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The global medical tourism market grew from $32.02 billion in 2021 to $35.77 billion in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 11.7%.

And it is expected to reach $54.43 billion in 2026, significantly outpacing the growth rate of classical tourism.

Traveling to another country for healthcare is a global trend. According to the Medical Tourism Index (MTI), by 2025, its turnover will reach more than three trillion dollars.

The top destinations for medical tourism include Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore, India, Germany, France, South Korea, Costa Rica, and Colombia.
 

What has become the driver of active medical tourism growth?

Several factors can be identified among the reasons for the active growth of the medical tourism market. The main ones are:

  • The global process of population aging. In 2020, the number of people older than 60 exceeded that of children under five.
  • According to the World Health Organization research, between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the population over the age of 60 will almost double from 12% to 22%. At the same time, in high-income countries, it is two times higher.
  • For developed countries in Europe, Asia, and the United States, this problem has become extremely urgent.
  • Income growth. Residents of developed and developing countries with high incomes can afford to travel for healthcare abroad. In most cases, it costs 3-4 times cheaper than at home, with the same or higher level of healthcare service.
  • The level of qualification of doctors and the possibility of an emergency solution to the problem.

According to CNN, in Asian countries: India, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia, most of the doctors at the hospitals have at least international certification, as well as diplomas from leading American and European medical universities. In most countries, the healthcare system is built according to the European model.

  • That is primarily expressed in the number of doctors who have international accreditation. In many hospitals, the level of such medical personnel reaches 80-95%.
  • Low prices with a high level of healthcare service. Medical tourism is more than just effective treatment with the latest technologies.
  • That is also a significant saving. So, for residents of the United States, healthcare abroad is often 5-10 times cheaper than at home.
  • For example, the average dental implant cost in the UK is $1.6 thousand, which will cost 2-2.5 times cheaper in Poland hospitals.
     

Bright representatives of the medical tourism market:

  • Dentaldepartures.com. Specializes in dentistry. Primary market: USA, Canada; central treatment countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore.
  • WhatClinic.com. The service operates on the principle of an aggregator: hospitals and medical tourism companies pay a fee for their profiles to be present in the platform's search results.
  • On the platform, you can read reviews and compare approximate prices and services of hospitals. The request from the patient is redirected to the selected hospital or medical tourism agency – the service itself does not provide any additional services. It is not the organizer of the treatment.
  • TreatmentAbroad. The service has been around for about ten years. Provides patients with the opportunity to find hospitals in different countries of the world, a variety of content on the topic of medical tourism, as well as other options, such as comparing prices for specific procedures in different countries of the world. The main visitors are British and Americans.
  • Docdoc.com. Doctors of all medical specialties are represented on the platform. Primary market: ASEAN countries (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Philippines).
  • Medigo.com. One of the best medical tourism companies. International platform for finding and organizing healthcare. The service was launched in 2014. There are more than 700 hospitals in 23 countries on the website. Primary market: EU and Eastern Europe with treatment in all countries. The service helps to compare hospitals in different countries and the healthcare cost.
  • AiroMedical. A promising young service and an entirely new concept of healthcare for patients. That is a skillful combination of medical knowledge with the connections necessary to find advanced treatment methods, including experimental developments.

    Choice of a unique algorithm for each case and coordinator of the entire process, starting from urgent air ambulance in the most remote corner of the world and ending with paperwork according to the requirements of the competent authorities of other countries.
In conclusion

A patient who has decided to receive healthcare abroad faces the problem of choosing a country, hospital, and specific doctor. There are many medical tourism companies.

As a rule, the case ends with a person simply choosing a website where they promise to help quickly and cheaply. However, due to inexperience, you can make a big mistake.

Therefore, the future belongs to online medical tourism platforms that enable the patient to quickly, in real-time, contact the right hospital and doctor and receive comprehensive assistance: from translating medical documents into a foreign language to building logistics and hotel booking.

Furthermore, the international accreditation of partner hospitals in the JCI (Joint Commission International) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization) allows for ensuring patient safety and high-quality healthcare services.

 

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