Wednesday, 7 November 2018

Medical Tourism Agents And Facilitators Help The Desperately Ill

By Douglas McDonald


Every year thousands of people die because they could not obtain the treatment or medication that they so desperately need in time. This is not just a third world problem. In some developed countries waiting lists for even routine procedures can be excruciatingly long. For those that can afford it, the answer is to travel abroad to a country that has the facilities and expertise to provide treatment immediately. They make use of medical tourism agents and facilitators to help them find treatment.

Travelling in order to obtain treatment is not a modern trend. History and even the Bible are teeming with examples of people that went to great lengths and even suffered greatly in order to reach a famous healer or even a site, such as a fountain, that was reputed to provide healing. Many of these famous ancient healing sites are still famous to this day and tourists flock to them.

Today, people travel abroad from treatment because of various reasons. Many countries simply do not have sophisticated health systems and citizens find that life saving treatment that they need is simply not available. They have no option but to seek help in another country. In other countries the facilities are limited and waiting lists are very long. These patients have few options.

There are also those that travel for treatment not because the treatment is not available in their own countries, but because they want to be treated by a very specific specialist or in a specific facility. Certain facilities and specialists are world renowned for their success in very focused fields and the wealthy wants treatment from only the very best. For these patients, cost is normally not a factor.

Even patients with modest means often travel abroad for treatment. This is possible because some countries boasting superior medical facilities have weak currencies. A highly favourable exchange rate makes it possible for ordinary middle income individuals to seek superior treatment. The charges may seem high in the currency of the host country, but not to the patient who would never afford the treatment in his own country.

There are those that strongly condemn the practice of travelling abroad for treatment. These critics say that those from affluent countries and that are willing to pay large sums for VIP treatment are corrupting the health systems of the host countries. This is because greedy specialists and medical facilities put their own patients on the back burner in order to earn the lucrative fees offered by foreigners.

When approaching an agent or facilitator to arrange a trip to another country for treatment purposes, the utmost care should be taken. Only someone that knows the health system of the target country intimately should be considered. In some cases extended visas will be required if the treatment is expected to take some time. Patients should also understand that once their treatment is done and they return to their own country, it will be very difficult to lodge complaints.

When people face death they will go to almost any length to get the treatment that can save their lives. This is not always available in their own countries. It is vital, however, to use only highly respected physicians and facilities.




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