Health tourism has started to become popular day by day thanks to the increase in cooperation between countries and the ease of transportation. Therefore, it has become very easy to benefit from health services in different countries. People who intend to benefit from health tourism should first have information about health tourism.
WHAT IS HEALTH TOURISM?
Receiving health services in a country other than their country of residence can be defined as health tourism. It is possible to receive different services from each other. These services are;
- Elderly care services: These are the services provided when elderly people who do not have any health complaints go to another country for temporary care purposes.
- Therapeutic services: These are the health services provided in medical tourism. Like surgery, cancer treatment.
- Rehabilitation services: These are health services such as dialysis and the fight against addiction.
- Health-enhancing services: It includes services such as SPA, Wellness, and thermal health.
TYPES OF HEALTH TOURISM
All kinds of tourism activities that provide certain services for a healthy life are considered as health tourism. However, there are 4 different types of health tourism in general:
- Thermal Health Tourism: It is the services provided in thermal facilities in order to provide physical and spiritual healing. It is carried out for the purpose of rehabilitation and rest.
- Medical Tourism: It is a type of health tourism that people who want to be treated in a hospital in a different country or who want to have surgery can benefit from.
- Tourism for the Elderly: It is carried out for the treatment of health problems in the old age or to meet the care needs.
- Disabled Tourism: It is the type of tourism preferred by disabled individuals for treatment or recreation. Special care and sightseeing tours are carried out for the disabled.
REASONS TO CHOOSE HEALTH TOURISM
People who go to a different country other than their country of residence to receive health care have different purposes. The main reason for this situation is the desire to benefit from better opportunities and more economical health services:
- Low or no high-tech healthcare and professional human resources in the country of residence
- Long waiting time for health services
- Expensive health services in the country of residence
- To receive higher quality health care services
- The patient does not want the health service to be received to be known by the patient's relatives for any reason.
- Having some problems with the health insurance you have
- The chronic patients, the disabled or the elderly want to receive health services in a different environment.
- To be treated in a more suitable or different environment for the treatment of drugs or different addictions
- To take a vacation at the same time as the health service to be received
- To receive thermal health service in a country with thermal facilities
WHY IS HEALTH TOURISM IMPORTANT?
Health tourism has a very important place in many countries. Because it creates a new economic opportunity for countries. At the same time, it is ensured that the country is enriched in terms of tourism and the level of welfare increases.
In addition to its economic advantage, it is also very important in terms of the prestige of the countries. The main advantages of health tourism are as follows:
- Provides more progress in the treatment of many diseases
- Productivity of employees increases
- The value and importance of resources that are beneficial for health increase. At the same time, it increases the tourism value of the regions where these resources are located.
- Income increase is achieved both in the regions where health services are provided and throughout the country.
WHO CAN RECEIVE HEALTH TOURISM SERVICES?
People who have problems with their health or who want to rest in general can benefit from health tourism services. People who need health-related services and will be treated in another country can benefit from health tourism support.
