Medical Tourism: Travel to Another Country for Medical Care

"Medical tourism is when a person travels to another country for medical care. Each year, millions of US residents participate in medical tourism. Medical tourists from the United States commonly travel to Mexico and Canada, as well as countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

People may travel to another country to get health care for many reasons, including:

• Cost: To get treatment or a procedure that may be cheaper in another country.
• Culture: To receive care from a healthcare provider who shares the traveler’s culture and language.
• Unavailable or Unapproved procedure: To get a procedure or therapy that is not available or approved in the United States.

The most common procedures that people undergo on medical tourism trips include dental care, surgery, cosmetic surgery, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and cancer treatment.

Medical Tourism Can Be Risky

Your risk of complications depends on the destination, the facility where the procedure is being performed, and whether you are in the good physical and psychological condition for the procedure(s). Other issues that can increase you risk of complications include:

Infectious Disease. All medical procedures have some risk of complications, those associated with procedure done in other countries include wound infections, bloodstream infections, donor-derived infections, and diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV.

Antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is definitely a concern and a global problem; however, you are more likely to get an antibiotic-resistant infection in some countries. Highly drug-resistant bacteria have caused infectious disease outbreaks among medical tourists.

Quality of Care. Some countries’ requirements for maintaining licensure, credentialing, and accreditation may also be less than what would be required in the United States. In some countries, counterfeit medicines and lower quality medical devices may be used.

Communication challenges. Communicating with staff at the destination and healthcare facility may be challenging. Receiving care at a facility where you do not speak the language fluently could lead to misunderstandings about your care.

Air Travel. Flying after surgery can increase the risk for blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis. If you get chest or abdominal surgery do not travel by air for at least 10 days to avoid risks associated with changes in atmospheric pressure. People who get cosmetic procedures of the face, eyelids, or nose, or who have had laser treatments should wait 7–10 days before flying.

Continuity of Care. You may need to get health care in the United States if you have complications after returning..."
Medical Tourism