Why is it best to use a medical tourism facillitator?

14th November 2012

The internet has made it possible for anyone to organise their own overseas travel, and medical tourism is no exception. But when it comes to arranging medical treatment overseas, is it a good idea to do everything yourself? 

In a recent survey of people who've travelled overseas for medical procedures conducted by the Medical Tourism Association, slightly over half the respondents said they had used the services of a medical tourism facilitator. But only 2.4% of respondents said they definitely wouldn't recommend a future patient to use a medical tourism facilitator.

In other words, not only do most of the medical tourists who've used a facilitator recommend them to others; many of those who didn't use a facilitator give the same advice. That's hardly surprising when you think of how scary the idea of travelling overseas for surgery can be, and how many ducks a prospective medical tourist needs to line up in a row.

How a medical tourism facilitator can help

A good medical tourism facilitator guides you through the often confusing and overwhelming process of researching, arranging and undergoing medical treatment overseas. Some of the practical things they might help you with are:

• researching destinations, facilities and doctors
• booking travel and accommodation
• making appointments and streamlining hospital admission
• organising assistance while you're overseas
• arranging follow-up care when you arrive back home

But as well as taking care of practical details, a trustworthy medical tourism facilitator offers a host of less tangible benefits.

Facilitators know the medical tourism industry inside out, so they can offer independent advice and support of a quality that you simply can't get anywhere else. They know which facilities have great reputations and records, and which it might be in your interests to steer clear of. They'll think of things you might never have considered.

And they do all this while saving you time and energy. When you're in need of medical treatment, embarking on a major research effort is often the last thing you feel like.  

Finding a trustworthy medical tourism facilitator

So there are plenty of good reasons to choose the services of a medical tourism facilitator. But how do you find the right one?

Well, we at Global Health Travel would naturally like you to choose us! But rather than just taking our word that we offer something different from our competitors, here are some questions you might like to ask yourself when researching your options:

• Does this facilitator offer me a full range of options tailored to my needs, or a predefined set of "package deals"?
• Does this facilitator seem to only deal with one kind of overseas medical treatment? Is it the kind I need?
• Does this facilitator only deal with accredited facilities?
• Can this facilitator put me in touch with satisfied patients?

So have a look around. Investigate your options. But if Global Health Travel sounds like the kind of medical tourism facilitator that might fit your needs, we'd love to talk to you.