What exactly is medical tourism

The term medical tourism refers to the practice of traveling – within one’s home country or abroad – to receive different kinds of medical services and health tourism, medical travel and global healthcare are all concept going hand in hand with it.

People have more and more options worldwide to get a limitless number of medical services from cosmetic dermatology to heart surgery and vitro fertilization – actually, even alternative medicine and wellness travel are included into the medical tourism category.

How did it all begin

Although it has become globally – more or less – popular in the modern times, medical travel is not an entirely new concept. We know that in ancient Greece people traveled to a place called Epidauria, the supposed birthplace of Asclepius, the god of healing, to ask for the deity’s help.

Whether Asclepius had a word in it or not, remains a mystery, but it sure helped with the reputation of the god that his birthplace is conveniently in the Sauronic Gulf known for its good, salty ocean air that surely led to some healing attributed to him.

You may also know about the English town of Bath, which is an actual spa destination since the beginning of the 1700s. People came from all over England to enjoy the effects of the mineral springs. And before that the Romans also constructed baths in the city nearly two thousand years ago.

Medical tourism – playing safe

Your health is one of the most important things you may get in life, so you must be very careful about whom you trust it with. There are some renown and trustworthy companies, like the US based Joint Commission International, that accredit healthcare facilities around the world, after thorough inspection.

It is a good start to look at these and similar recommendations when you start to seek out a destination for any sort of medical procedure, let it be the smallest one. No matter how savvy you are, you have to make sure the clinic you choose as well as the doctors are well-trained professionals with the right recommendations and documents whether you travel to Hungary for dental surgery or visit the Caribbean for cosmetic dermatology.

However medical tourism is not only about worries, but has got its serious advantages as well. Services are more affordable abroad – though costs vary from country to country – and it makes any procedure more pleasant when you are at a beautiful and/or exotic place.

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