Medical Tourism in Developing Countries

174 ● Medical Tourism in Developing Countriesthat is aware of health matters and pays attention to hygiene entails rudimentaryeducation. Economic development increases the range and breadthof people with access to education (and education results in economicdevelopment, as George Psacharopoulos’s research has shown 15 ). More educatedand aware people will control those diseases that are transmittedthrough physical contact by, for example, adopting higher standards ofcleanliness. Not only will they wash their hands more frequently, but theywill also be able to read the directions for chemical repellants that controlmosquitoes, rats, and worms. Educating mothers about contamination hasbeen shown to contribute positively to family health, and improved nutritionhas been shown to make people less prone to disease. 16Another type of education is also crucial in combating illness, namelymedical and pharmaceutical research that produces new cures and technologies.With development, the conditions for such research are improved.Together, these positive aspects of economic development on health havebrought about longer life spans, eradication of diseases, decreased infantmortality rates, improved food intake, and a healthier workforce. Althougheconomic progress brings concomitant health concerns, as noted above, thenet positive benefit is undeniable.Improvements in Health Care Lead to Economic DevelopmentThe causal relationship between economic growth and health improvementsdescribed above requires policy to focus on growth, and health benefits willtrickle down to the population at large. Numerous scholars have argued thatthe causality is in fact reversed, that policy should instead focus on theprovision of health at the micro level. 17 In a nutshell, they argue thatimprovements in health care result in the creation of human capital, that inturn is conducive to economic growth. World Bank’s Ul Haq argues thatmaximizing human welfare (including health), will trickle up and increasethe GDP (rather than maximize GDP and wait for the trickle-down effecton health). 18 A RAND study stated that health equals wealth, not just thatwealth leads to health. 19 Under the auspices of WHO, Jeffrey Sachs led theCommission on Macroeconomics and Health to promote “health as goodeconomics,” in other words, it makes economic sense to invest in health. 20Finally, economists David Bloom and David Canning argue that althoughprevious studies of the benefits of vaccinations focused on the cost of theprogram per life that is saved, the focus should be on how health (fromwidespread vaccination) increases income and wealth. 21On what grounds do these scholars argue that health stimulates economicgrowth? Improved health equals higher life expectancy as people have