Medical tourism currently is one of the fastest growing businesses across the globe, particularly in the developing countries. While it may seem to be a new business venture it has been around for  quite a while. According to Wikipedia, the first recorded instance of medical tourism dates back thousands of years to when Greek pilgrims travelled from all over the Mediterranean to the small territory in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria. This territory was the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios. Epidauria became the original travel destination for medical tourism.
Factors that have led to the increasing popularity of medical travel include the high cost of health care, long wait times for certain procedures, the ease and affordability of international travel, and improvements in both technology and standards of care in many countries. The avoidance of waiting times is the leading factor for medical tourism from the UK, whereas in the US, the main reason is cheaper prices abroad.
Many surgery procedures performed in medical tourism destinations cost a fraction of the price they do in the First World. For example, a liver transplant that cost $300,000 USD in America cost about $91,000 USD in Taiwan. A large draw to medical travel is convenience and speed. Countries that operate public health-care systems are often so taxed that it can take considerable time to get non-urgent medical care. Using Canada as an example, an estimated 782,936 Canadians spent time on medical waiting lists in 2005, waiting an average of 9.4 weeks. Canada has set waiting-time benchmarks, e. g. 26 weeks for a hip replacement and 16 weeks for cataract surgery, for non-urgent medical procedures.
The cost of surgery in India, Thailand or South Africa can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less. A heart-valve replacement that would cost $200,000 or more in the US, for example, goes for $10,000 in India–and that includes round-trip airfare and a brief vacation package. Similarly, a metal-free dental bridge worth $5,500 in the US costs $500 in India; a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy cost about one-fifth of what it would in the States; and Lasik eye surgery worth $3,700 in the US is available in many other countries for only $730. Cosmetic surgery savings are even greater: a full facelift that would cost $20,000 in the US runs about $1,250 in South Africa.
Our country is now moving in this direction through an agreement with the Government of India, which will provide for the construction and manning of a specialty hospital to provide tertiary health care at an affordable price for our people and at the same time initiate the medical tourism venture here.
During the recent election campaign, President Donald Ramotar emphasised that under a government headed by him the specialty hospital will become a reality. And he has stood to his word as preparatory work for its construction has already begun. Health Minister, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran has given the assurance that every step of the project has been reviewed, and will be undertaken successfully, since it has been recognised that this is a major investment, the first of its kind to serve the people of Guyana effectively and efficiently.
This facility will take health-care delivery in Guyana to a higher tier and will result in a smaller number of people having to travel abroad to receive tertiary medical care and treatment, and therefore is another tangible demonstration of this government’s commitment to improving our public health-care system on a continuous basis