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With increasing globalization, many countries are considering opening their health systems to greater cross-border movement of patients. This is usually done from the viewpoint of a multi-lateral trade relationship. This paper considers the issues that arise from this debate from a bi-lateral perspective.
A systematic literature review was carried...
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... one takes the waiting lists for a selected number of proce- dures suitable for medical tourism, and compares the cost of sending those patients (plus an accompanying adult) to India, with the costs of getting treatment in the UK, the sav- ings would be of £120 million (Table 1). This figure becomes £200 million if no accompanying adult is paid for (Table 2). ...
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Tourism is an important industry contributing to the growth of a country's economy. The tourism industry is closely linked to other industries factors such as promotion of tourism, medical industrial growth, globalization and liberalization of trade have given a burst to the health industry and made it competitive. Indian tourism provides employmen...
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... Medical tourism is defined as the practice of travelling across borders for medical treatment. 1 In simple parlance in "Medical Tourism" patient travels off shore to another country * Revision Accepted: September 20, 2024 to obtain medical care. "Medical Tourists" is a term used by medical centers in recipient countries for those individuals from one country to another country. ...
Medical and health care traverse geographical boundaries in the form of “Medical Tourism” with patients travelling from low and middle-income countries to developed nations and vice versa as well. Affordable medical care is also attracting patients from developed nations to countries like India, Thailand, UAE and others with international accreditation playing a key role. This also yields economic benefits for the recipient countries. Pakistan unfortunately lags behind in acquiring “destination of choice” status for medical tourism which undisputedly can benefit its constrained economy. There being a dearth of literature current narrative review was conducted to highlight the integrity and benefits of medical tourism. For this, literature search was conducted using google, Bing, google scholar, PubMed, web of science to search engines and data bases. One hundred eighty articles, reports & publications were downloaded of which 25 non-English & duplicates, and 75 irrelevant records were excluded. Hence, 34 references of relevant English language articles, publications, reports and online resources were utilized for the review. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.11.8673 How to cite this: Mumtaz N, Saqulain G. Reviving medical tourism in Pakistan - A narrative review. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(11):2720-2725. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.11.8673 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
... Numerous studies highlight the significance of medical information systems for the progress and expansion of the medical tourism industry [25][26][27][28]. Utilizing these systems can support macroeconomic goals and facilitate the promotion of the tourism sector. ...
Introduction: Medical tourism is a recent form of travel that involves rapidly increasing overseas trips to address a variety of health issues. Medical tourism websites play a vital role in offering information and resources for people looking for medical treatment overseas. A well-designed and easy-to-use website can help build trust and credibility with potential patients. The aim of this study is to assess the usability of the leading medical tourism websites in Iran.Material and Methods: The present study was a descriptive and cross-sectional study. In this study, the usability of five top medical tourism website in Iran were evaluated using heuristic evaluation method. The checklist was based on Nielsen’s heuristics. The criteria for selecting the top websites were Alexa Rank Checker.Results: The median of usability problems rates in website1, website2, website3, website4, and website5 were 11.1%, 7.7%, 9.9%, 10% and 9.1%, respectively. The median severity of identified problems for website1, website2, website3, website4, and website5 were 2.6%, 2.9%, 2.9%, 2.9% and 2.8%, respectively. The principles of “help and documentation”, “visibility of site status”, and “Security and privacy” in the five websites were categorized into the “highest rate of problems”, “lowest rate of problems”, and “highest severity of problems” groups, respectively.Conclusion: By addressing usability issues of medical tourism websites, organizations can better serve their users and ultimately contribute to the growth of the medical tourism industry.
... 10 Centering on crossborder healthcare, medical tourism has challenged healthcare delivery, medical insurance, quality control, etc., in both importing and exporting countries. 11 Similar to many other countries, mainland China has come late in the internationalization of healthcare. 12 Despite the opening-up policy in 1978, the introduction of overseas medicine was slow. ...
