The key Essentials to know about Medical Tourism and International Accreditation

The number of people opting for medical tourism stood at 14-16 million in 2017. Just to get a sense of the staggering rise in the figure, here is one more stat – in 2007, an estimated 750,000 Americans visited other countries for health care. This number has jumped to 1.4 million by 2017. 

The reason why people choose another country for medical treatment is simple – they seek lower-cost healthcare without compromising on the expertise of the attending physicians or healthcare staff. The health care system in the US and the UK is one of the most expensive in the world. Hence, it is no surprise that many people seek options in other countries for obtaining world-class healthcare systems, but at around 50% to 60% of the cost in home countries.

Another reason is that the healthcare facilities has grown by leaps and bounds in the erstwhile ‘developing’ countries. Nations like India, Brazil and Malaysia have shown the way and been at the forefront of developing international capabilities that instill confidence in the minds of the medical tourist. 

The demonstrable commitment shown by the developing nations to international accreditation, quality assurance, and transparency of outcomes, has led to medical tourism benefits for the patient from home country as well as the medical system in the developing countries.

Even at the corporate level, employers are exploring medical tourism programs to bring down the overall cost of healthcare coverage and costs. It is not uncommon to see many organizations offer motivation, such as paying for air travel to encourage medical tourism. This action is yet another signal that heralds the rise and rise of medical tourism across the globe.   

Popular destinations for medical tourism

The various medical tourism benefits have spawned the rise of quite a few nations that have expertise in world-class healthcare. They offer interannual quality medical care but at a fraction of the cost charged in advanced countries in the US and Europe. Here are some popular options in medical tourism:  

1 – Malaysia

Malaysia hosted 641,000 foreign patients in 2011. This number swelled to 921,000 in just 5 years. Even Patient Beyond Borders recognized the nation as one of the top medical tourism destinations in the world. It has also been awarded the International Medical Travel Journal’s award for ‘Health and Medical Tourism Destination of the year’ in 2015 and 2016. The nation’s governing body, MHTC, also sets up a concierge desk at the tow international airports – Penang International airport and Kuala Lumpur airport  

2 – India 

India’s medical tourism sector is growing at a blistering pace. 2015 saw India’s sector market to be worth $3 billion. This figure is expected to rise to a whopping $9 billion by 2020, translating to a CAGR of 200%. When it comes to intentional quality health care delivery and physicians, the nation has a lot to offer in terms of medical tourism benefits. This advantage makes India the ideal destination to choose for any type of medical procedure. 

3 - Brazil 

Two key factors fuel Brazil’s growth as a popular medical tourism destination. First is the ever-improving healthcare systems that put it on par with international counterparts. Second is the government’s push to reinforce the nation’s image as a tourism destination by strengthening the infrastructure and boosting tourism.

4 – Turkey

In 2018, roughly 700,000 patients from abroad came to Turkey for healthcare procedures. It is estimated that almost 32% of the patients in Turkey are medical tourists. This country too has a large number of JCI accredited hospitals. Its hospitals in Ankara and Istanbul lead the way with international quality healthcare systems and facilities. It has gained a competitive upper hand in specific procedures such as radiation therapy for cancer, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and transplant surgery.

Importance of international accreditation

Everyone desires safe and good quality healthcare standards. The expectation intensifies in case of users selecting medical tourism and bypass the expensive facilities in their home countries. They expect better or at least the same quality healthcare that they would’ve received in their home country. With an external assessment done by a trusted body or group, the patients feel satisfied that an accredited healthcare facility will be an ideal choice. This assessment is termed as international accreditation.

The accreditation looks at two broad areas – 

• Assess whether the level of healthcare is as per accepted standards

• Help the facility to improve further and maintain its certification for a more extended period    

For a patient, international accreditation means a better level of care at three levels – 

• How they access healthcare?

• How they receive care after discharge?

• What is the overall quality of services provided to them?

The primary driver for setting up international accreditation was the WHO backed World Alliance for Patient Safety, 2004. This alliance promotes a standard in patient safety practices, and helps governments and healthcare facilities to abide by it at all times. At a time when medical tourism is booming, such protocols can deliver amazing outcomes in patient safety and healthcare. 

There are many organizations that provide international accreditation. JCI (Joint Commission International) and Accreditation Canada International offer such international accreditation. They are governed by the ISQua (The International Society for Quality in Health Care). Australia has the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI), while UK has QHA Trent Accreditation.

A medical tourism service provider will often seek one or more of such international accreditation. Doing so will help instill peace of mind to the patients coming in from developed countries. 

To conclude

The post looks at an overview of medical tourism. It also explored the ideal destinations to avail of superior quality healthcare services at a nominal price point. Lastly, it covered the impact of international accreditation to bolster patient decision making in favor of medical tourism.