< Back to Volume 1, Issue 1, table of contents
a
Medical tourism’s impact for health systems: A study from three Asian countries
Ala`a Nimer AbuKhalifeh, Management and Science University, Malaysia
Erwin Martinez Faller, Management and Science University, Malaysia
Published online: 10 Dec 2015, JTHSM, 1(1), pp. 30-37.
URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-67139-9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.376815
Full-text download:
Export reference:
BibTeX,,DataCite,,Endnote,,Mendeley
Abstract:
Medical tourism is a growing phenomenon with policy implications for health systems, particularly of destination countries. Private actors and governments in Southeast Asia are promoting the medical tourist industry, but the potential impact on health systems, particularly in terms of equity in access and availability for local consumers, is unclear. This article presents a conceptual framework that outlines the policy implications of medical tourism’s growth for health systems, illustration on the cases of Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, three provincial centres for medical tourism, via an extensive review of academic and grey literature. Variables for further analysis of the potential impact of medical tourism on health systems are also identified. The framework can provide a basis for empirical, in country studies weighing the benefits and disadvantages of medical tourism for health systems. The policy implications described are of particular relevance for policymakers and industry practitioners in other Southeast Asian countries with similar health systems where governments have expressed interest in facilitating the growing of the medical tourist industry.
Keywords:
Medical tourism, south-east Asia tourism, impacts of tourism
JEL Classification:
L83, M31, Z33
< Previous article in Vol. 1, Iss. 1aaaaaaaaaaaNext article in Vol. 1, Iss. 1 >