|
|
|
| Plan Your Medical Vacation |
| 1 |
Guide lines for Medical Vacation |
| 2 |
Adequate research before making any decision |
| 3 |
Know more and more about the country you going to visit |
| 4 |
Confirm all the relevant details of hospitals and medical procedure you are opting for |
| 5 |
Make sure your Insurance Cover you |
| 6 |
Get ready with your Travelling Requirements |
| 7 |
Plan and book your ticket in advance |
| 8 |
Confirm facilities and standards of service before booking Hotel |
| 9 |
Find out what sightseeing available in the area you are visiting. |
|
| 1 |
Guide lines for Medical Vacation |
| |
Planning a medical vacation is not that easy and straightforward as just visiting a doctor for some medical reasons. It needs the same amount of planning as one would make for a leisure vacation abroad.
Some of the basic steps can help you plan your vacation comfortably> |
| |
Top |
| 2 |
Adequate research before making any decision |
| |
Before starting off for a destination for a necessary treatment, you must make a thorough research for the medical facilities you are going to get in that particular country and whether those are the ones that are covered under your insurance. You should also make sure the medical expertise and the strengths and weakness so as to make sure the success of the particular treatment you are going to receive. Every country has some of the best hands in one or more medical fields. Such as, India offers some best cardiology programs, Thailand does its best in plastic surgery, fertility, and joint replacements, Mexico has achieved mastery in some cancer treatments, etc. This kind of information gathering will only help you obtain the best of services you deserve.
Other than making a research about the quality of care you are going to receive you must also check for the reviews of the medical facility you are opting for. The information that you gather from the Internet is not enough for such purposes, but you require more authenticated information in the form of your friends, relatives, or other persons who themselves have experienced the services provided. The background of the hospital, its credentials, the staff, number of beds, medical history in the form of success rate, achievements, etc., will help you determine your step forward toward the choices. |
| |
Top |
| 3 |
Know more and more about the country you going to visit |
| |
Since many of the medical tourism destinations belong to developing countries, you may find it difficult to cope with the differences in terms of culture, weather conditions, customs, etc. Though some of the nations do provide the high quality services you look for, still many do not. Make sure about the changes you are going to face while there and prepare yourself.
There are some websites, such as Wikipedia.com, and agencies like Central Intelligence Agency, that may help you find the facts about any particular country. Even your embassy may also help you in this regard. You may inquire amongst your friends or relatives or may even be guided through any travel agency for the kind of information you require, but don’t forget to make sure the authenticity by getting it crosschecked through some other resource. As, the more you confirm the more you are benefited.
But, then there is the fact that in spite of this entire hunt, there are things that are unpredictable and may change suddenly such as the political circumstances or the weather and getting prepared for everything is the foremost thing that is advised. |
| |
Top |
| 4 |
Confirm all the relevant details of hospitals and medical procedure you are opting for |
| |
Before making any arrangements for your trip, make sure the facility you are visiting is prepared to treat you. Contact directly and make all the necessary arrangements for your treatment, e.g., appointment with the doctor, estimated time needed for the whole course (including recovery), any additional supplies needed (such as prosthesis or dental appliances, etc.), post-procedure followups needed, and many other relevant things regarding the whole procedure. This will help you plan your vacation more efficiently both in terms of cost and time.
Some of the following inquiries may help you in deciding the kind of hospital or clinic you choose to opt for: |
| |
|
| |
| 1 |
The medical certification of the medical facility. |
| 2 |
Qualification ad experience of the physician who will be performing the procedure. |
| 3 |
Success rate of the hospital/doctor in that particular procedure. |
| 4 |
Availability of the supportive staff, both nursing and administrative, before, during, and after the treatment. |
| 5 |
International standard of the hospital both in terms of medical/surgical facilities as well as other modern amenities. |
| 6 |
Kind of accommodation provided during the whole stay. |
| 7 |
Liability sharing in case of negligence, accidents, or if the treatment by any chance remains incomplete or is unsuccessful. |
| 8 |
What, if any, followups are required other than those already mentioned or discussed. |
| 9 |
Any other hidden costs or additional fees required other than the main treatment. |
| 10 |
Any language barriers or if interpreters offered for specific languages. |
|
| |
|
| |
If possible, make sure you get these above queries answered in written, so that you can make use of them for any problems you face or in any future proceedings, etc., if necessary, as a proof document. |
| |
Top |
| 5 |
Make sure your Insurance Cover you |
| |
Before you think of getting any procedure done, confirm that your insurance covers that, either fully or partially. After you make sure about the coverage, confirm whether that is applicable to the treatment abroad or not. For example, companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield has recently added Wockhardt Hospitals of India to its network. Similarly, you can also inquire about whether the hospital and the procedure you are choosing come under the insurance network of hospitals or not.
