Medical travel is projected to expand globally in the next decade.1,2
Citizens in the United States of America, for instance,
already receive significant volumes of services abroad, both for
urgent and elective procedures.3
The growth in medical travel
is largely due to improved availability of health technology, decreasing
costs for travel and advertising by companies wishing to
attract patients.4,5
Medical tourism has been described as “travel
across international borders with the intention of receiving some
form of medical treatment. This treatment may span the full
range of medical services, but most commonly includes dental
care, cosmetic surgery, elective surgery and fertility treatment.”6