Royal Travels News

MEDICAL tourism is a term commonly used to describe travelling abroad to obtain medical services.It is often used synonymously with the term “health tourism”, which is a part of the same spectrum. The former implies that the individual involved is ill, unlike the latter, which implies that the person is well.

the boundary between illness and wellness may be unclear. An apparently well individual may travel abroad as a health tourist and end up as a medical tourist, consequent to findings from health screening or travel-associated injury.

Medical tourism is not new. Since the first millennium, the rich and powerful have visited mineral and hot springs, spas and sanatoria abroad for treatment of various ailments.

The worldwide increase in tourism has led to the development of medical tourism, with travel agencies offering traditional travel abroad combined with packaged medical or healthcare in private hospitals, and occasionally, private clinics.There is active promotion of medical tourism by more than 50 governments. India, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South Korea are Malaysia’s biggest competitors. The primary reason is that it is a growing source of foreign exchange.

he growth of medical tourism has been in the number of patients and the complexities of the care provided. The estimated annual growth in Asia ranges from 20-30%. According to the Health Ministry, foreign patients increased from 393,000 in 2010 to 770,000 in 2013, with receipts of RM379 million and RM690 million respectively.

Medical tourism is not very different from the pasar malam, with various international healthcare providers offering services at prices that can be negotiated.