Mexico Is The Most Common Destination For Surgeries Abroad

Aug. 13, 2009 - PRLog -- People who go abroad for surgeries are choosing Mexico as their destination, according to a survey of more than 1000 Americans by YourSurgeryAbroad.com in partnership with the International Medical Travel Association (IMTA). Of the people who had gone abroad for surgery, a quarter had gone to Mexico, 15.9 percent to Canada and 10.2 percent to India.

The research report released last week, titled The Medical Tourism Report, reveals that medical tourists from the U.S. have preferred to stay within North and Central America rather than seek medical treatment further away. This may have to do with confidence in the medical standards, comfort with the cultural background or ease of travel.

Exploring the breakdown by ages, the report showed that older people are more likely to choose Mexico, including 45.5 percent of 56-65 year-olds and 40 percent of 46-55 year-olds. For those aged 36-45, Canada was the most common choice at 30.8 percent. Out of the 25-35 age range, the largest percentage, 25 percent had been to India.  Eighteen-24 year-olds were evenly split between Mexico, 23 percent, and a miscellaneous category.

Medical tourism is a growing industry for both essential and elective procedures. According to a 2008 Deloitte study, more than one million American, British and Canadian patients were treated abroad. This figure is predicted to rise beyond 15 million by 2017.

The Medical Tourism Report was commissioned by YourSurgeryAbroad.com,  a directory of more than 1,300 providers of essential and nonessential surgery procedures aimed at making access to international treatment centers easier for everyone. The site provides information on health care providers across 83 countries and 26 treatment areas to form the most comprehensive collection of worldwide clinics on the Web.

Adam Nethersole, Managing Director of YourSurgeryAbroad.com and an experienced medical tourist commented, “This research shows that people are willing to travel to get the treatment they need, even if they are uninsured and struggling to finance it. Noncomprehensive insurance policies and the provision of new procedures not available in the U.S. are helping to create a booming industry for medical tourism.”

“Seventy-four percent of the Americans in our survey are using the internet to research their international medical treatment options, funding what is now a multimillion-dollar industry, and we must ensure that information about reputations and standards are available for patients to be fully informed.” continued Nethersole.

Finding a reputable clinic abroad with high standards and international accreditation is top of people’s criteria when choosing where to go for treatment. Although surgery accreditation differs in each country, where possible, YourSurgeryAbroad.com clearly list standards and all relevant clinics that are members of the U.S-based Joint Commission International (JCI), the recognised benchmark accreditation for international patient care and standards.

Ruben Toral, President of the International Medical Travel Association (IMTA) added, “This comprehensive research into the motivations and treatments of American medical tourists gives important insights that we will ensure our members take into account, helping them provide the information patients require when choosing their clinic or hospital.”

For a full copy of the research report, please contact mlynch@yoursurgeryabroad.com or call (+44) 020 7871 0123.

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YourSurgeryAbroad.com is the most extensive and varied listing of medical tourism providers on the Web and is a member of the International Medical Travel Association (IMTA), the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) and is accredited by the Health On The Net Foundation. The database of over 1,300 clinics and medical tourism operators, across 83 countries and 26 treatment areas caters for the growing medical tourism trade, the practice of travelling abroad for medical treatment.