Medical tourism involves people traveling to another country for medical care. There are three types: outbound patients leaving their home country for treatment, inbound patients traveling to the host country, and intrabound patients receiving domestic care elsewhere. People choose medical tourism for quality treatment and lower prices. While it provides benefits like cost savings and access to new technologies, there are also risks like lower quality care and safety standards, as well as ethical issues if patients spread infections upon returning home or face legal complications without insurance. Governments and organizations must address these challenges to ensure patient safety while allowing the benefits of medical tourism.

1. Medical Tourism
By: Paramveer Nihal

2. Who, what, where, how
• Medical tourism affects everyone all around
the world as it is a way for people to get
health care in another country . People
choose to get health care in another country
for two major reasons: Quality and Price. One
may want better service while another may
want the cheapest price. This is possible
through more efficient transportation and
easier tourism laws.

3. Three types of medical tourism
• Outbound: Patients travelling to other
countries to receive treatment
• Inbound: Patients travel to a host country to
receive health care
• Intrabound: Patients travelling domestically
for medical care

4. How is this procedure preformed
• Medical tourism is preformed when a patient
leaves their place of residence to get a
treatment elsewhere
• Doctors diagnose the patient and if they
cannot be treated at home they go to where
they can be treated

5. Benefits and Drawbacks
Advantages
• It maybe cheaper
• You may get better service
elsewhere
• It will make you healthier
• increase regional economic
inequalities
• Communication in you're
mother tongue
Disadvantages
• The procedures maybe at a
lower quality
• They may not be safe
• They may not be approved
• Miscommunication
• May not meet standards
from home nation

6. Social, Political, Ethical issues
• The local economy looses potential profits
• It makes the country’s health care system look weak
• If the patient gets the procedure done in a country with low
quality services they can return with infection
• If the patient returns with infection they can in turn spread
to others
• The service that the patient is getting maybe illegal or
controversial, such as abortion or organ sale
• Traveling long distance after surgery increases risk of health
complications
• Tourists may not be used to laws
• If there is a problem there is no insurance to help
• Doctors in developing countries may become so busy with
tourists that they can’t help those residing there
• Tourists maybe scammed (Fraud)

7. Possible solutions to Social, Ethical or
Political Issues
• Patients must be required to go through test
before boarding plane or crossing border to
make sure they don’t have a contagious
disease
• The government can update their health care
technology
• The tourists can become familiar with the laws
before going to another country

8. Positive impact on society
• It helps improve the global economy
(expected to grow to 40 billion$)
• It helps doctors and nurses around the world
get more practice
• Help people get cheaper or better quality of
service depending on what they require
• Less dependent on insurance
• Reduces wait time in clinics

9. Our Involvement
• Provincial government send patients to another
country if they cant find a treatment soon
enough
• To reduce sending patients to other countries the
government is actively searching for ways to
improve the health care system(this reduce cost)
• B.C government attempting to become a medical
tourism attraction
• Patient must fit needs varying throughout
province for medical tourism to be an option
• The senior population of Canada is very
interested in medical tourism (for specialized
treatment or access to better technology)

10. Bibliography
• Medical Tourism - Benefits to patient and providers. (n.d.). World
Laparoscopy Hospital - Laparoscopic Treatment Training and
Research. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from
http://www.laparoscopyhospital.com/medical-tourism.html
• The Advantages and Disadvantages of Medical Tourism - Yahoo
Voices - voices.yahoo.com. (n.d.). Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com.
Retrieved October 5, 2013, from http://voices.yahoo.com/theadvantages-disadvantages-medical-tourism-4123557.html
• Deloitte- deloitte.com. retrieved October, 17, 2013
www.deloitte.com/assets/DcomCanada/Local%20Assets/Documents/P
ublic%20sectors/ca_en_ps_evolving_medical_tourisim _052511.pdf
Ethical and legal implications of the risks of medical tourism for
patients: a qualitative study of Canadian health and safety
representatives’ perspectives -- Crooks et al. 3 (2) -- BMJ Open .
(n.d.).BMJ Open - BMJ Journals . Retrieved October 5, 2013, from
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/2/e002302.fu

11. Bibliography
• Lee, M. S. (n.d.). Medical Tourism Raises Ethical Concerns |
News | The Harvard Crimson. Harvard News | The Harvard
Crimson. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/10/26/medicaltourism-book/
• Medical Tourism Risks. (n.d.). THE MEDICAL NEWS | from
News-Medical.Net - Latest Medical News and Research
from Around the World. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Medical-TourismRisks.aspx
• Medical Tourism - Chapter 2 - 2014 Yellow Book | Travelers'
Health | CDC. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Retrieved October 22, 2013, from
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2014/chapter-2the-pre-travel-consultation/medical-tourism