Many countries recognized the potential of medicaltourism as an alternative source of economic growth. Especially after theeconomic crisis many Asian countries joined medical tourism in hopes to escapethe severe financial difficulty. However, yet only few countries have managedto become a famous medical tourism destination. With growing number ofcompetitors, newly joined countries of medical tourism, face the difficulty inintroducing them self as attractive medical tourism destination. South Koreaas a new medical tourism destination, should consider what to offer to themedical tourists to attract them. The aim of the thesis was to investigate aspects influencing the participationof medical tourists to discover how South Korea could develop anattractive medical tourism destination. After examining the casestudy and results from the text analysis, researcher reached to the conclusionthat quality, cost and accessibility to treatment are the major reasons toparticipate in medical tourism. Also in the fierce competition, it is importantto develop differentiated offers from other destinations. Therefore, Koreashould concentrate on specialized treatments and ICT system to become anattractive medical tourism destination.

Some tourists travel for medical reasons, and this is known as medical tourism. The growth of medical tourism is mainly spurred by globalisation and the availability of quality healthcare services in receiving countries. Once a medical need arises, a prospective medical tourist would usually search and gather information about prospective medical tourism destinations. Various push and pull factors would determine whether a destination will be selected by tourists to satisfy their medical needs. The aim of this study was thus to identify the push and pull factors of a medical tourism destination, and based on these, to measure South Africa’s performance as a medical tourism destination. Making use of a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 medical tourism tour operators. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. Some of the push factors identified were the cost and lack of treatment/medical services in medical tourists’ home countries, the availability of expertise and medical facilities at the receiving destination, and the wish to avoid long waiting lists. The quality of hospitals, cost of surgery, expertise of the physicians, as well as the accessibility of destinations were indicated as the pull factors. The findings also show that medical tourists seem to be more interested in the reputation of the healthcare providers and hospitals than in typical tourist activities in medical tourism destinations. The findings of this study highlight the fact that South Africa is not known as a medical tourism destination. Hence there is a need for South Africa to be promoted by government and other stakeholders as a credible, affordable and accessible medical tourism destination. The study contributes to the available literature on medical tourism but from the perspective of medical tourism tour operators as major stakeholders in the medical tourism industry. / Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Tourism Management / MPhil / Unrestricted

Baigiamojo darbo tikslas - atskleidus medicininio turizmo plėtros veiksnius ir sąlygas nustatyti jo tolimesnio vystymosi galimybes. Teorinėje darbo dalyje analizuojama medicininio turizmo samprata, plėtros veiksniai, nagrinėjama, kaip segmentuojama medicininio turizmo rinka, kas būdinga medicininio turizmo produktui, marketingui. Analitinėje darbo dalyje analizuojama pasaulinė ir Lietuvos medicininio turizmo rinka, pateikta empirinio tyrimo metodologija, išanalizuoti atlikto empirinio tyrimo (specialistų interviu) rezultatai. Projektinėje darbo dalyje pateikiami praktiniai medicininio turizmo plėtros sprendimai Lietuvai – apibrėžiamas medicininio turizmo produktas, kainos, aptarnavimo, informavimo ir rėmimo bei kiti svarbūs sprendimai. / The goal of diploma paper - to reveal factors and conditions of medical tourism development and to identify possibilities of its further development.The diploma paper contains three main parts. In the theoretical part the concept of medical tourism, factors of its development, segmentation of its market, peculiarities of its product and marketing are analyzed. In the analytic part global and Lithuanian market of medical tourism is analyzed. The methodology of empirical research is prepared and results of empirical research are analyzed. In the projective part practical solutions for medical tourism further development are prepared: the target market is identified, decisions of medical tourism product, price, services, importation, promotion and other are given.

Healthcare services, traditionally provided by the government in a welfare state, have become a tradable commodity in the era of globalisation. Indeed, globalisation has led to the creation of a new international healthcare market with increased participation of the private sector, assisted with enhanced mobility of health professionals, service providers and patients across borders. Soon after its inception, the 1995 General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) has come under fire from critics, especially for its broad scope and inclusion of basic services like healthcare, water or education that fulfil social objectives. In establishing a multilateral legal framework, GATS mandates progressive liberalisation of trade in services among the WTO members through successive rounds of negotiations. Since GATS applies to the measures by WTO Members affecting trade in services (whether taken at central, regional or local government level), inclusion of health services therein has raised concern regarding a government's ability to regulate health-related services. Availability and accessibility of healthcare services is crucial from the right to health perspective. The International Convention on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) obligates its Member States to respect, protect and realise progressively and to the maximum of its available resources 'the right to the highest attainable standard of health.' When a WTO Member is also a signatory to the ICESCR, the question arises whether the legislative framework regulating healthcare services under GATS conflicts with the said Member's obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the right to health. The present thesis attempts to answer this question through an analysis of GATS and the right to health norms within the framework of conflict of norms in international law. Although norm conflicts are generally assessed in terms of a legal relationship between a given State with another State, the present thesis focuses on a single State bound by both sets of rules where compliance with both obligations may/does lead to a legal, social or factual conflict.

