The historical lineage between medical and travel can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Japanese. These days this relationship between the medical and travel can be easily termed as Medical Tourism.
The earliest destinations of people on health pilgrimages were mineral-rich thermal springs, natural resources which have been utilized for their therapeutic qualities for eons. As early as 4000 BC, Sumerians were constructing health facilities around hot springs. It was the ancient Greeks, who built the first major medical tourism sites.
The world’s first health centers were the Asclepia Temples, which were erected to honor the Greek god of medicine. However the highlights of the era 300 BC were the Therapeutic Temples that rose throughout the Greek domain, the facility at Epidaurus (or Epidauria), which boasted a gymnasium, snake farm, and a dream temple as well as the usual hot baths.
People traveled from all over the entire known world to seek treatment in the Mediterranean because of the major expansion of the Roman Empire. The largest breakthrough in this was the Mansuri Hospital that was constructed in 1248 AD, in Cairo, which became the largest and most advanced hospital the world had ever seen. This was a unique hospital as it promised to serve anyone, regardless of race, religion, or wealth, as it drew health travelers from far and wide.
One mustn’t forget the contribution Asia, as the Mineral springs in Japan called Onsen have been popular for their healing properties with travelers for 1000 years. The practice of yoga gained popularity 5,000 years ago; India too has been visited by a constant stream of health travelers seeking to heal themselves through alternative medicine.
In Europe the elite rediscovered the Roman baths and as a result booming medical tourism to great heights in the 16th century. Tourist towns grew around spas in towns like St. Mortiz, Ville d'Eaux, Baden Baden, and especially Bath, a town that enjoyed a royal patronage that made it famous world-wide. The word "spa," which comes from the Roman phrase for "health through waters" ("salude per aqua"), began to be used around this time for any wellness facility which did not practice traditional clinical medicine.
In principle, the concept of medical tourism is not something new in India. According to medical tourism in India, medical tourism is an ancient practice of tourism on the procedure for medical treatment and medical sites in India. The first trend of medical tourism took place thousands of years ago during a trip Greek pilgrims through the Mediterranean Sea modest domination of the Saronic Gulf, which is known as Epidauria. History of medical tourism in India also describes that the entire spa town have been regarded as the best destinations for medical tourism.
With a healthy climate and rich greenery, Kerala is recognized as a major troop of medical tourism in India and in addition, it has a wide variety of herbs and medicinal plants as well as ancient Ayurvedic treatments. Apart from Kerala, Karnataka is another destination for medical tourism in India. As a cosmopolitan nation, India has a rich history of Ayurveda and procedures for Ayurvedic treatment.
People have been traveling for centuries in the name of health and in 18th and 19th century Europeans and Americans journeyed to spas and remote retreats hoping to cure tuberculosis. But surgery abroad is a fairly modern phenomenon. As health costs rose in the 1980s and 1990s, patients looking for affordable options started considering their options offshore. So-called "tooth tourism" grew quickly, with Americans traveling to Central American countries like Costa Rica for dental bridges and caps not covered by their insurance. (A large percentage of today's medical tourism is for dental work, as much as 40% by some estimates.)
U.S. doctors and dentists were dismayed at the idea of their patients turning to foreign hospitals for care that they considered dangerously contemptible. But where many U.S. medical professionals saw great peril, countries like Cuba saw biggest opportunities. Beginning in the late 1980s, the island country started programs to lure foreigners from India, Latin America and Europe for eye surgeries, heart procedures and cosmetic procedures. The Cuban government said it welcomed 2,000 medical tourists in 1990.
After the collapse of Thailand's currency in 1997, the government directed its tourism officials to market the country as a hot destination for plastic surgery, hoping to boost revenues. Thailand quickly became the go-to country for comparatively inexpensive sex-change operations, where patients faced fees as low as $5,000, as well as looser requirements for pre-surgery psychological counseling. Thailand is now a destination spot for all types of plastic surgery as well as a host of routine medical procedures.
Over the years, companies across U.S. have spiralled up to guide Americans through the insurance and logistical hurdles of surgery abroad; including many in U.S. Border States. The physician-managed MedToGo in Tempe, Arizona, founded in 2000, says its clients save "up to 75% on medical care" by getting it in Mexico. The Christua Muguerza hospital system — located in Mexico, but run by U.S.-based Christian hospital group since 2001 — includes a scrolling text box on its web site informing visitors how "very close to you" its Mexican facilities are. In the interim, New Zealand is proclaiming its expertise in hip and knee replacements and South Korea is alluring medical travelers with high-end non-medical amenities like golf.
The medical tourism industry has experienced gigantic growth over the past decade. As many as 150,000 U.S. citizens underwent medical treatment abroad in 2006 — the majority in Asia and Latin America. That number grew to an estimated 750,000 in 2007 and could reach as high as 6 million by 2010. Patients are packing suitcases and boarding planes for everything from face lifts to heart bypasses to fertility treatments.
All over history, health travel was restricted either to the wealthy or truly desperate. But in today’s flattening global economy, the physical, economic, and cultural barriers that once separated nations from one another are melting.
These progresses decipher into a smorgasbord of options for patients who find it difficult to access affordable health care in their home states. While affordability and time are still the main reasons why patients trudge across borders for surgery, issues like quality and service are also important factors as well. In fact, medical procedures abroad are often better than what you would expect from primary health care centers back home.
Most countries vying for a slice of the multi-billion dollar medical tourism pie have expanded their offerings and begun advertising aggressively. Competition has led to niche specialties with Israel offering male infertility treatments and South Africa promoting medical safaris. With a boost in the number of participating nations and available procedures, medical tourism is clearly a global phenomenon that is here to stay.
