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Healthcare Beyond Borders

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24

feb 2023

Healthcare Beyond Borders

Are you in pursuit of quality healthcare?

When it comes to healthcare, we often think that we are limited to the resources within our own country. However, there is a growing trend of healthcare beyond borders, which refers to the concept of receiving medical treatment in another country.

What is healthcare beyond borders?

Healthcare beyond borders is the concept of receiving medical treatment in another country. This can include anything from simple outpatient procedures to more complex surgeries.

There are many reasons why people choose to get healthcare beyond borders. Some of them are as follows:

  • Including the lower cost of treatment
  • The availability of specialist treatments
  • The opportunity to combine healthcare with a vacation
  • Access to internationally accredited hospitals

If you are considering getting healthcare beyond borders, this article is for you. Read on to find out everything you need to know about this growing trend!

The benefits of healthcare beyond borders

There are many benefits to getting healthcare beyond borders.

  • The Cost Factor: First and foremost, it can be more affordable than receiving treatment at home. This is because the cost of medical treatment is often lower in other countries, especially when compared to the price of treatment in the United States. For instance, an open-heart surgery would approximately cost $1,50,000 in the US and $70,000 in the UK. These surgeries are performed for very less in other countries.
  • Quality Healthcare Treatments: Furthermore, people who get healthcare beyond borders often have access to specialist treatments that are not available in their home country. For example, someone from the United States may travel to Mexico to receive dental implants that are not available in the United States.
  • Medical Tourism: Patients travelling abroad for any small cosmetic treatments, minor dental corrections, or psychiatric consultations can club their treatment with a vacation. By choosing this, they can receive the treatment they need while also enjoying a trip to another country.
  • Reduced Hospital Waiting Time: This is especially appealing for people who live in countries with long waiting lists to undergo treatment. Apart from exuberant costs, the treatment waiting time in these developed nations is more. In several public hospitals, the patient is required to wait for about a month or more for a physician’s appointment. For other surgical procedures such as cataract surgery, and knee replacement surgery, the expected waiting time is much longer.

The rising medical costs, waiting time, and lack of quality medical care are some of the factors that have promoted medical tourism lately.

Is healthcare cost-effective everywhere?

The healthcare system of every country depends on its social, and economic factors, and government healthcare policies adopted by them. The major concern for people in most countries is the cost factor associated with it. They are often worried about getting health insurance at the right time when they need it most.

How has the advancement of medical science shaped the healthcare system?

The advancement of emerging technologies in collaboration with medical science has opened new avenues that have scaled up the healthcare industry to new heights. The quality of treatment and endless possibilities have also increased healthcare costs rapidly in most developed countries.

How does healthcare work in different countries?

Healthcare is expensive in a few developed countries. In most developed nations, healthcare is funded through taxes, subsidised by private organisations or private insurance. The US incorporates all these factors in its healthcare system.

However, other nations have a single-payer system that primarily pays for the healthcare system through the tax collected from its citizens through various government programmes.

Countries with the highest healthcare spending across the world

As per last year’s healthcare spending survey, the US alone spends millions of dollars annually for its healthcare budget more than any other developing country in the world. The US healthcare expenses are significantly more as it spends about 40% more per person than other countries.

The top 10 countries with the highest healthcare costs per person are listed as follows:

  • The United States - $12,318
  • Germany- $7,383
  • Switzerland - $7,179
  • Norway - $7,065
  • Austria - $6,693
  • Denmark - $6,384
  • Sweden - $6,262
  • Netherlands - $6,190
  • Canada - $5,905
  • Ireland - $5,836

Is healthcare cheaper in India?

While many claim that healthcare is easily affordable in India, some opine that getting good healthcare is still a challenge as top-quality hospitals are expensive. This is a debatable question as quality healthcare may depend on a variety of factors. This includes a series of processes such as insurance coverage, doctors’ consultations, lab tests, hospital admission, in-patient treatment, surgery, and post-operative procedures.

Depending on the patient's health condition, ICU facilities, administering life-saving-expensive drugs, precise doctor & laboratory diagnosis, outpatient treatments, physiotherapy, and follow-up procedures may follow. All this can inflate the healthcare costs depending on the suggested treatment plan & stay at the hospital.

We often come across foreign nationals waiting to consult leading doctors at accredited hospitals for treatment. Why are they here for treatment you may ask? Patients ailing from critical illnesses and people who are due for complex surgeries do not have access to top medical doctors & infrastructure in their country. This often forces them to look for quality and affordable healthcare facilities in other regions.

Some of the leading hospitals in the city like Jayadeva Hospitals, Apollo Hospitals, Fortis, and many more provide world-class medical treatments to foreign nationals at affordable costs. Some foreign nationals believe that healthcare in India is a lot cheaper than it is in their country.

How to get healthcare beyond borders?

If you are interested in getting healthcare beyond borders, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you will need to make sure that your health insurance covers the cost of treatment in another country. Some insurance companies will cover the full cost, while others will only cover a portion of your medical bill. You need to be prepared to bear the additional medical expenditures on your own.

It is also important to do thorough research to find a reputable healthcare provider in the country you are considering. This is especially crucial if you are considering a more complex procedure such as surgery. Be sure to read the hospital reviews and check their credentials to find a provider that you can trust.

Conclusion

Quality and affordable healthcare services are right around the corner making it more accessible & easier than ever. With a little planning and prior research, you can get the finest treatments at the best hospitals in the industry. What’s more, borders no longer matter as you will receive all the quality care you need at a fraction of the cost.

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