Monday, January 7, 2019

For Many Patients Custom Made Medical Travel Is The Only Solution

By Jeffrey Barnes


It is a sad fact that numerous people die every year from diseases and conditions that can actually be treated successfully. This happens because the health systems in their own countries are either inadequate or overloaded, resulting in long waiting lists. In other cases patients simply cannot afford the necessary treatment. These patients, and their loved ones, will often go to great lengths to see help. To this end they approach agents that can design them a package for custom made medical travel.

Even in ancient times people traveled far to seek help from famous healers or to seek a cure at holy places reputed to have healing powers. In many cases these long trips became quests and travelers often had to endure hardship. Even in those times, however, ill people were willing to sacrifice and to suffer if only there is even the smallest chance that their lives can be saved or their diseases cured.

In modern times, traveling abroad for treatment has become a huge industry and some tourism operators specialize in designing special packages for this type of tourist. Desperately ill people will go to any length to get help if it is not readily available in their own countries. People facing death have only one priority and that is to do whatever is necessary to stay alive.

Even patients that are not desperately ill often seek treatment abroad. Those suffering from drear diseases, for example, may learn about new experimental treatment in another country and decide to opt for that treatment. In other cases, patients wish to be attended by a very specific specialist that is renowned for his successes in his specific field. It is only natural that ill people want the best treatment possible.

It is a misconception that only rich people can afford foreign treatment. Patients from first world countries, even those with a very average income, often enjoy a very favorable exchange rate when they travel to countries with weak currencies. Many countries with weak currencies boast world class medical facilities and top specialists. South Africa, for example, leads the world in several fields of medicine.

Some concerns have been voiced, however. Some critics say that foreign patients with deep pockets are willing to offer large fees to get preferential treatment. This is often to the detriment of other patients. These practices are unethical and unfair, feeding the greed of unscrupulous specialists, hospitals and clinics. Critics want the system to be regulated more rigorously.

This type of traveling should be planned very carefully. It is very important to use an agent that is experienced in this field, that has numerous contacts within the medical fraternity and that can design a flexible package. Tourists seeking treatment do not have fixed itineraries because it is not always possible to predict how long the treatment, recuperation and rehabilitation will take.

When people are facing death it is only too easy to understand why they would spend a lot of money and effort in seeking treatment. If there is even the slightest chance of a cure, they will pursue that chance. The will to survive is, after all, supreme.




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