Thursday, November 25, 2010

Medical Tourism Forum

A medical tourist goes from his home country to a foreign land for a treatment. Treatments, operations etc are sensitive topics. When done overseas, it becomes even more serious for the patient. They want to get reassured that he or she is taking the right decision in going abroad for an affordable surgery or any other treatment. That he or she would not be taken for a ride by the medical tourism company or the hospital or anywhere in the process of the treatment.

However much a website or a medical tourism company is trusted, the patient would be better comforted by the insights of a person who has undergone the same procedure in the same country. The patient feels better equipped with the wisdom of a person who has undergone a similar treatment. It certainly helps in the mental preparation of the patient for the treatment over all.

This is what a medical tourism forum does. It is a conversation between people who are going to take a treatment in a particular country and people who have already found relief in such a treatment.

Going abroad means a lot of preparation. Even though nowadays medical tourism companies provide help in every step of the process, the patient may feel overwhelmed by the whole thing. If he or she can engage in a discussion with a patient who has undergone the same process, he or she is convinced about the steps he or she has to take. It becomes bit easier in their preparation.

Even though a particular healthcare provider comes highly recommended to the patient, there may be patients who may have been there and who may have faced some adverse situation during the course of their treatment. Sometimes a forum can be used to warn people about some fraud healthcare provider, or some low quality service provider. And thus the new patient is warned about which all doctors, hospitals, or countries to avoid.

There are certain cultural issues involved in going abroad. Whether the travelling is for medicinal purpose or any other, the cultural differences certainly play on the tourist's mind and conduct. Some cultures are more open, more permissive, some are more conservative. The tourist, even a medical tourist has to be knowledgeable about it all, so, that there are no false steps. During the course of a discussion on a forum, a patient can come to know about the cultural nuances of the country he or she is going to visit. And thus can become culturally prepared for the stay in the foreign country.

Now there are numerous medical tourism companies. A patient may be bewildered about which company to approach for his or her healthcare needs. But discussing it with the forum members can help the patient identify the real quality service provider company who is more involved with the patient's needs from the other companies who leave the patient to their own means once the money is transferred. Being left adrift in a foreign country while in the process of a treatment is highly deplorable. The patient is forewarned against such awful situations and against specific companies who are responsible for such situations. The patient is guided to genuine medical tourism companies which are more concerned about the patient's treatment, more involved in their conditions and is responsible for all that happens during the medical vacation.

The discussions on the forum can educate the patient about the cost advantage of some countries against others. The quality of treatment, the expertise of the doctors, the legal issues involved is also clarified for the patient's benefit. Moreover some countries are better, due to various reasons, for certain treatments. For example, Brazil is more preferred for cosmetic surgeries; Delhi in India has a reputation for good dentistry, etc. The patient would be better equipped with this knowledge while taking a decision for his or her overseas treatment.

Besides the specific advantages of medical tourism forums for the medical tourist about to visit a foreign hospital for a particular treatment, there is also one more benefit for patients at large. The medical tourism forums discusses about various treatments for various diseases. It can generally helpful to a patient at large.

There are broadly two types of medical tourism forums. Most of the forums are run by medical tourism companies. But there are also open medical tourism forums which are not linked to any specific medical tourism company.

If you have any query related to any healthcare issue, which may or may not be linked to medical tourism, do post your query on SurgeryPlanet forum. http://www.surgeryplanet.com/forum/

The doubt would be addressed in real time.

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