The earliest destinations of people on health pilgrimages were mineral-rich thermal springs, natural resources which have been utilized for their therapeutic qualities for eons. As early as 4000 BC, Sumerians were constructing health facilities around hot springs. It was the ancient Greeks, who built the first major medical tourism sites.
The world’s first health centers were the Asclepia Temples, which were erected to honor the Greek god of medicine. However the highlights of the era 300 BC were the Therapeutic Temples that rose throughout the Greek domain, the facility at Epidaurus (or Epidauria), which boasted a gymnasium, snake farm, and a dream temple as well as the usual hot baths.
People traveled from all over the entire known world to seek treatment in the Mediterranean because of the major expansion of the Roman Empire. The largest breakthrough in this was the Mansuri Hospital that was constructed in 1248 AD, in Cairo, which became the largest and most advanced hospital the world had ever seen. This was a unique hospital as it promised to serve anyone, regardless of race, religion, or wealth, as it drew health travelers from far and wide.
One mustn’t forget the contribution Asia, as the Mineral springs in Japan called Onsen have been popular for their healing properties with travelers for 1000 years. The practice of yoga gained popularity 5,000 years ago; India too has been visited by a constant stream of health travelers seeking to heal themselves through alternative medicine.
In Europe the elite rediscovered the Roman baths and as a result booming medical tourism to great heights in the 16th century. Tourist towns grew around spas in towns like St. Mortiz, Ville d'Eaux, Baden Baden, and especially Bath, a town that enjoyed a royal patronage that made it famous world-wide. The word "spa," which comes from the Roman phrase for "health through waters" ("salude per aqua"), began to be used around this time for any wellness facility which did not practice traditional clinical medicine.
In principle, the concept of medical tourism is not something new in India. According to medical tourism in India, medical tourism is an ancient practice of tourism on the procedure for medical treatment and medical sites in India. The first trend of medical tourism took place thousands of years ago during a trip Greek pilgrims through the Mediterranean Sea modest domination of the Saronic Gulf, which is known as Epidauria. History of medical tourism in India also describes that the entire spa town have been regarded as the best destinations for medical tourism.
With a healthy climate and rich greenery, Kerala is recognized as a major troop of medical tourism in India and in addition, it has a wide variety of herbs and medicinal plants as well as ancient Ayurvedic treatments. Apart from Kerala, Karnataka is another destination for medical tourism in India. As a cosmopolitan nation, India has a rich history of Ayurveda and procedures for Ayurvedic treatment.
People have been traveling for centuries in the name of health and in 18th and 19th century Europeans and Americans journeyed to spas and remote retreats hoping to cure tuberculosis. But surgery abroad is a fairly modern phenomenon. As health costs rose in the 1980s and 1990s, patients looking for affordable options started considering their options offshore. So-called "tooth tourism" grew quickly, with Americans traveling to Central American countries like Costa Rica for dental bridges and caps not covered by their insurance. (A large percentage of today's medical tourism is for dental work, as much as 40% by some estimates.)
U.S. doctors and dentists were dismayed at the idea of their patients turning to foreign hospitals for care that they considered dangerously contemptible. But where many U.S. medical professionals saw great peril, countries like Cuba saw biggest opportunities. Beginning in the late 1980s, the island country started programs to lure foreigners from India, Latin America and Europe for eye surgeries, heart procedures and cosmetic procedures. The Cuban government said it welcomed 2,000 medical tourists in 1990.
After the collapse of Thailand's currency in 1997, the government directed its tourism officials to market the country as a hot destination for plastic surgery, hoping to boost revenues. Thailand quickly became the go-to country for comparatively inexpensive sex-change operations, where patients faced fees as low as $5,000, as well as looser requirements for pre-surgery psychological counseling. Thailand is now a destination spot for all types of plastic surgery as well as a host of routine medical procedures.
Over the years, companies across U.S. have spiralled up to guide Americans through the insurance and logistical hurdles of surgery abroad; including many in U.S. Border States. The physician-managed MedToGo in Tempe, Arizona, founded in 2000, says its clients save "up to 75% on medical care" by getting it in Mexico. The Christua Muguerza hospital system — located in Mexico, but run by U.S.-based Christian hospital group since 2001 — includes a scrolling text box on its web site informing visitors how "very close to you" its Mexican facilities are. In the interim, New Zealand is proclaiming its expertise in hip and knee replacements and South Korea is alluring medical travelers with high-end non-medical amenities like golf.
The medical tourism industry has experienced gigantic growth over the past decade. As many as 150,000 U.S. citizens underwent medical treatment abroad in 2006 — the majority in Asia and Latin America. That number grew to an estimated 750,000 in 2007 and could reach as high as 6 million by 2010. Patients are packing suitcases and boarding planes for everything from face lifts to heart bypasses to fertility treatments.
All over history, health travel was restricted either to the wealthy or truly desperate. But in today’s flattening global economy, the physical, economic, and cultural barriers that once separated nations from one another are melting.
These progresses decipher into a smorgasbord of options for patients who find it difficult to access affordable health care in their home states. While affordability and time are still the main reasons why patients trudge across borders for surgery, issues like quality and service are also important factors as well. In fact, medical procedures abroad are often better than what you would expect from primary health care centers back home.
Most countries vying for a slice of the multi-billion dollar medical tourism pie have expanded their offerings and begun advertising aggressively. Competition has led to niche specialties with Israel offering male infertility treatments and South Africa promoting medical safaris. With a boost in the number of participating nations and available procedures, medical tourism is clearly a global phenomenon that is here to stay.
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