HOSPITALS COUT

The main reason why the studied countries were chosen as being major destinations for medical tourism, were the number of medical tourists visiting the country. Moreover, in order to have an overview that is as global as possible, countries were also chosen to be spread over the globe, covering each continent / region famous for medical tourism This chapter will analyse each selected inbound medical tourism destination in order to provide the reader with specific data on medical tourism development, such as general country information, existing medical tourism situation, inbound patient flows, list of top medical facilities and unique selling points of each country. These will include cultural, tourist and health care related aspects per country as well as a concise description of top facilities and treatment prices. The conclusion per country in the report will combine the most important points of the aforementioned topics. The research for this chapter has been conducted using desk, qualitative and exploratory research. The main methods of research used are: online dictionaries and encyclopaedias, medical tourism portals, top facilities’ websites, books, industry related magazines, reports and publications. In addition, statistical bureaus, health ministries, tourism boards, top medical facilities and industry experts per country were contacted when necessary, via telephone and email. Regarding the number of medical staff indicated in the Top Facility Chart, many times the number seems unrealistic due to the fact that many hospitals are using networks of doctors. In many countries doctors are working in several different hospitals, often belonging to the same chain.