This study reviews national-level policies regulating cross-border healthcare in mainland China after it acceded to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Policy documents from official websites of the State Council and 19 ministries were screened, from which 487 policy documents were analyzed. WTO's five modes of trade and WHO's six building blocks of healthcare system were used to guide the analysis of policymaking patterns, charting of policy evolution process, identification of key policy areas, differentiation of 29 detailed policy themes, and identification of major countries/regions involved in cross-border healthcare. The findings lead to four policy recommendations: (1) to establish a national-level committee to govern cross-border healthcare, (2) to build an information system to comprehensively integrate various information on cross-border healthcare consumption and provision, (3) to take more proactive policy actions in healthcare internationalization, and (4) to carry out reform experiments in key sub-national regions to fully explore various possibilities in developing and regulating cross-border healthcare.
... Crooks et al. (2010) presented a review on international patients' experience. In another review, Smith et al. (2011) bring forth the perspective of bi-lateral trade relations in medical tourism. The most recent review by Zarei and Maleki (2019) examines the medical tourism market in Asia and identifies the factors affecting the expansion of this sector in Asian countries. ...
The 21st century has seen an upsurge in the demand for global healthcare services. And one such niche sector of this rapidly growing market is medical tourism. The rising disparity in healthcare costs is fulling the growth of medical tourists to emerging markets, especially those with advance healthcare facilities and a proximity to developed countries. The interesting pace of this industry has received a growing curiosity from both researchers and practitioners. But most extant research still ignores the factors of competitiveness of a medical tourism destination. Against this backdrop, the present study seeks to identify and analyze the dimensions and drivers of the medical tourism industry. It does so by systematically synthesizing qualitative studies that elicit views of various stakeholders practitioners, management, government, industry associations, facilitators and the academia.
... Crooks et al. (2010) presented a review on international patients' experience. In another review, Smith et al. (2011) bring forth the perspective of bi-lateral trade relations in medical tourism. The most recent review by Zarei and Maleki (2019) examines the medical tourism market in Asia and identifies the factors affecting the expansion of this sector in Asian countries. ...
The 21st century has seen an upsurge in the demand for global
healthcare services and one such niche sector of this rapidly growing market is medical tourism. The rising disparity in healthcare costs is fulling the growth of medical tourists to emerging markets, especially those with advance healthcare
facilities and a proximity to developed countries. The interesting pace of this industry has received a growing curiosity from both researchers and practitioners. But most extant research still ignores the factors of competitiveness of a medical tourism destination. Against this backdrop, the present study seeks to identify and analyse the dimensions and drivers of the medical tourism industry. It does so by systematically synthesising qualitative
studies that elicit views of various stakeholders – practitioners, management,
government, industry associations, facilitators and the academia.
... Matto and Rathindran (2006) compared treatment prices in 15 countries and estimated that if one in ten patients in the US were to receive treatment abroad, it would save about 1.35 billion EUR per year. The comparative analysis of health expenditure in India and the UK, taking into account the time spent waiting for a specific medical treatment, showed that it would be possible to save 135-230 million EUR by sending patients from the UK to India (Smith et al., 2011). Therefore, health tourism could be seen as a solution to the problem of unaffordable healthcare if tourists/ patients in sending countries could avoid waiting lists and high medical costs. ...
Tourism is considered as a powerful life force for economic and social development. The tourism sector stimulates economic growth both nationally and internationally, increasing employment and investment, with the export of services developing in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Tourism contributes to the preservation of cultural and natural heritage, it guarantees income which could be used to finance cultural heritage objects and infrastructures, promoting the overall perception of European identity and citizenship based on diversity and exceptionality (European Tourism Manifesto, 2022). In 2021, Lithuania Travel, a public enterprise, carried out research on the development of the tourism sector with the analysis of research findings provided by the expert group of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) and the European Travel Commission (ETC). According to the research, the period of crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the severe restrictions applied to the tourism sector in all countries, which not only had short-term negative effects, but also changed travel traditions and habits (increased demand for nature and domestic tourism, health, hygienic conditions and safety considered as the most important criterion when choosing a travel destination), is also relevant as Lithuania needs to maximise its potential by creating an image of a safe country with high standards of hygiene. According to the above-mentioned research, the integration of innovations and technological novelties in the tourism sector was also emphasised. In the course of the development of the tourism industry, of which the segment of health tourism is a part, with the ambition not only to reach the quantitative rates of 2019, but even to exceed them, it is reasonable to assess the socio-economic impact. The aim of this article is – to present aspects of socio-economic impact of health tourism on sending and receiving countries. During the systematic review of the research literature, the search for research articles was carried out in the following databases: Cambridge Journals Online; EBSCO; Emerald Publishing; SAGE Journals Online; Science direct; Tylor&Francis etc. The research articles included in the systemic research review cover the period from 1999 to 2023. The methods of comparative analysis, synthesis, graphical presentation and generalisation were used to present the research results. The study assessed the socio-economic impact of health tourism in two areas: positive and negative impact on the countries that send and receive tourists. The analysis of the research literature carried out has shown that if the appropriate regulatory mechanism of health services is not ensured, as well as the appropriate and fair distribution of income from health tourism activities, it may be difficult for low-income social groups to receive timely health services. Therefore, during the development of the health tourism industry, special attention should be paid to ensuring equal access to health services for all social groups, as well as to the training of competent professionals working in health tourism organisations.