Mobility in all of its forms is highly commodified in a globalised system. Much focus on mobility theory has offered a new ‘mobilities turn’. Largely absent from this ‘mobility turn’ is an examination of the relationship between mobility and health. This case study focuses on the Canadian televised and print media attention given to a medically contested procedure: liberation therapy (LT), which emerged as the possible treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). As a non-insured service, Canadian MS patients wanting access to the procedure must travel to other geographical locations in what is termed as medical tourism. A comprehensive media analysis reveals an overwhelming patient mobility in the hopes of positive outcomes mainly from anecdotal stories. Patients’ advocacy for LT intensified and this pressured governments’ to fund clinical trials. This highlights the influence of the media in mobilizing patients and directing resources for research in the Canadian health care system.

Medical tourism is a global emerging industry and is an important component of tourism., and operates on the basis of both individual and regional level. Medical tourism refers to a vacation that involves traveling across international borders to obtain a broad range of medical services. It usually includes leisure, fun, and relaxation activities, as well as wellness and health-care service. Patients who seek to reduce their health-care expenditures travel to medical centers in other countries to obtain dental, medical, and surgical services that are less expensive than those at home. Medical tourism can be defined as the provision of cost-effective medical care to patients in collaboration with the tourism industry. This process is usually facilitated by the private medical sector, whereas both the private and public sectors are involved in the tourism industry. By traveling abroad to have surgery or other medical treatment, medical tourists also take advantage of the opportunity to visit a popular travel destination, thus combining health care with a vacation. The aim of this thesis can be summarized as to provide a deep understanding of what factors are essential and require the phenomenon of Medical Tourism in terms of Swedish travel patterns. The research questions aims also to develop a competitive and sustainable business concept within the frames of the current market. The results of this paper aims to proof in addition to the knowledge gained from literature and precedent research, to use a case study methodology to provide a valuable insight for both academics and practitioners into the process of further research, pursue studies and practicing approaches within the context of Medical Tourism. Results indicate that , the factors that characterize the Swedish travel patterns within medical tourism is price, availability and service, quality and the ability of combining holidays with treatment. Medical tourism phenomena can be explained using for components of medical tourism system: medical tourists, medical tourist regenerating regions, medical tourist destinations regions and medical tourism industries. Each component is a basic component of the medical tourism system, and each is mutually connected and interdependent in their mechanisms. Medical tourists require the four areas of the services which are needed for successful medical tourism. Even if the components of service influence each other, in general medical tourism agency plays a major role in arranging the schedule of medical tourists for the for service components. Medical service may be the most important factor which the medical tourists consider when they choose a destination for medical tourism. Accommodation, food and beverage, tourism experiences, and government regulations and socio-cultural factors are also crucial factors affecting the choice of a medical tourism destination. Quality management and Product differentiation is to strategies that both interrelate with each other and benefits both medical tourism efficiencies and medical tourists. They are important strategies from both a sustainable and economic perspectives as Quality management maximizes the internal force of every level in medical tourism clinics in order to satisfy their patients, meanwhile Product differentiation aims to develop sustainable marketing approaches to attract potential medical tourists and create competitive offers.

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Principles of business management are increasingly being used to analyze health care systems. Conceptualizing health care as business networks offers the possibility to apply the ARA model of Actors, Resources and Activities to understand the functioning of the system. We have used this model to study the phenomenon of networking in cross-border care using Uppsala University Hospital as a research case. The aim of the study was to understand actor’s perceptions of networking activities and how these related with international sales of health care services. We collected primary data through five interviews with managers involved in internationalization and a survey study with 26 managers at the hospital. Secondary data on patient flows and research activity was collected from hospital and university records. The main actors identified in the health care networks are doctors with professional identity being an important facilitating factor. Patient´s role as active participators in the system is increasing while researchers, innovators and key opinion leaders are also important. Networking activities consist of knowledge transfer via lecturing, meetings and external consulting activities. Resources in the form of supporting clinics, research centers and administrative services correlate positively with the level of internationalization. The study identifies networking activities as important for internationalization and cross-border sales of health care services. We conclude that the ARA model is a valuable instrument for analyzing cross border activities and internationalization of health care.

