Medical Tourism Considerations
Posted on September 25, 2007
Filed Under Problems, Risks and Safety
Before venturing into the landscape of Medical Tourism, there are several things you should consider. There is planning, economy, research and several other areas that you should prepare.
Read on about what you should think about before deciding when and where to go for your medial tourism procedures.
Planning
Be sure you are allowing enough time in your travel to receive follow up care. You may need to stay days or weeks beyond the date of the medical procedure itself.
Economy
Be realistic about the finances of medical tourism. Sure the medical treatment itself may be cheap. But be sure to add on airfare, hotels, taxis, restaurants to actual cost when you compare it with doing the procedure at home.
Research
Next, involve your home doctor in your plans. Having major surgery in another country is an important decision. What questions should you ask your doctor about this procedure? How is the procedure typically performed, and will it be done this way where you travel?
Who credentials doctors and hospitals in your destination country, and what credentials do your intended providers have?
You should also determine what level of follow up care your procedure may require - in the days, weeks, and even years after the procedure. Who will provide this follow up care?
Language
Consider the language spoken in your destination country. In some countries, such as Singapore, India, the Philippines and South Africa, most people speak English. This can be an important consideration.
Other Considerations
How can you contact family members while abroad? Do you need a special visa or proof of ability to afford treatment in order to enter your another country?
Until next time 
Your Medical Tourism Guide - Malcolm
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2 Responses to “Medical Tourism Considerations”
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Hello Malcolm,
Nice site you have here and informative too. Problems, risks and safety make our company a very good reason to know about. We’re made up of three American principals basically catering to western needs from our first hand knowledge and experience. We personally know those institutions that excel which we recommend for inquiring patients. We not only are able to get an almost exact proposal of the time one will need to spend in the hospital, but also in the country. We collect the data of needs, X-rays, medical history, condition, etc., and require the hospitals we deal with to give the patient a package related to the knowns and unknowns. The hospitals have been very agreeable to providing this and there are no surprises in store for the patient. No problem!
There are cases, like In Vitro Fertilization where staying a month or more to achieve the goal requires a good, clean and reasonable place to stay — rather than in a clinic or hospital. We are thoroughly acquainted with the best of such places.
We are not merely “blowing our own horn,” but because we actually live here in India 24/7/365 these are matters we’ve been well acquainted with for years. The service providers are well acquainted with our business model and compete to win our attention.
The economy of medical tourism through America’s Medical Solutions can be accomplished several ways. As only one example, one on a strictly limited budget is also able to take advantages of our vast knowledge of India’s medical talent & technology. The reason is simple. “Medical tourism hospitals” comprise the highest cost institutions but that alone doesn’t necessarily compute into the best overall medical solution. Other hospitals may be just as accommodating in all areas (medicine, doctors, experience, nursing staff, meal, comfort & communications accommodations), but don’t “qualify” to be a “medical tourist” hospital. What do I mean?
I know a fine hospital with the very best of all these things which doesn’t have a gurney elevator in their brand new, very modern and well equipped institution. Two questions: (1) Is that really necessary in ALL cases? Does that present a safety concern to ALL patients? If it is known and planned for, (2) should someone who has a strict budget be prevented from enjoying better health and care because that particular hospital was unknown against the pricey hospitals? Should that resource automatically expell a patient’s dreams only because it’s not a pricey “tourist hospital?”
Our data base of health care institutions is comprised from first hand knowledge and contact with professionals in those fields who are our friends. They are medical professionals themselves. They help us find these kinds of opportunities. That gives even the relative poor from western countries a fighting chance to improve their health in a very profound way. Our knowledge about that hospital mentioned, and whether a patient would be exposed to any real risks in a building without a gurney elevator, makes our services superlative.
Naturally, we host agreements with the most expensive “medical tourist” hospitals too. But the advantage to our client is that we as Americans know how to describe what these services would be like or not. What to expect and not to expect provides comforts otherwise left to the worrisome unknown. And allow me to equate costs against renting a hotel room for the night. Does that mini-bar really make a hotel room worth an extra hundred bucks a night? Depends on the circumstances. But the idea relates to hospital accommodations as well as to hotel rooms. Might not that money better be spent on … sight seeing or food on the home table?
So, the choice of being a medical tourist is something we deal with constantly, and is measured differently from person to person. Together with our wisdom, and always including the same excellence that India is coming to be known for round the world, we make an informed choice where for some there were no choices at all. Bolstering my point is something that doesn’t regularly come across the western mind, that India is the largest English speaking country in the world. But we know this, and it has improved our client position dramatically.
Also on the note of economy, our services are absolutely free of cost. We are paid a referral fee directly from the hospital, and our good clients refer us by word of mouth. In certain other cases, the patient may prepay the package price in dollars (as one example) before they leave the United States, come anticipating all they have inquired, and if everything has been found satisfactory to the patient before they are committed, then we instantly pay the hospital in rupees, all but our referral fee.
We are a “one stop shop” for everything the traveling patient wants.
Don Wood, Director
http://www.AmericasMedicalSolutions.com
Mumbai (Bombay), India
what would be the best hospitals to undergo a liposuction procedure with less health risks
also as with all procedures may i have rules to cbserve pior to procedure and after procedure