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According to a recent CBS news report, an increasing number of people are visiting other countries, including the Dominican Republic, to have procedures performed such as lap band surgery to lose weight as well as cosmetic surgery. The number of individuals who are flocking to countries like the Dominican Republic for medical tourism is astounding, according to the report (cite 1). According to a CBS news report, there is a growing need for medical tourism, and the reasons for this phenomenon are growing.
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Some of the reasons patients travel for treatment vary from getting cosmetic surgery to getting surgery that is not available at home. Many medical tourists from the United States are seeking treatment at a quarter or sometimes even a 10th of the cost at home. (cite 1). There are various ads all over the internet that promote travel to the Dominican Republic for weight loss surgery or cosmetic surgery.
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CBS reports that more and more people are traveling from the United States for elective surgery that is not covered by insurance. Other medical tourists are from countries where there is socialized medicine, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, but are frustrated with the long waiting times. Still others travel from countries where the surgery is flat out not available, according to the CBS report. People come travel all over the world to countries that court their business through medical tourism. The Dominican Republic is one of many countries that looks for medical tourists.
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The Dominican Republic is one place where medical tourists from the United States often travel. In addition to getting the surgery, many of those who travel to this part of the world are looking to combine their vacation with their elective surgery, according to CBS. In this Caribbean Island, there are medical facilities where people travel to get elective surgery at less than it would cost them at home.
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CBS reports that many tourists from the United States who flock to the Dominican Republic not only seek out discount medical treatments, but also seek to combine their treatment with a tropical vacation in a sunny paradise. Travel to the Dominican Republic is easy and affordable. A good portion of those who use the Dominican Republic for medical tourism do so in the winter months where they can get their elective surgery and get a holiday from the cold weather at the same time.
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Many of the doctors in the Dominican Republic who perform surgery for the medical tourism trade have been trained in the United States as well as various countries in Europe. As in the US, those interested in checking out the doctors who they plan to visit for cosmetic surgery can do so with the Dominican Society of Plastic Surgeons to verify the training, qualifications and reputation of specific doctors.
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Not all people who travel to the Dominican Republic and other countries are traveling for elective surgery. According to the CBS news report, more patients are coming from poorer countries……where treatment may not be available. Many who travel for medical tourism come from countries such as Bangladesh for surgeries that they cannot get in their own country.
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Medical tourism is nothing new. For thousands of years, people have traveled at length for cures or promises of a better life. Today, many people are opting for both life saving surgeries and elective surgeries by traveling to a different country where they are both available and more affordable. The Dominican Republic is just one of many countries that is offering medical surgeries such as cosmetic surgery and weight reduction surgery.
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The Dominican Republic is one of several countries that promote medical tourism for those who want to save money on elective surgery. In addition to the Dominican Republic, other countries stated in the CBS report that promote medical tourism include Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia and Thailand. In these countries, according to the CBS report, medical tourism is big business.
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Citation 1 - CBS News Report http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/healthcare/medicaltourism.html
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