According to Euromonitor International experts, the medical tourism market continued to grow as expected in 2017, outpacing the development of the global economy, and crossed the 4% mark (compared to the world GDP of 3.5%). Thus, revenues from medical tourism in 2017 amounted to $15 billion, and health – $40 billion. According to the forecasts of the same Euromonitor International, by 2022 these figures will increase by another third.
The most "outbound" country for medical services in 2017 was China, overtaking the Americans in this indicator. It is expected that this trend will continue for at least the next 5 years, and China will become the largest source of demand for outbound medical tourism. The most visited countries for treatment are Thailand and Singapore.
According to surveys conducted, medical tourists are generally satisfied with the services provided abroad. However, one of the complaints still cited is the language barrier that is present when seeking medical assistance in foreign countries.
The overall health situation in the world in 2017 shows an increase in life expectancy. Among the main reasons, experts from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) name: healthier lifestyles, higher incomes and better education.
Source: trn-news.ru
