Table 1 Policy challenges of medical tourism in source and destination countries and issues addressed in policy research
Country | Key policy challenges | Issues addressed in policy research |
|---|---|---|
Canada | Patient wait times Physician shortages Quality of care in private sector Effectiveness and safety of stem cell therapies Regulation of medical tourism companies Effects on provincial healthcare systems Access to private healthcare for residents Standards of care in destination countries | Institutional drivers of medical tourism Patterns of medical tourism and effects on preferential access Development of health and safety advisory for caregiver-companions Ethical and legal concerns of medical tourism Obligations of healthcare providers towards outbound patients Facilitation of medical tourism Physician concerns with care quality and continuity |
US | High healthcare costs Cost-control challenges and moral hazard Disparities in access Selective coverage Effectiveness and safety of experimental therapies Regulation of medical and pharmaceutical industries Standards of care in destination countries | Institutional drivers of medical tourism Motivations for medical travel Transnational differences in policy goals Regulatory barriers Domestic medical tourism Legal protections for medical tourists Market for selective technologies and its ethical concerns Ethical and logistic challenges of transplant tourism Transparency in organ transplantation |
UK | NHS cutbacks Shortage of healthcare professionals Immigration rules for healthcare professionals Patient wait times High cost of private healthcare Effects of treatment time guarantee Ethics of private sector contracting Access to medicinal cannabis Rights of UK citizens to healthcare in the EU Cross-border jurisdiction issues Healthcare coverage for migrants and visitors Revenue generation from medical tourism Effectiveness, safety and legality of experimental therapies Standards of care in destination countries Insurance protection for outbound medical tourists Spread of drug-resistant superbugs Effects of Brexit | Estimates of medical tourism flows Economic and health system implications Motivations for medical travel Rights and entitlements of migrants and visitors Access to abortion services and barriers to legal reform Regulation of international surrogacy, stem cell markets and organ trafficking Bilateral agreements in medical tourism |
Mexico | Market for medical tourism and its economic potential Supply-side capacities and constraints Mexico’s role in global public health Medical risks and safety concerns | Use of Mexican medical providers by US patients, insurers and hospitals Cross-border health seeking by US Hispanic immigrants Supply-side drivers and impediments Effects of economic integration Binational insurance Effects of healthcare reforms on cross-border healthcare Regulation of stem cell treatment |
India | Market for medical tourism and its economic potential Government’s role in promoting medical tourism Distortionary effects on health system and equity implications | Motivations for medical travel and patient experiences Medical tourism development Impact on health system and health workforce Ethical concerns and gaps in regulation of assisted reproduction, organ transplantation and stem cell treatment Bilateral agreements in medical tourism |
Thailand | Market for medical tourism and its economic potential Competitiveness Government’s role in promoting medical tourism Distortionary effects on health system and equity implications | Perceptions of medical tourists and implications for destination choice Patient experiences Medical tourism development Economic and health system implications Regulation of assisted reproduction and its limitations |
Malaysia | Market for medical tourism and its economic potential Competitiveness Government’s role in promoting medical tourism Distortionary effects on health system and equity implications | Perceptions of medical tourists and implications for destination choice Motivations for medical travel and care seeking behavior Medical tourism development Competitiveness Economic and health system implications Ethical and legal concerns Sustainable development Adaptation in organ donation legislation and transplant policy |
Singapore | Patient satisfaction Competitiveness | Medical tourism development Competitiveness Economic and health system implications Adaptation in organ donation legislation and transplant policy |