... Little information is available about which patients choose to travel and why, and why others do not. Data on the patient flows and resources spent remain uncertain [7]. "This has hampered efforts to understand the economic costs and benefits to countries experiencing inflows and outflows of patients. ...
Medical tourism is a rapidly growing sector, and could become a major driver of tourism in Greece. This research examines the status quo and the potential of medical tourism on the island of Crete, Greece. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2021 to February 2022, with the administration of questionnaires. The study involved the participation of 97 hotel managers from four-and five-star hotels, 515 doctors representing various specialties, and 890 medical tourists. Hotel managers overwhelmingly (90+%) believe that medical tourism can significantly contribute to the domestic economy, as well as that the domestic market is ready for the provision of medical tourism services on a larger scale, while more than 70% of the tourists asked would be interested in travelling to Greece to receive medical treatment. IVF, eye surgery, and dental services are the ones that would interest tourists the most, which are also aligned with the services commonly provided by the doctors questioned. Thus, according to the perspectives of doctors, hotel managers, and tourists, medical tourism has the capacity to grow significantly and contribute to the development of the Greek economy. The government should assume a supportive role, facilitating medical tourism processes by addressing the administrative, financial, and promotional aspects.
... NaRanong ve V. NaRanong, 2011), sağlık hizmetlerini yerel halk için daha az karşılanabilir hale getirebilir. Bir ülkede yaşayanların büyük bir bölümünün tedaviyi yurt dışında araması durumunda, yerel sağlık sistemi tarafından kazanılabilecek gelir azalır(Smith, Álvarez ve Chanda, 2011). Ayrıca Elshennawy ve Sidding(2023), similasyon ile desenledikleri çalışmalarında terörizm dolayısıyla turizm potansiyeli düşen Mısır'da GSYH ve refahı düşürdüğünü tespit etmişlerdir. ...
Sağlık turizmi, kişinin zihin ve beden sağlığını korumak, geliştirmek veya yenilemek için yerel çevresi dışında organize seyahat etmesi olarak ifade edilmektedir. Özellikle son yıllarda dünyada yaşanan COVID-19 salgını ve Rusya-Ukrayna savaşından dolayı küresel üretim ve tedarik zincirinde ciddi sorunlar yaşanmaktadır. Bu sorunlar, özellikle az gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan ülkelerde daha derinden hissedilirken, sağlık turizmi bu anlamda stratejik bir sektör haline gelmiştir. Mevsimsel etkilerin yaşanmadığı sağlık turizmi özellikle Türkiye gibi gelişmekte olan ülkelerde, istihdam artışı ve döviz girdisi yoluyla ekonomik büyümeyi olumlu etkileyebilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, özellikle dünyadaki en önemli sağlık turizmi destinasyonlardan biri olan Türkiye’de, sağlık turizminin ekonomik büyüme üzerindeki etkisini incelemektir. 2012Q1-2022Q4 yılları arası çeyreklik zaman serisi verisinin kullanıldığı çalışmada, uzun dönemli ilişkinin varlığını ortaya koymak için Yılancı, Bozoklu ve Gorus (2020) tarafından geliştirilen Fourier Bootstrap ARDL yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Ayrıca parametre katsayı tahminleri için En Küçük Kareler yöntemi (OLS) ve Tam Modifiye Edilmiş En Küçük Kareler (FMOLS) yöntemleri uygulanmıştır. Bulgularımız, uzun dönemli ilişkinin varlığını ortaya koyarken, sağlık turizminde yaşanan artışların ekonomik büyümeyi olumlu yönde etkilediğini göstermiştir. Elde edilen bulgular ışığında, sağlık turizmi alanındaki gelişmeleri dikkate alan ve bu alana yatırım yapan ülkelerin gelecekte ülke refahını arttırıcı unsurlar arasında sağlık turizm gelirlerinden önemli pay alacakları öngörülmektedir.
