Is Surgical Tourism An Option For You?
With medical tourism on the rise globally, an increasing number of Canadians are asking themselves whether seeking medical care abroad is the right choice for them. There are plenty of reasons that patients might choose to seek high-quality health care outside of their home country. Determining whether or not medical tourism is the right option for you will depend on your health goals, lifestyle, schedule and available support.
Medical Tourists: What Makes a Great Candidate?
Medical care in Canada is widely available, but it is not always convenient. Waiting on medical procedures in Canada often means prolonged wait times, inconvenient surgical dates, upfront costs and less than ideal recovery periods.
If you are wondering whether or not you are a candidate for medical tourism, consider the following:
- Combating Long Wait Times
- When seeking a surgery or medical procedure in Canada, you will likely be waiting for weeks or months from initial consultations with doctors, getting referrals, and scheduling the procedure itself. Booking a service abroad often comes along with shorter wait times. In addition to shortened wait times, booking a procedure with a clinic privately reduces the risk of cancellations or rescheduled appointments.
- Choose Your Procedure Date
- Long waits are a consideration when travelling abroad for surgical procedures, but there is more to timing than just that. When booking procedures at home, patients are often given a broad date range with no exact date. It can be tough to plan with an appointment date looming overhead. Patients are often contacted and given an appointment date on short notice. This doesn’t leave much time for clearing schedules or rearranging plans, particularly if there are big life events on the horizon. Medical tourism allows you to schedule a procedure at a time that suits you.
- Avoid High Treatment Costs
- Canadian residents have access to federal medical benefits that cover a wide range of treatments and procedures. Even with a range of medical services available, some desirable procedures are not covered federally or provincially. Cosmetic surgery or dental care often is not covered by government healthcare plans, leaving patients to cover the costs themselves. Fertility treatments are another high-ticket item that is not necessarily covered. Medical tourism is a great way to seek quality medical care at lower costs.
- Specialized Medical Facilities & Teams
- One of the reasons that patients choose to travel abroad for medical care is to work with specialized surgeons or medical teams. Patients will often choose to travel to another country that is known for providing expert care for a certain procedure or discipline. What might be a common procedure in Canada, or the United States, might not be as popular in Cuba or Thailand. Travelling abroad provides access to top medical teams and professionals who are highly experienced in the type of procedure that you’re looking for.
- Privacy
- It can be difficult to be discreet about a medical procedure when living in a small town or familiar place. Travelling abroad makes it possible to receive surgery or treatment, recover and return home with your privacy intact.
- Niche Procedures
- In the same way that some countries specialize in certain medical practices, not every type of procedure is readily available in Canada. If there are certain surgeries or treatment methods that a patient would like to try but can’t access in Canada, it is common to book a trip to receive treatment elsewhere.
Planning Your Medical Vacations: Let Agencies Simplify the Process
Previously, medical tourism revolved around patients travelling from less developed countries to seek more advanced medical care. This practice is less common now, with more and more patients travelling from developed countries to skip prolonged wait times and higher expenses. Stay off long waiting lists, access state-of-the-art facilities and technology, all while getting the medical care that you need.
Whether you are considering travelling for medical care to avoid extensive wait times, costs, or to schedule a procedure at a time that best suits your life, medical tourism is the answer. Working with a medical tourism agency ensures that patients are being connected with top medical teams, ensuring continuity of care, helps compile and organize medical records and helps create effective recovery plans.
