and cancer diagnosis and is known globally for excellent value across a range of medical services.

Save more when transferring payments overseas

One aspect many forget to take into account when paying for any medical procedure overseas is the cost of the currency exchange. This is a detail that could have an impact on the final cost of the procedure and it is important to factor this into your calculations.

You can find the original article here.