“Medical tourism” is unforunatly the term being used by the general public to describe medical care abroad. The concept is not in error but the term is.
According to Wikipedia, “medical tourism” was coined by travel agents and the media to describe the practice of crossing international borders to seek medical care. It sounds too much like going on vacation to have my appendix removed. Personally, if there are scalpels involved, this is not going to be a vacation and I will have more on my mind than not getting sand in my scar.
Using the same logic, a business person traveling for a meeting becomes a corporate tourist, and agencies involved in international aid are relief tourists. Isn’t it more serious than that?
According to a report by Deloitte & Touche, an estimated 90% of Americans are willing to travel outside their communities to obtain medical care. That same report projects the number of Americans traveling outside the US for care will continue to grow from the 750,000 a year ago. These are individuals with important medical needs, not just vacationers going to a doctor.
At International Health, we’re changing the conversation. Ours is the serious business of destination healthcare, using the resources of affordable, accessible, world-class medical providers to meet the needs of American patients. Our CEO is a stroke survivor whose recovery and experience with healthcare in China demonstrate the dynamic benefits of quality destination care. Her passion, and ours, is helping others find the same quality care.
It’s not tourism. It’s your health.
