http://www.thelancetstudent.com/2007/10/08/the-truth-about-medical-tourism-2/ Thelancetstudent.com is a recently established website for students in medicine and related health areas, with a particular emphasis on global health. In the student podcast, Editor Rhona MacDonald highlights new content and interviews student authors of a key article published that week. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:58:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 http://www.thelancetstudent.com/2007/10/08/the-truth-about-medical-tourism-2/#comment-116 rajeevgoyal Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:32:49 +0000 http://www.thelancetstudent.com/2007/10/08/the-truth-about-medical-tourism-2/#comment-116 I fully agree that health tourism creates disparity as native population is not able to afford the high costs of healthcare, but I would like to stress that as of present, usually tertiary care is covered under health tourism. The pressing requirement of majority of people is an effective and accessible primary care system, which can go a longway in assuring the good health of people. Secondly, a large chunk of developing country's population can now afford good health care, given their increased paying capacity. Upcoming of world standard hospitals have provided these people standard healthcare without the need of going abroad. Hopefully, as economic progress occurs, more and more people would be able to afford this. I fully agree that health tourism creates disparity as native population is not able to afford the high costs of healthcare, but I would like to stress that as of present, usually tertiary care is covered under health tourism. The pressing requirement of majority of people is an effective and accessible primary care system, which can go a longway in assuring the good health of people.
Secondly, a large chunk of developing country’s population can now afford good health care, given their increased paying capacity. Upcoming of world standard hospitals have provided these people standard healthcare without the need of going abroad. Hopefully, as economic progress occurs, more and more people would be able to afford this.

]]> http://www.thelancetstudent.com/2007/10/08/the-truth-about-medical-tourism-2/#comment-104 rmajor Mon, 08 Oct 2007 22:43:32 +0000 http://www.thelancetstudent.com/2007/10/08/the-truth-about-medical-tourism-2/#comment-104 I had some recent first hand clinical experience of something similar to this article regarding an end stage renal failure patient who was an undocumented migrant. He originally came to the country unaware of the problem. Once diagnosed he had no means of paying for the treatment himself but to have deported him back to his country of birth would have surely meant his death too. Therefore, an ethical dilemma occurred; on a human right basis the Trust could not withdraw treatment due to fiancial constraints if he remained in the UK and yet to deport him back to China, as immigration services would have insisted, to die would surely also be in breach of his human rights. For the renal consultant in charge though it was not too much of a problem, he continued to treat him and left the problem of who was paying to someone else! I had some recent first hand clinical experience of something similar to this article regarding an end stage renal failure patient who was an undocumented migrant. He originally came to the country unaware of the problem. Once diagnosed he had no means of paying for the treatment himself but to have deported him back to his country of birth would have surely meant his death too. Therefore, an ethical dilemma occurred; on a human right basis the Trust could not withdraw treatment due to fiancial constraints if he remained in the UK and yet to deport him back to China, as immigration services would have insisted, to die would surely also be in breach of his human rights. For the renal consultant in charge though it was not too much of a problem, he continued to treat him and left the problem of who was paying to someone else!

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