Many in Asia travel domestically for medical care

One in five households across 11 Asian countries say at least one member had to travel to another community for medical care in the past year. Nepalese households are the most likely to have had a member seek treatment outside the community, while those in Indonesia are the least likely.

One in five households across 11 Asian countries say at least one member had to travel to another community for medical care in the past year. Nepalese households are the most likely to have had a member seek treatment outside the community, while those in Indonesia are the least likely. While Gallup has previously studied Americans’ willingness to travel abroad for medical treatment, these findings represent Gallup’s first measure of medical travel among households in Asia. In several countries, rural households tend to be more likely than urban households to report travel outside their city or community for medical care. While these disparities are clearly evident in South Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and India, they are virtually nonexistent in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Asians are far less likely to report traveling to another country for medical care than they are to travel within their own country. Afghan households are most likely to report having someone leave the country for medical care in the last year, most often to Pakistan and Iran. War and occupation, a large refugee population among national porous borders, and lack of cohesive development of a healthcare infrastructure are possible factors that could make Afghans more likely to seek treatment elsewhere than their regional neighbors.

When a medical necessity arises, Gallup data show many Asians, particularly those in rural households, are leaving their communities for treatment elsewhere. Fewer are traveling to other countries for care. While the quality and availability of national and local healthcare services undoubtedly play a role in these results, the findings point to a willingness among Asian households to seek solutions to their healthcare needs wherever they can find them.

Results are based on face-to-face interviews with 17,141 adults, aged 15 and older, conducted between April and June 2010 in Afghanistan, Nepal, Cambodia, Pakistan, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The question on within country medical travel was not asked in Singapore. The methodology and high sample numbers mean that the results are very accurate statistically.

Travelling outside their own community and travelling to another country are two completely separate concepts. Most of the travel outside their own town/village/city is within their own country, not to another country.

Nepal
• 52% travelled outside their community
• 5% travelled to another country
• 47% stayed in Nepal

Afghanistan
• 35% travelled outside their community
• 18% travelled to another country
• 17% stayed in Afghanistan

Bangladesh
• 33% travelled outside their community
• 1% travelled to another country
• 32% stayed in Bangladesh

Vietnam
• 24% travelled outside their community
• under 1% travelled to another country
• over 23% stayed in Vietnam

Sri Lanka
• 20% travelled outside their community
• 1% travelled to another country
• 19% stayed in Sri Lanka

India
• 19% travelled outside their community
• 1% travelled to another country
• 18% stayed in India

Philippines
• 18% travelled outside their community
• 1% travelled to another country
• 17% stayed in Philippines

Cambodia
• 52% travelled outside their community
• 2% travelled to another country
• 50% stayed in Cambodia

Pakistan
• 16% travelled outside their community
• 2% travelled to another country
• 14% stayed in Pakistan

Malaysia
• 12% travelled outside their community
• 1% travelled to another country
• 11% stayed in Malaysia

Indonesia
• 5% travelled outside their community
• under 1% travelled to another country
• over 4% stayed in Indonesia