Orientador: Roberto Benedito de Paiva e Silva / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T05:23:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dahdal_AndreiaBenati_M.pdf: 819963 bytes, checksum: e8d78dc0c16b56df7e5fb7422a23f686 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Define-se termalismo como um procedimento natural de tratamento alternativo e ou complementar à medicina tradicional, que se utiliza das águas minerais para se atingir a cura. As estâncias termais por suas características terapêuticas e ambientais são lugares que vão de encontro à prática do termalismo, pois atende um conjunto de elementos fundamentais, como localização geográfica, rede hoteleira e balneária. Os encaminhamentos para os tratamentos termais deixaram de ser um procedimento médico para tornar-se ao longo da história um procedimento de relaxamento, descanso e de cura por demanda própria associada ao turismo. Neste sentido, o objetivo deste estudo foi conhecer o perfil das pessoas e as razões pelas quais elas procuram o balneário de Águas de Lindóia. É um estudo de caráter qualitativo e participaram da pesquisa vinte e dois usuários do balneário, sendo que os critérios de inclusão foram homens e mulheres adultos frequentadores do balneário para utilização dos recursos termais oferecidos. Realizou-se uma entrevista semiestruturada no próprio balneário, após o usuário concordar e assinar o termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido que foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética da Unicamp. Para a análise dos dados utilizou-se a técnica de análise de conteúdo na qual se estabeleceram quatro categorias temáticas: perfil sócio demográfico das pessoas que procuram o balneário de Águas de Lindóia como destino turístico, o uso dos tratamentos oferecidos pelo balneário e o significado das águas como recurso terapêutico. O usuário do balneário se caracteriza por ser em sua maioria do sexo feminino, com idade média de sessenta anos e aposentada que procuram nas técnicas termais o equilíbrio orgânico e mental. Constatou-se que Águas de Lindóia no transcorrer da sua história vem se constituindo em polo turístico voltado ao lazer centrado em sua localização geografia, nos recursos termais e na rede hoteleira. Observou-se a ausência de turistas mais jovens nas dependências do balneário, a partir desse panorama, percebe-se a necessidade de ampliar a divulgação dos recursos oferecidos pelo balneário e desenvolver condutas que respondam as exigências dos turistas nas diversas faixas etárias. Conclui-se que, a maioria dos participantes do estudo pratica o termalismo de bem estar que abrange a prevenção e promoção da saúde em detrimento ao uso do termalismo clássico oferecido pelo balneário no início de suas atividades, que era o uso das águas como terapia específica para determinada doença / Abstract: Thermalism is defined as a natural and alternative treatment procedure or complement to traditional medicine that is used with mineral water to achieve the cure. The spas for its therapeutic and environmental characteristics are places that meet the practice of thermalism, as it serves a number of key elements, such as geographic location, hotel chain and bathhouse. Referrals to thermal treatments are no longer a medical procedure to become throughout history a procedure for rest, relaxation and healing on their demand associated with tourism. In this sense, the objective of this study was to know the profile of the people and the reasons why they seek the Águas de Lindóia bathhouse. It is a qualitative study and participated in the survey twenty-two users of the bathhouse, and the inclusion criteria were adult men and women goers bathhouse to use thermal resources offered. We conducted a semi structured interview in the bathhouse itself, after the user agrees and signing the consent form that was approved by the Ethics Committee of UNICAMP. For data analysis we used the technique of content analysis in which it established four thematic categories: socio demographic profile of those seeking Águas de Lindóia bathhouse as a tourist destination, the use of the treatments offered by the bathhouse and the meaning of waters as a therapeutic resource. The user of the resort is characterized by being mostly female, with an average of sixty and retired seeking thermal techniques in the organic balance and mental. It was found that Águas de Lindóia the course of its history has turned into a tourist hub geared to leisure centers on its geography location, the thermal resources and hotel chain. Observed the absence of younger tourists premises of bathhouse, from this scenario we see the need to broaden the dissemination of resources offered by the bathhouse and develop behaviors that meet the needs of tourists of different ages. We conclude that the majority of study participants practicing thermalism wellness that covers prevention and health promotion over the use of classical thermalism offered by the bathhouse at the beginning of its activities, that was the use of water as a specific therapy for disease / Mestrado / Interdisciplinaridade e Reabilitação / Mestra em Saúde, Interdisciplinaridade e Reabilitação

This dissertation analyzes how medical tourism in Thailand impacts and involves kathoey, a Thai third gender group. As the Thai state launched in 2016 an economic plan centered on technological growth and medical tourism, kathoey entertainers – many who have undergone gender-affirming surgeries – are being used as a symbol of medical technologies to attract foreign currency and potential medical tourists. Their work in the entertainment industry also contributes to national rebranding efforts by shifting Thailand’s historical reputation as a sex tourist hub to one of medical expertise and professionalized labor. Through the concept of the gendered technostate, I show how states, gendered labor, and technologies are co-constructed via technologically-enhanced gendered labor, that is both produced by and contributing to state agendas. Within the context of state-led efforts to advance technological growth and medical tourism, I illustrate how local people co-construct a global medical market, affording the nation new levels of prestige. The dissertation analyzes local health effects of medical tourism, developing the sociology of trans-national health, a framework which accounts for the political and economic aspects of health and health care across borders of sex, gender, and nation. The project elucidates the cultural economy of medical tourism and the local gendered relations that undergird transnational health practices. It demonstrates how transgender people are incorporated into the state as professionalized citizens, thereby illuminating the role of the state in producing and legitimizing bodies to become particular configurations of sex, gender, and labor. / 2022-02-10T00:00:00Z