Medical Travel and Global recession.

Struggling economies and medical tourism:
The recent economic down turn and protracted recession have prompted a bigger debate about the health care costs today. There have been several speculations about the effect of tough economic times on medical travel industry. Let's review some interesting arguments here.


Disposable income and the effect on Medical Travel:
The hard economic times have created a sharp decrease in the disposable income for many middle class families. This obviously will create the postponement of optional medical care like cosmetic and bariatric surgeries. Then one might ask about the necessary procedures. There might not be a much a much a discussion about medical necessity of these procedures. The medical travel industry has felt some impact already. The slow pace of recovery did not really help the matters in this segment.


Rising premiums and increasing medical consumerism:
The Americans have seen their health care costs go up each year. The insurance companies have started passing a significant portion of these costs to the patients. With many hospitals abroad with very high standards and international accreditation's, many patients are not hesitating today. The out of the box thinking that is fueling the medical travel industry. Some patients are combining their recreational travel and medical budget to pursue the health acre abroad.


However one should understand and appreciate the fact that undertaking medical tourism is a big decision. The patients are more learned and are willing to take some matters in their own hands. It will be very interesting to watch how this will unfold in the time to come.

Medical Tourism company and ethics

The difference between a trade and a profession is defined by the self regulation. The so called ethical restraint differentiates a job and adds value as a profession. The medical profession has earned this trust by centuries of ethical practise by the profession in general. Granted, that there are few bad apples, but still the statistics overwhelmingly support the above view.



The medical tourism, although not a new profession as we think, is certainly not yet yet in the stage of self regulation yet. This is partly due to the Internet based approach by the profession. Many medical tourism companies are none but a bunch of sales people selling cheap surgeries. Now, how can we think of enforcing ethics with this opportunistic group of people?

The first step could be facilitated by initiating the changes in the management. Unless that company is run by people who has deep understanding of the current global health care system and are willing to follow ethics, this goal will be far from reality. Mr. Bob Talasila, the founder of the World Medical and Surgical LLC remarks- " We see these temptations everyday- but it is the genuine concern for the patient and identifying the professional ethics with your self respect is the way to go. You need to have formal education and professional pride to accomplish that. Unfortunately, you can't expect that with most medical tourism companies.

The top 5 strengths of Indian doctors

India has indeed became the newfound capital of medical tourism world. Patients flock to India from throughout the world- practically from every continent. One wonders about the contributions o Indian medical profession for this distinction. In fact, it is the characterstic of Indian doctors, that gave a distinct edge to India.



Indian doctors are natural adapters. You can practically see them in every city in the world. They are also very early adapters of the latest technologies and break through medical and surgical procedures.

Indian doctors have no language barriers. Their proficiency in english have made them to connect well with international patients.

Indian doctors are some of the best in talent. The competition is very intense among Indian students. Also the abundance of doctors in India have fuelled competition and drive for excellence.

The advanced training of Indian doctors abroad and their return to their homeland have elevated the standards to the international level. This led to the development of the super specialty hospitals with highest international accreditations like JCI.

The cheaper salaries in India have made the India an ideal combination of quality and affordability for medical tourists around the world.