Medical Tourism in Developing Countries

Inequalities in Health Care ● 185As a growth strategy, medical tourism is likely to further increase thepreexisting gap among less developed countries as some take off and otherslag behind. The ten countries under study are already pursuing growth witha vengeance, aided by physical and human capital and a supporting institutionalframework. It is clear that we can no longer lump Africa, Asia, andLatin America into one group of developing countries. It is clear that a newdivision of states is emerging as all countries forge ahead, asking themselves,“Are we there yet?”In his study of globalization, Thomas Friedman introduced the followingAfrican proverb: 54Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster thanthe fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knowsit must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matterwhether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better startrunning.Countries in the globalizing economy are all either lions or gazelles. Eachis forging ahead, elbowing its way through changing economic environmentsand increasingly competitive relationships, trying to mark its territoryin the world and trying to transform temporary success into permanentadvantage. Medical tourism provides one group of developing countries anopportunity to take off. Whether they consider themselves lions or gazelles,medical tourism provides these countries with a lead in the chase.