History of Medical Tourism

Medical tourism, defined as traveling over great distances to receive health care, is not a new concept. Throughout history, patients have left home to find adequate or cost-effective expertise. A location may have had special healing properties or perhaps patients needed to consult with a temple physician. Today, doctors often warn patients against medical tourism, but it is a growing industry.

Why Travel for Medical Care?

• There are many reasons why a patient would choose to receive such care. A medical or dental procedure may be cheaper in another country, or there may be experimental treatments and medications that would otherwise be unavailable to the patient. From kidney transplants to fertility treatments, many people now combine vacation with recuperation.

Sleep Temples in Ancient Egypt

• Healing centers in ancient times combined prayer and medicine. Believing that illness was caused by the spirit world, healers implored the gods for assistance. Patients seeking relief traveled to these temples.

  One of the earliest healing centers were called sleep temples. More than 4,000 years old, these ancient Egyptian temples treated illnesses through meditation, soaking in baths and sacrifices to the gods. Evidence suggests that other cultures such as Greece and Rome developed their own temples.

Temples of Asclepius

• In about 600 B.C., the Greeks created healing temples for Asclepius, their god of medicine. Although patients could find these centers throughout the country, they often traveled to the main temple in Epidaurus. Sleep, natural remedies, offerings to the gods and contact with snakes were said to cure numerous illnesses, even blindness.

  Asclepius, who is mentioned along with his sons in Homer's "Iliad," was thought to be a actual doctor before being deified by the Greeks.

Healing in Hot Springs, Ark.

• In the United States, Hot Springs, Ark., was believed to have special water that could heal rheumatism. For 10,000 years, American Indians gathered around the mineral springs for healing and communion with nature. Spanish historians called the mineral springs from this area "The Fountain of Youth." The first permanent military hospital in America was built in Hot Springs in 1887.

Medical Tourism Today

• With the advent of higher insurance rates, dental tourism exploded in the 1980s. It suddenly made sense to go to Mexico for a vacation and dental implants. Soon afterward, citizens around the world began to embrace medical tourism for its cost effectiveness and wide array of choices.

  There are risks associated with medical tourism. Licensing and certifications vary according to the country. There are other factors, such as proper recuperation time and legal remedies if procedures go awry. Still, medical tourism has been around for thousands of years. It is sure not to disappear anytime soon.