Medical travel promotion in 2022: a futile task?

As the world returns to normal, including threats of war, medical tourism is facing up to a new era. Promoting medical travel in the hope of business in 2022 will be like pushing string uphill with one finger, argues Ian Youngman. In other words: a difficult and perhaps pointless task.

Imagine preparing for the World Cup, with teams and players focused on being the best they can. Then two years before the tournament, FIFA changes the rules so that there are smaller goals, 15 in a team, and handball is allowed but tackling is banned.

That is how much the rules of medical travel have changed during and post the global pandemic.

Countries and hospitals dependent on medical tourism will be hit hardest

For most countries and hospitals, revenue from medical travellers is only an added bonus. With Covid and the latent demand for treatment, most hospitals will have as much local business as they need for the next three years.

Those on the fringe of medical travel will probably decide that seeking more medical tourists when they are almost full is to the detriment of locals and risks bringing in infection.

Covid has taught hospitals that running at or near capacity is very hard work for all and cannot be maintained. 75-80% capacity is the most comfortable level and above that is not sustainable long term.

For countries like Mexico, where demand is price based and has not dropped much, not much will change. Price and travel costs from the USA are stable.

For Asian hospitals and countries that had become dependent on medical tourism, the tap was turned off for two years. Private hospitals, clinics and destinations reliant on foreign patients have been feeling the pain.

The cost advantage of medical tourism in Southeast Asia has been neutralised by added travel and associated costs, while international travel is no longer quick or simple.

The advantages, in quality healthcare services at affordable prices, which Southeast Asia once enjoyed in medical tourism no longer apply. The rise of telemedicine and a shift in how people view health and wellness, make it unlikely that the industry will regain pre-pandemic levels.

Return of medical travel

Many hospitals are still busy with Covid cases and catching up on routine domestic healthcare.  Medical tourism will return but travelling is increasingly expensive and complicated.

The fear factor means many people are still too scared to travel. If they do, they prefer going nearby. There is a tense balance of how long a patient can hold off treatment that cannot be paid for via insurance or state care without a long delay, and paying for private healthcare at home or abroad. Is it riskier to travel or wait?

Hospitals used to mean care and treatment, but many people now associate hospitals with Covid.

Often, medical tourism is promoted as saving money compared to treatment elsewhere. But this image is only partially true, as many thousands prefer to travel to places that are expensive as they offer better and safer care.

Cheap medical travel has always had an element of risk. It is no longer such a bargain once the price includes higher cost of airfare, travel insurance, Covid tests, and accommodation.

Returning slowly

The first 2022 medical tourists will be those with urgent medical needs who cannot find a comparable and timely treatment option at home. Medical travel for ‘need’ will dominate.

For those travelling for cosmetic surgery or fertility treatment the need is less urgent. Fewer, at least for 2022, are likely to travel because of increased cost of travel and hotels, restrictions, and economic slumps.

Unequal access for unvaccinated

Unvaccinated medical travellers may find the number of countries that they can go to very limited.

The ‘level’ of vaccination may also be a factor in where medical tourists go. At the end of January, a third of the global adult population had not even had their first vaccine injection. Many will be vaccinated but in major countries such as the USA, where 10% or more will not accept vaccination due to lack of awareness, fear, politics or health.

The World Health Organisation’s target is for 70% of the population in every country to be vaccinated by the middle of 2022.

Countries vary from 95% to 10% unvaccinated. The percentage may be a key factor in where medical tourists go.

Healthcare prices rise, medical travellers dropped?

The cost of healthcare is rising globally and some hospitals are starting to grasp that the true cost to them of medical tourists is higher than they thought, so are increasing prices.

There may be initial low price offers to tempt customers, but this will not last.

Some hospitals will decide that the cost and time of dealing with and attracting medical tourists, against a backdrop of an increase in local demand, is no longer worth it.

Some governments may also force their hand by making them prioritise locals.

Telemedicine and speed of service

We all knew about telemedicine but few health insurers and hospitals took it seriously. Now it has become an integral part of what both sectors offer, and is moving further with integrated AI, and the rise of distant robotic surgery.

There is now no need to travel for a second opinion or simple health check.

The pandemic-boosted adoption of technology has also meant customers becoming used to instant answers. Waiting days or weeks for a hospital to reply to an email is now unacceptable, virtual assistants and video calls provide rapid access to a doctor or specialist.

Even where medical travel for treatment is needed, the hospitals unable to do the documentation, analysis and booking almost instantly will not be chosen as a medical tourism destination.

The future after 2022

It is not possible to predict when, if, or by how much medical tourism will grow or reduce this year. The few figures available for 2020 and 2021 show that most countries took a massive fall in inbound medical tourism numbers and few expect numbers to rise until 2023 or later.

Global and domestic medical tourism will survive, but countries and hospitals are fighting over a smaller cake.  They’ll need to change to get a slice of the cake in future years, or they’ll just get the crumbs.