Medical tourism facts for kids
Medical tourism is when people travel to another country to get medical help. They often go to places where medical care costs less money or where they can find special treatments. More than 50 countries see medical tourism as an important part of their economy.
People might travel for things like operations (such as fixing a hip or heart), cosmetic surgery (to change how they look), dental work, or help with addiction recovery.
What is Medical Tourism?
The term medical tourism is also known as medical travel, health tourism, or global healthcare. Travel companies and news groups first used this term to describe how more and more people were traveling across borders to get medical care. It's mainly about helping people get healthy, and many countries support this idea.
Popular Countries for Medical Travel
Some countries that are popular for medical tourism include:
How Medical Tourism Can Save Money
One big reason people choose medical tourism is to save money. For example, in Denver, Colorado, USA, a hip replacement operation might cost around US $60,000 if you don't have health insurance. But in Cuba, the same operation could cost about US $8,000 through a medical tourism company. That's a huge saving of about 80 percent!
