Medical Tourism in Developing Countries

168 ● Medical Tourism in Developing Countriesovertaken the United States in cutting-edge medical care. Dentistry has virtuallydisappeared in the West, with the exception of emergency toothacheremedies and postaccident jaw reconstruction. Cardiac surgeons and cosmeticdermatologists were forced to downsize. Private and public insurance schemescover the costs of medical tourism. Medicine as a career choice draws onlythe most idealistic students who are truly committed to helping others. Thelocation of medical research has changed as big research institutions haverelocated to huge sites across developing countries where the benefits ofeconomies of scale are enormous. Medical care at home has been reduced tocare for the poor, the uninsured, and the dying.In other words, if you want your doctor to prescribe cough medicine,call a toll-free number in Mumbai.Granted, the above scenario seems like an exaggeration. While we donot argue reality will play out exactly as written, there is a frighteningpossibility that emerges between the lines, namely dependency. Such dependencyon destination LDCs for health care in 2027 may be no less real thanthe dependency on OPEC for petroleum in 2007. The discussion aboutdependency in chapter 2 can be applied to Western reliance on medical carein developing countries. The repercussions, in terms of international relationsand global politics, are mind-boggling given that the health-careindustry is significantly more important than oil. It is, after all, about lifein its most basic form.