| Health care in the 21st century offers more choices, | | | | destinations as well. |
| opportunities, and options than ever before. Not too | | | | |
| long ago, medical tourism wasn't taken very seriously, | | | | The upcoming second Annual World Medical Tourism |
| and the most common foreign destinations for | | | | and Global Health Conference is expected to attract |
| travelers were limited to locations in Thailand, Malaysia | | | | over 2000 attendees from 50 different countries, |
| and Singapore. | | | | including healthcare experts, Health Ministers, Ministers |
| | | | | of Tourism, presidents, vice presidents and medical |
| Today, medical tourism is the wave of the future in | | | | experts from Africa, Russia, Japan, China, South |
| health care, with new facilities offering top class, state | | | | America, and central European countries. Increasing |
| of the art and high-tech services in locations such as | | | | numbers of insurance companies and insurance |
| the Barbados, Costa Rica, Croatia, Jordan, South | | | | providers from around the world are adding medical |
| Africa and South Korea. | | | | tourism benefits to their policies. The uninsured and |
| | | | | underinsured benefit greatly by these increased |
| Physicians and surgeons providing services in excellent | | | | options for healthcare. |
| health care facilities, spas, and medical retreats now | | | | |
| offer a wealth of options for individuals found in | | | | The Asian Medical tourism industry is expected to |
| hundreds of regions across the world, attracting not | | | | reach nearly $10 billion by 2013 and health tourism in |
| only locals, but international travelers from the western | | | | Mexico, Central America and South America is not far |
| hemisphere to quality and compassionate health care. | | | | behind. Countries in Central Europe are seeing the |
| | | | | enormous benefit of providing world class medical |
| Cost perspectives in this new era of medical tourism | | | | facilities, procedures and travel packages to |
| offer affordable yet world-class treatments and | | | | international travelers, among them Croatia, the Ukraine, |
| procedures to individuals in a variety of medical fields, | | | | and Turkey. |
| including orthopedics, obesity and weight loss, cosmetic | | | | |
| dentistry, cosmetic and plastic surgical procedures, | | | | Increasing numbers of healthcare facilities around the |
| cardiac care, and stem cell research. | | | | world are now seeking international accreditation and |
| | | | | certification by world-renowned organizations such as |
| Individuals around the world can now access | | | | the Joint Commissions International and the World |
| superlative healthcare without fearing bankruptcy. | | | | Health Organization, ensuring and enhancing confidence |
| Europeans and inhabitants of Russia and Southeast | | | | in services, education and training of healthcare |
| Asia are flocking to superlative healthcare facilities in | | | | providers around the globe. |
| Turkey, Croatia, India, and Thailand and Singapore for | | | | |
| cutting edge technology and effective treatments for | | | | The benefits and attraction of combining the best that |
| a variety of illness and disease processes by | | | | tourist destinations have to offer with quality, |
| compassionate, certified and accredited surgeons, | | | | affordable and effective medical procedures is |
| medical staff, and facilities focused on the medical | | | | attracting young and old alike. |
| needs and comfort of international travelers. | | | | |
| | | | | PlacidWay, a medical tourism portal based in Denver, |
| According to the Medical Tourism Association, the | | | | Colorado is dedicated to making affordable health care |
| next decade will bring an explosion in international | | | | accessible to all, regardless of geography or culture. |
| healthcare capabilities and options, with over 16,000,000 | | | | Providing reliable, up-to-date, and detailed information |
| Americans alone expected to travel to foreign | | | | regarding medical procedures and techniques, facilities, |
| destinations for their medical care. An equal number of | | | | and training and certification of doctors and surgeons |
| individuals from other countries around the world are | | | | from around the world gives people today more |
| also expected to travel to regional or international | | | | options regarding their healthcare choices. |