International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Medical Tourism: A Fad or an Opportunity; Comment on “Patient Mobility in the Global Marketplace: A Multidisciplinary Perspective”

Document Type : Commentary

Author
Nabil Kronfol
Lebanese HealthCare Management Association, Center for Studies on Ageing, Beirut, Lebanon
10.15171/ijhpm.2014.56
Abstract
This article is a commentary of an overview on “medical tourism” submitted by Lunt and Marrion, which describes a framework for the study of the issues related to medical tourism. The commentary attempts to differentiate between the current interest in medical tourism and the time-honored and well-established treatment abroad from countries with underdeveloped health systems. The commentary also calls for efforts to strengthen medical services and quality of care through the inflow of patients to countries that attract “medical tourists”.
Keywords
Medical Tourism
Treatment Abroad
Health Systems Development
Subjects
  1. Lunt N, Mannion R. Patient mobility in the global marketplace: a multidisciplinary perspective. Int J Health Policy Manag 2014; 2: 155–7. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2014.47
  2. Reed CM. Medical tourism. Med Clin North Am 2008; 92: 1433–46. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2008.08.001
  3. Smith RD, Lee K, Drager N. Trade and health: an agenda for action. Lancet 2009; 373: 768–73. doi:  10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61780-8
  4. Hopkins L, Labonté R, Runnels V, Packer C. Medical tourism today: what is the state of existing knowledge? J Public Health Policy 2010; 31: 185–98. doi: 10.1057/jphp.2010.10

 

 

  • Received Date 22 May 2014
  • Revised Date 10 June 2014
  • Accepted Date 09 June 2014
  • First Published Date 09 June 2014
  • Published Date 01 June 2014