... The worth of global medical tourism has been estimated to be 100 billion dollars and is projected to grow at an annual rate of 20% to 30% [6]. Popular healthcare services sought through medical tourism are; organ transplantation, reproductive treatment, and dental treatment [7]. The annual expenditure of Nigerians on international health services is estimated to be $1 billion with 60% of the money spent on oncology, orthopedics, nephrology, and cardiology [5]. ...
... Medical tourism reduces healthcare to a commodity, one that can only be accessed by privileged individuals. Medical tourism also contributes to the bad state of local healthcare systems in low-and middle-income countries as political leaders and other important stakeholders who should develop local healthcare systems have failed to do so due to medical tourism which provides them alternative healthcare access [7]. Medical tourism may exacerbate poverty and economic inequities in low-and middle-income countries as patients may exhaust their finances while trying to seek care abroad [25]. ...
Medical tourism is thriving in Nigeria among both elites and non-elites with over $1 billion annual expenditure on medical tourism. Inadequate healthcare infrastructure caused by economic problems, corruption and low budgetary allocation to the country’s health sector, and lack of trust in the country's healthcare systems to handle complex medical procedures have contributed to this trend. This article discusses the trend of medical tourism in Nigeria and the associated medical, legal, and social issues in medical tourism generally, relying on relevant literature. The paper concludes that medical tourism is not inherently dangerous; however, unequal economic and power status may influence the quality of hospitals where patients receive treatment and the quality of treatment received. This unequal power and economic status may also determine justice in cases of substandard treatment in foreign hospitals. The study recommends that the Nigerian government should improve healthcare systems in the country to reverse the trend of medical tourism and to reduce the financial burden that medical tourism exerts on average Nigerians who need a high level of care but cannot access it in their country. It is also recommended that a regulatory framework that ensures protection from substandard hospitals and justice for Nigerians who fall victim to substandard care abroad must be put in place by the Nigerian government. Relevant health stakeholders should also continue to sensitize the public about the complications that may be associated with some medical procedures sought outside Nigeria especially cosmetic surgery which may result in follow-up challenges.
... The structured literature review conducted by Chuang et al. (2014) focused on health factors along with economic analysis and marketing strategies of medical and wellness tourism. Several prominent reviews (Carrera and Bridges, 2006;Lunt and Carrera, 2010;Hall, 2011;Smith, Martinez-Alvarez and Chanda, 2011;Lunt, Horsfall i Hanefeld, 2016) highlight the emerging trend of health care globalization, where patients or tourists travel across borders or to overseas destinations to receive their treatment. Some reviews have also focused on aspects like the public healthcare system (Hanefeld et al., 2014), the effect of physical environment factors on medical and wellness tourists (Huisman et al., 2012) and the role of resorts in the promotion of ancient ayurveda through health tourism (Pani and Das, značajno pojasnili teoretske postavke raznih istraživača, turističkih vlasti i udruga. ...
... Upon screening the articles for relevance or duplicates, 84 medical tourism and wellness tourism articles and 63 healthcare hotel articles were finally selected for this article. Our sample was then expanded by considering all the references from: I. noted review papers (Hall, 2011;Smith, Martinez-Alvarez and Chanda, 2011;Huisman et al., 2012;Chuang et al., 2014;Hoz-Correa, Muñoz-Leiva and Bakucz, 2018) and II. top ten cited papers accumulated from Google Scholar database. ...
