Medical Tourism

What is Medical Tourism?

Medical tourism is the practice of traveling abroad to receive medical services for the purpose of receiving medical care or for travel.
It is popular in Asian countries.

Purpose of Medical Tourism

There are many reasons for medical tourism, but it can be broadly divided into the following categories.

1. cheaper than medical care in one's own country

You may not be aware of the price of medical care. In Japan, the universal health insurance system means that the Japanese government covers 30% of medical expenses, and medical services are available at a considerably lower cost than in the rest of the world. However, if you look around the world, the price of medical care differs greatly due to differences in prices and medical systems, so it may be cheaper to travel to another country to receive medical care.

2Take medical care that is not available in your home country.

Since there are different drugs and treatments that are not approved in each country, there are many people who wish to go on medical tourism in order to receive such treatments. In particular, advanced medical treatments tend to use medical tourism because the facilities and standards vary greatly from country to country.

3 Shorter time

Even when it is possible to receive medical care in one's own country, waiting times can be extended. In Japan, the waiting time is very short due to a large number of medical facilities and doctors. In many countries around the world, it takes several months to obtain an appointment at the medical facility of your choice and to see a doctor.

4Safety

Medical care is about your body. It is normal to want to focus on safety, even if it costs more. It is a natural right to receive reliable medical care abroad when medical care in one's own country is unsatisfactory.

Countries where medical tourism is thriving

Countries such as Thailand, India, and South Korea are known for their medical tourism.
Medical tourism is being conducted for various reasons, such as medical checkups and cosmetic surgery, and the government supports it.

How about Japan?

Japan is reluctant to accept medical tourism from abroad. While the Asian countries mentioned above have hundreds of thousands to millions of visitors, Japan has only a few thousand.
This may be partly due to the fact that Japanese medical institutions are restricting medical tourism from overseas to maintain the medical system for Japanese patients. However, there are many people around the world who wish to receive high standards and safe medical care in Japan. Today, overseas travel has become a familiar experience, and the number of visitors to Japan is on the rise, except for the impact of the coronavirus. Longevity Japan wants to see the needs of this overseas population and is working with like-minded medical institutions.