Many elective procedures, like cosmetic surgery, are often times not covered by the insurance. So, make sure you are able to pay for it. Even if there is no insurance, in certain cases, you may go for a temporary coverage that many insurance companies offer. You may even opt to go for the procedure without having an insurance in case of emergency because it still will cost less as compared to what you will be paying back home.
|
| |
Top |
| 6 |
Get ready with your Travelling Requirements |
| |
Every country has its own rules and regulations for visa requirements, vaccinations, or travelling. Before you make a plan on buying ticket, make sure you understand them all. Check for any changes in the regulations it you already know about them so that you should not get into trouble on landing on the airport.
Be prepared for longer stay. Although usually people travelling abroad get back in the estimated time period, but it may be possible that the stay gets elongated for whatever reasons. In that case, make sure your visa does get expired and get you into legal complications. While taking visa, take it for a longer period of time than estimated. The same is with vaccinations. These are equally necessary to be within their expiry period while your stay in other country as they are supposed to prevent you from diseases and if they run out, you may get into any medical complications. Your prescription medications, if are filled out for the travel, should be extra filled so that you should not run out of your dosage. Also, confirm your bank status and get more money deposited so that you should not run short of finances while abroad. If you are taking a companion with you, the same is applicable to him/her. So, make sure he/she takes care of all the above requirements. Check for the validity of your paperwork and confirm that it does not expire while you are away. |
| |
Top |
| 7 |
Plan and book your ticket in advance |
| |
If you are planning in advance, then you can look for some good deals for ticket booking as there are many offers made by different flights. If you are short of finances, then you may choose the low season for travelling but make sure you will be able to comply with the adverse climate there because that is why the season is called as “low season.” For example, people from European countries don’t prefer to travel to Asian countries during summers or rainy season because of the scorching heat and the damp weather that they cannot tolerate, but there are some who cope up with that also. So, make sure you are able to manage yourselves, so that you can even manage in little finances.
Check for the affordable option to reach your destination. Some hospitals have their tie-ups with popular airlines and arrange for their visitors to and fro tickets and pick and drop facilities along with the treatment at low rates. First confirm if you have got such facility with the hospital you are visiting. If not, then look for the best option to reach there. Sometimes, it is cheaper and easier to get to a nearest hub via air and then reach the exact destination via road or rail transport. So, map your reaching and then decide further.
If you are unable to book your ticket yourselves or unsure about the route, then you may even choose an agency who arranges tour packages. They not only offer better deals at modest fee but also help you to reach tour destination safely along with your stay at the best hotels. |
| |
Top |
| 8 |
Confirm facilities and standards of service before booking Hotel |
| |
Most of the cities that have the facilities for medical tourists also provide a wide range of accommodations. They vary from budget hotels to luxurious ones. You are free to choose amongst them. So, before planning, check for the availability of such hotels nearby your hospital. You can make use of the internet as best as you can to choose your accommodation. Usually, there is availability but if you are unsure of the location, you can contact the respective hospital and inquire about it. Many of the hospitals also provide accommodation not only for the inpatients but also for the family members accompanying them. You can also go for them as per your needs and choice.
Another thing that you need to do is to be flexible with your stay in the hotels. You might not need even the basic time needed for the process or you may end up staying longer than needed. So, be sure of the time period. It is always advisable to take the hotel reservations for longer period and get it settled with the hotel management in case you don’t have to stay that longer. This should all be done in advance to avoid further problems. |
| |
Top |
| 9 |
Find out what sightseeing available in the area you are visiting. |
| |
Once you have done with all the above, you can relax and start making other plans for sightseeing. Every destination has some or the other places to visit and you can enjoy it by getting yourselves prepared in advance so that once you are there and are freed from your procedure and rehab, you have a free mind to think about visiting nearby places and making your trip even fruitful and worthwhile. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
