Medical Tourism also referred to as global healthcare, health tourism or medical travel is the procedure by which a patient seeks healthcare services away from his own country. This term is coined by mass media and travel agencies due to the tremendous increase in tourism to obtain health care services. Due to the medical benefits one gets across international borders, the concept has gained popularity.
The concept of Medical Tourism dates back to thousands of years, the time when Greek pilgrims traveled to small territory known as Epidauria in Saronic Gulf, which was the asylum of healing god Asklepios. Medical Tourism is a process by which an individual gets the opportunity to get treated by best and highly skilled surgeons to receive cosmetic surgery, dental surgery, joint replacement and superior medical treatment. Such Medical Tourism also provides a much awaited opportunity to visit some exotic destinations. Countries like Turkey, Thailand, Singapore and India not only provides expertise in medical field but is also an astounding tourist destinations. To promote the theory of Medical Tourism, many countries also provide discount medical travel benefits. The popularity of Medical Tourism is due to the ease and speed associated with it. In many countries, the medical procedure takes abundant time for non-urgent cases, which infuriates the patient and other family members, so instead getting the treatment in their home country they prefer to get the treatment abroad.
People from all over the world are seeking international help when it comes to medical treatment. Due to the mounting popularity, Medical Tourism has become part of the next step of globalization.