How will the world hit by the Coronavirus, change the health tourism industry? Are you aware of Medical Tourism and its trend Post COVID-19? Looking for information about the Medical Tourism scenario post-COVID-19? In this article Hospaccx Healthcare Consultancy has worked on the post-COVID-19 scenario of medical tourism.
INTRODUCTION
Medical tourism refers to people traveling abroad to obtain medical treatment. In the past, this usually referred to those who traveled from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for treatment unavailable at home. Growth in the popularity of medical tourism has captured the attention of policy makers, researchers, and the media.
Medical tourism represents a worldwide, multibillion-dollar phenomenon that is expected to grow considerably in the next decade. There are two major components of the service quality in the health care sector – technical or mechanical quality and serviceable or functional quality.
Categories of different treatments and their availability also represent an important factor in the decision to engage in medical tourism. The most common types of procedures that patients pursue during medical tourism trips are elective cosmetic surgery, dentistry, organ transplantation, cardiac surgery, and orthopaedic surgery.
DRIVERS OF MEDICAL TOURISM
- Most advanced technology
- Better-quality care
- Quicker access for medically necessary procedures
- Lower-cost care for medically necessary procedures
- Lower-cost care for discretionary procedures
In addition to this, another major factor responsible for the increase of medical tourism is the unavailability of the technology or the prohibition in the home country, which can subsequently lead to medical tourism. The common examples are cytoplasmic transfer or stem cell therapy.
REASON FOR THE DECLINE IN MEDICAL TOURISM
- Covid-19 spreading from one country to another, borders were closed, flights were grounded, and visas were revoked to contain the spread of the virus. Medical Tourism industry was one of the first few businesses to get impacted.
- Healthcare resources of most of the countries are getting exhausted in containing Coronavirus spread and it will result in further pressure on the healthcare system of the said countries.
Covid-19’s pandemic nature has impacted the way countries function, businesses are run, jobs performed, and the way we live our routine lives. This year saw many businesses across industries to come to a standstill and one such business that has come to halt is the business of medical tourism.
POST-COVID -19 CHANGES IN MEDICAL TOURISM BUSINESS
- Closed borders forced health seekers around the world to delay their plan for travel. Once the travel ban is lifted, there will be an upsurge in the number of patients traveling to seek complex treatment.
- International patients’ focus will shift to choose a country where there is a civic sense of continued social distancing, personalized treatment in a less crowded environment, and infrastructure.
- Once international travel resumes, many countries might come up with their own set of rules to issue visas. Some may ask for a health certificate from designated institutions which may make visa processing more difficult for health travelers.
- Regional medical tourism hubs will emerge and consolidate their position. Smaller countries with better healthcare infrastructure may prove to be an alternate choice of destination to its neighborhood population.
- The trend of flying doctors and performing surgeries abroad may regain significance.
- Telemedicine / Tele consults these two remote healthcare technologies will gain the most traction in times to come. Many players have already started acquiring or developing their tools to connect to the world.
CONCLUSION
The Coronavirus has shown us that even humans in the twenty-first century are unable to overpower and dominate nature. A zoonotic virus has halted the whole world for a few months, taken the lives of many people, and made millions stay home. This is a grave danger to tourism, which is inherently the practice of discovering and encountering the unknown; therefore, tourism will now be associated with a kind of hidden and mild fear by many people who have experienced isolation in these pandemic days. Staying home and taking constant self-care may become a more powerful lifestyle choice than in the past when it was considered going out and visiting different geographies was better for human health.
Uplifting travel ban worldwide, conclusive treatment modality, or a possible Covid-19 Vaccine; is what it would take for this industry to attain its heydays which doesn’t seem likely in a good part of 2020. Sooner or later this industry will bounce back to normalcy.
If you need any consultation for medical tourism you can contact us: Hospaccx healthcare business consulting Pvt. Ltd on you can visit our website hospaccxconsulting.com
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