Growing Role of Facilitators in the Medical Tourism Market

The number of people traveling abroad or considering healthcare options abroad has grown exponentially in recent times. However, this is not a new phenomenon. People have been traveling far and wide in search of a cure since ancient times. In recent times, thanks to advancements in technology and the growing use of the internet, people now find it easier to consider treatment options outside of their home country. This could be either because of lack of availability of medical treatment in their own country, costs or simply long waiting times. There is now plenty of information available on the internet regarding destinations, treatments, and hospitals in a foreign country. But no matter how much you read and research there will be questions that are best answered by people who are residents of that country and who have had similar experiences. Too much information serves to confuse the patients who are not able to figure out which source to trust.

This is where the role of a medical tourism facilitator comes to play. These facilitators assist patients in deciding hospitals and treatment options best for them. Our CEO, Mr. Amit Bansal shared his views with Silicon India on how these healthcare aggregators are paving the way for medical tourists to seek treatment abroad. In the words of Mr. Bansal, these organizations act as touch points for the patients to fetch relevant, credible information from sources that actually provide these medical services, that is, from hospitals and doctors. He also stressed the fact that patients and attendants have to be mindful of fraudulent companies and agents who in the name of providing low-cost treatments to lure patients and cheat them. One should not fall for the low-cost trap as these may compromise the quality of care. Therefore it crucial to work with only established medical tourism companies who provide options of multiple hospitals and associated doctors and let the patients take charge and decide as per their convenience.