Medical Tourism in Developing Countries

124 ● Medical Tourism in Developing Countriesfifth and eighth respectively. 98 Malaysia is also impressive, as it ranks fourteenthglobally, followed by Jordan (26th). All countries under study areranked in the upper-half of the world (the Philippines and Argentina areranked lowest, fifty-eighth and fifty-sixth respectively).Law, Order, and the Provision of a Safe EnvironmentWhile some travelers take risks, most do not visit dangerous places orvoluntarily expose themselves to danger during their voyages. Because theyhave a choice in how and where they spend their leisure time, risk-adversetourists tend to avoid locations, modes of transport, or foods they deemunsafe. Therefore, governments that promote medical tourism need to takesteps to provide a safe environment for their visitors. In so doing, they haveto be sensitive to their definition of safety (which may be different fromthe local one).For Western patients, terrorism is a concern in the mid-2000s, and thedifference between terrorism and internal instability in an LDC is often toosubtle to matter. For this reason, destination countries with warring political,or ethnic, or religious factions have tried to ensure the conflict is containedin the tourist areas. In addition to terrorism, robbery and swindlingTable 5.8 Corruption in police institutions, 2005CountryPoliceArgentina 4.3Chile 3.5Costa Rica 3.8Cuban.a.India 4.7Jordann.a.Malaysia 4.0S. Africa 4.0Philippines 4.0Thailand 3.8Latin America (Average) 4.3Africa (Average) 4.4Asia (Average) 3.9Note : The perceptions of the population are ranked from 1 to5, where 1 is not corrupt and 5 is extremely corrupt.Source : Transparency International, Global Corruption Barometer2005, (Berlin: Policy and Research Department, TransparencyInternational, 2005), table 9. www.transparency.org, accessedMarch 31, 2006.