Medical tourism is the term for what has become a significant global industry, where people from generally industrialized nations, such as the U.S., travel to less developed nations in an effort to seek lower cost medical care, or, in some cases, where people seek medical procedures not yet approved or available in their own country. In Europe, where healthcare is often nationalized, patients may travel to avoid excessive waiting periods.
Medical tourism is becoming a dramatic symbol of the differences in healthcare administration around the world. For people unable to afford high health insurance premiums, or for those with inadequate policies for their needs, the cost of traveling to another country is more than justified by the reduced costs of medical labor and associated services. In addition, the spread of medical technology has increased the willingness of people to put their faith in foreign medicine.
For many countries, medical tourism is now seen as an important source of money, and dozens of nations have put it on a short list of industries to actively support. India and Southeast Asia are especially well represented, with medical tourism to places like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand growing rapidly, but virtually every part of the world is represented. The size of the total global medical tourism market is difficult to peg, but recent estimates are in the tens of billions of dollars.
Kallo, a healthcare industry support company based in Canada, has focused a significant part of its energy toward the development of medical offerings oriented toward a globalized world, including medical tourism. Their technologies support the highly flexible integration of medical devices and IT systems, making it easier for medical treatment on a worldwide basis. In particular, Kallo’s CygnaMed medical tourism system offers bi-directional software for standardizing clinical processes and treatment protocols, including different pharmacopeia. It helps ensure continuity of care regardless of locations, and even provides a platform for a Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Health to promote medical tourism in the country.
For more information visit www.kalloinc.ca
Let us hear your thoughts: Kallo, Inc. Message Board