Medical Tourism in Developing Countries

Would You Like a Safari With Your Lasik Surgery? ● 69Table 4.2 Public and private sector health expenditure as a percentof GDP, 2002Public healthexpenditurePrivate healthexpenditureArgentina 4.5 4.4Chile 2.6 3.2Costa Rica 6.1 3.2Cuba 6.5 1.0India 1.3 4.8Jordan 4.3 5.0Malaysia 2.0 1.8Philippines 1.1 1.8S. Africa 3.5 5.2Thailand 3.1 1.3Source : UNDP, Human Development Report 2005 (New York: UNDP, 2005),table 6.although Costa Rica is surprisingly close behind (6.1). Private health expenditureis highest in South Africa and Jordan (5.2, and 5.0, respectively).Tourism does not share the health sector’s politically charged premise.No government claims that each citizen has the right to enjoy a beach vacation;no government subsidizes the rental car industry. Nevertheless, therole of the public sector in policy formulation and planning was formalizedin 1996 when the Lome IV Convention strongly emphasized the need toformulate policies in the tourism sector rather than letting it develophaphazardly. 14 In the absence of a long-term plan, countries suffer fromnegative environmental, social, and economic consequences. 15 Thus, tourismis one of the few sectors left in which governments still do extensiveplanning. They consider limited resources, scarcity, opportunity costs, andperform cost/benefit analyses. They consider the short run and plan for thelong run, all the while trying to ensure sustainable long-term growth. Theymake decisions about the expansion of infrastructure, the reduction of leakages,the maximization of linkages, and the encouragement of pro-pooreconomic growth. When government is involved in planning the tourismindustry, it can identify and monitor tourism activities, as well as measureand evaluate the impact of tourist activity on the infrastructure andresources. It can integrate tourism into regional and national macroeconomicplans and it can consult with the host community if needed. The centralgovernment can also better coordinate tourism policies with other governmentagencies and international agencies.