Medical Tourism in Developing Countries

Offshore Doctors ● 45conventional western medicine. They perform operations and otherwisetreat and rehabilitate people who are sick or injured, but they do so in amore congenial, resort-like atmosphere.” 11Included in lifestyle medicine is travel for the sake of recuperation. Thesetend to be trips close to home and visits to friends and family who canprovide assistance and peace of mind to convalescing patients. Under stressfreeand relaxing conditions, it is believed that bodies are more likely toheal. A study by Hunter-Jones focused on cancer patients who found thatpost-treatment holidays eased their symptoms of depression, fatigue, andlack of self-confidence. 12Tourist ServicesIn the aftermath of their invasive or diagnostic procedures, patients andtheir families seek out tourist attractions, friendly locals, low cost of living,exotic experiences, and some tangible souvenirs to take home. They becometourists. What can they hope to find in the countries under study?Several decades ago, when exotic-locale tourism first took off, the attractionwas the three Ss: sun, sand, and sex. Most tourist resorts were onbeaches with clean water and pristine sand. Resorts catered to Westerntastes, and activities such as parasailing and scuba diving were available.To the extent that tourists wanted to venture off the resort, they exploredancient sites and museums. Those otherwise inclined visited theme parks,religious sites for the devout, and nature preserves. Ecotourism has beengrowing in importance, as the three Ss are being replaced by the three Ts:traveling, trekking, trucking. 13Such active side trips are likely to appeal to families of prospectivepatients. The patients themselves might be more or less inclined towardsrelaxation and quiet recuperation, depending on the nature of their medicaltreatment. The more invasive the procedure, the less interested they are intourism. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence of the splicing of tourist andmedical services that the three Ss of LDC tourism have now been replacedby four Ss: sun, sea, sand, and surgery. 14 In the case of India, it has evenbeen said that, “tourism and medicine have become synonymous.” 15Who Are Medical Tourists?International patients differ with respect to their countries of origin, thekind of medical services they seek, as well as the proximate motivation forseeking the care. It is useful, therefore, to distinguish between people whobuy LDC medical care because they happened to be in the country at the