Good news and bad news for medical travel

As borders reopen to tourism in most countries, will medical tourism experience boom or bust? Ian Youngman shares his good news and bad news for the sector.

Borders and tourism

Good news: Most countries have now opened their inbound and outbound borders. Most countries have simple rules on entry.

Bad news: Many borders are open only to fully vaccinated travellers, but this is changing. Some have rules that are so complex and confusing that it will turn off medical tourists.

Good news: Airlines are opening up routes. Airports, airlines and air travel are resuming.

Bad news: The costs and complexities of air travel have increased and not all routes will return. There will be fewer flights, the cost is higher, airport delays due to checks and tests can be long. Air travel is no longer cheap and simple.

Good news: People are feeling more optimistic about life and travel.

Bad news: Covid-19 hit national and personal budgets very hard, leaving less cash for treatment that is not urgent or essential. Currency shifts mean that the real cost for some places has gone up. Fear of war makes people less keen to spend or travel. Ukraine, Russia and other EU medical travel destinations will be affected by the current conflict. People prefer to travel shorter distances and some groups, particularly older people, are still scared of travelling due to fear of infection.

Good news: Tourism is becoming more sustainable, eco-friendly and involving of local needs and sensibilities. Customers and travellers are becoming more aware of health, environment, culture and carbon imprints.

Bad news: Much of medical tourism is struggling with all of the above.

Healthcare

Good news: Hospitals are looking for business again.

Bad news: There are backlogs from weeks to years for domestic patients.

Good news: Telemedicine and technology mean patients can get second opinions, simple tests and advice. This means more money for healthcare.

Bad news: This means less need to travel for healthcare.

Good news: Countries are learning to live with the pandemic. Hospitals have upped their service and safety levels.

Bad news: Countries can be caught out, such as Hong Kong where the latest variant has overcome the local hospital network. The risk of the unvaccinated and anti-vaxers causing health and economic problems remain.

Good news: The number of older people  who need more treatment is increasing globally.

Bad news: Many of them cannot afford private healthcare while those that can are increasingly tech savvy and service aware.

Insurance

Good news: Some health insurers are offering new policies with treatment abroad.

Bad news: More health insurers are directing customers to telemedicine, local healthcare, and only hospitals in their own global networks.

Good news: Over 50 countries will only let people in with travel health insurance

Bad news: If medical tourists buy travel health insurance and they are not well before travelling, it may mean that claims will not be paid, particularly if customers forget to say that they were travelling for medical care or forgot to reveal existing medical conditions.

Medical travel

Good news: Hospitals and countries can again promote medical tourism.

Bad news: Some hospitals and countries have decided not to promote or get involved in medical tourism again.

Good news: Several countries have launched new global travel marketing campaigns. Tourism is seeking to measure success by income and long-term impact rather than crude number comparisons.

Bad news: Very few campaigns include medical tourism, even from countries such as Thailand that are major destinations. Medical tourism is mostly stuck in the historic ‘more numbers means more success’ mode.

Good news: The world is beginning to learn to live with the pandemic, just as it did with Aids, bird flu and flu. The WHO says that 20% of the global population get flu every year, and 650,000 die.

Bad news: Covid will not be the last global pandemic. Wars and potential wars will always impact medical travel.