Medical Tourism Agents And Facilitators Help Patients To Find Treatment Abroad

By Douglas McDonald


An astonishing number of people still die every year, suffering from conditions that can most certainly be treated successfully. In some countries, treatment is available but very expensive. In other countries no facilities are available. In yet others, the health system is utterly overloaded, resulting in extremely long waiting lists. Many of these patients know that they do not have time to wait. That is why they as medical tourism agents and facilitators to help them find treatment in another country.

Travelling long distances to seek treatment is as old as mankind himself. In ancient times, people used to risk many danger and suffer great hardship to seek help from famous healers. Of course, in those times healers were few and far between. People also travelled great distances to visit sites, often bodies of water, that are reputed to have healing power. Many of these sites remain popular to this very day.

Today, people travel abroad from treatment because of various reasons. Many countries simply do not have sophisticated health systems and citizens find that life saving treatment that they need is simply not available. They have no option but to seek help in another country. In other countries the facilities are limited and waiting lists are very long. These patients have few options.

There are also those that travel for treatment not because the treatment is not available in their own countries, but because they want to be treated by a very specific specialist or in a specific facility. Certain facilities and specialists are world renowned for their success in very focused fields and the wealthy wants treatment from only the very best. For these patients, cost is normally not a factor.

A large number of people seek treatment in other countries because their own currency goes a lot further. Countries like South Africa, for example, has some world class treatment facilities and specialists, but their currency is very weak when compared to the Dollar, for example. This means that even those patients with a modest amount of money available to them can afford treatment by world class specialists.

Critics say that the current system is corrupt. Greedy specialists and hospitals charge their foreign patients a fortune because they know how desperate they are. In exchange for these large sums, the patient is promised speedy treatment and the utmost discretion. In addition, other, local, patients often have to wait longer because these cash rich foreigners get preferential treatment. The entire issue should be subject to much stricter laws and rules.

If one does not know exactly which specialist one want to consult, the use of an agent or facilitator to arrange matters can be risky. It is vital to make sure that the agent knows the medical specialists involved and that they can provide prove of the fact that the recommended specialist is not just reputable but also able to provide references. The agent should also handle all the legal requirements for this type of travel.

When someone falls deadly ill all priorities change and the health of the patients suddenly become the only important thing. Such patients, especially those with money to their disposal, will go to great lengths to find a remedy. To this end, a reputable travel facilitator can be of immense value.




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