Top 10 Medical Tourism Destinations

Medical service and procedures come at a different cost across the different countries in the world. For instance, some surgeries in the US are thousands of dollars more expensive compared to those offered in India. As result, many people decide to undergo a medical treatment in a foreign country to save a considerable amount of money. That practice is referred to as ‘medical tourism’. In some countries it makes up nearly 35% of all the tourism. Moreover, that number has a global tendency of increasing. Let’s take a look at the world’s most popular destinations for this type of tourism.

Brazil

The country is famous for the fact that it has the highest number of cosmetic surgeons per a person. In addition, the country is the second biggest plastic surgery market in the world. Because of that, plastic surgeries there come at very low costs. In Brazil, you will need to pay less than $2000 for a nose job or a tummy tuck. In the US, on the other hand, the same procedures will cost you at least $3000, while in Dubai the amount will be somewhere between $4,000 and 5,000.

India

The number of hospitals in India is impressive. Also, the staff is qualified and trained. That is why medical procedures there are quite cheap. In addition, if you use the services of one of the many hospital groups in India, you are likely to save even more money. Moreover, many medical tourists decide to combine their treatment in the country with a holiday.

Costa Rica

Here prices of dental and cosmetic services are very affordable. Those who are more patient and ready to search longer are likely to find great bargains. What is interesting about Costa Rica is that some of the hotels and resorts in the county offer recovery rooms and services which come with comfort and relaxation.

Thailand

 This country offers some of the cheapest medical procedures in Asia. For that reason, people from other Asian regions come to Thailand. This hospitable country welcomes over 450,000 medical tourists every year. Analysts predict that over the next one year Thailand will gain $35 billion only from medical tourism.

Hungary

While Brazil is known for its large amount of plastic surgeons, Hungary is famous for the number of its dentists. In addition, they work on a very low price. To be more precise, dental services in Hungary are 70% cheaper than those in the UK. Over the last few years, the county started to develop other medical services in gynaecology, cosmetic surgery and ophthalmology. That further increased the number of Hungary’s medical tourists.

Malaysia

A curious thing about this country’s healthcare is that it is actually working in cooperation with travel agencies. Malaysia’s government seems to be aware of the growing medical tourism in the country, since it is bravely investing in it. Many medical practitioners offer entire packages of procedures on low costs and they regularly make discounts and promotions.

Panama

The country is close to the US and people have easy access to American college education. As a result, most of the doctors in Panama are trained in the States. The low-cost standard in their home country lures them back to Panama, where they successfully open their own medical businesses.

Singapore

The number of private hospitals on the island is extremely high. In addition, doctors there are required to study and train for about 7 years more than the average. The low medical prices and the highly trained medical professionals, make Singapore a particularly attractive medical destination.

Turkey

The country has one of the best medical specialists in various areas. Turkey is mainly visited by people who need hip or knee replacements or cardiovascular surgery. In comparison to the US and many European countries, medical procedures in Turkey are about 70% cheaper.

South Korea

This Asian country is known for its technology advanced medical proceedures. South Korean healthcare has a similar reputation. The country offers some of the most advanced treatments in the world. Also, the local doctors are perfectly trained to operate with the complicated equipment. It is expected that in two years, South Korea will attract more than 300,000 medical tourists.