Medical travellers’ perspective on factors affecting medical tourism to India

A qualitative analysis of Turkish stakeholders perspective for improving medical tourism

“…Due to globalization and privatization of health services, outsourcing healthcare services has resulted in movement of health professionals and patients across borders for access to available, affordable, and accredited quality of healthcare services. Thailand, Singapore, India and Malaysia are the top medical tourism destination due to affordable cost, JCI‐accredited quality, no waiting time, availability of specialist surgeons, post‐surgery care and attractive tourism destinations (Ebrahim & Ganguli, 2020; Medhekar & Wong, 2020).…”

“…Similarly, demand side factors that push the patients to travel abroad for surgery are high medical and surgery costs at home, underinsured/uninsured patients, unavailability of treatment/surgery, medical‐ethical and regulatory concerns, lack of expertise, and long surgery waiting lists at home (Drinkert & Singh, 2017; Turner, 2010). Quantitative studies based on structural model considered price as a least important factor to influence decision to travel abroad for medical treatment, as patients had already kept an allowance to seek quality surgery abroad (Medhekar & Wong, 2020; Zeng‐Xian et al, 2017).…”

“…Turkey is among the top 10 wellness and medical tourism destinations offering affordable quality of healthcare packages, following India, Cuba, Costa Rica, Thailand, Singapore, and Colombia (Abubakar et al, 2017; Aksu et al, 2016; Connell, 2013; Isikli et al, 2020; Medhekar & Wong, 2020; Uçak, 2016). Approximately 420,000 foreign patients traveled to Turkey for medical treatment in 2018, contributing US $1.5 billion in revenue, which increased to 551,748 patients in 2019, contributing US $2 billion to the economy (Turkeymedicals, 2021).…”

“…Cotton et al (2014) considers medical travel to seek low‐cost innovative medical treatment in developing countries, as “value innovation or cost‐efficient innovation” (p. 1). Foreign patients travel overseas to popular destinations for innovative treatments due to availability and popularity of key‐hole surgery, hip‐resurfacing, and stem‐cell transplants to cure diseases such as cancer, autism, cardiac, spinal‐cord injury, hair transplant, plastic, and cosmetic surgery to prevent aging (Lindvall & Hyun, 2009; Medhekar & Wong, 2020).…”

“…There are not many country‐specific empirical studies exploring the supply‐side factors from medical tourism stakeholders' perspectives that pull inbound medical travelers to a country or any “integrated theoretical framework for the holistic study of the medical tourism” sector (Han & Hwang, 2018; Hueng et al, 2011; Medhekar & Wong, 2020). Most of the related studies focus on conceptual framework, healthcare globalization, and empirical studies regarding information search, and e‐word of mouth with potential or actual medical tourists (Abubakar et al, 2017; Connell, 2013; Drinkert & Singh, 2017).…”