Impacts of Medical Tourism on Healthcare Access

Abstract

Today, medical tourism is underrated and mostly perceived as a beauty tourism. However, except dermatological and dental services also organ transplantation, IVF and many other therapies are well present in medical tourism travel arrangements. Medical tourism without any doubt impacts access to healthcare. Healthcare system in many countries allows access to some of these services but all-around world approaches differ. We believe that healthcare access could greatly benefit by opening this kind of services to wider population while at the same time not endangering patient’ safety. Harmonized propositions, accreditations and certificates for medical tourism industry access covered by both, private and public health insurances, would contribute to service transparency and patient’ safety while taking care of moral aspects of such services. Therefore, if consciously incorporated, medical tourism, as a part of global healthcare could easily become an efficient and effective additional access to healthcare.