Globalization of health services

 Globalization of health services : 

Health care reform in the industrialized countries, enacted during the last two decades, is entering a new phase of consolidation and further development, now extending to the less developed countries. This marks a significant element of the more general phenomenon commonly referred to as "globalization." 

In short, globalization has become a two-way street as both sides exploit each other's markets and economies, creating virtual world labor and market forces. The healthcare industry has been considered resistant to outsourcing and offshore services as compared to other industries.

Travel to another country for medical treatment has been called “medical tourism” and “cross-border healthcare”. Globalization of medical care is a multi-billion-dollar phenomenon, associated with economic, cultural, ethical, legal, and health consequences.

Healthcare globalization is eventually going to be about an easy flow of information, services, and knowledge across borders. For this to happen, it is essential to leverage advancements in information technology. Many hospitals and providers are making use of offshore healthcare services such as medical transcription, report writing, claims to process, and help desk services.

Major hospitals, these days, are using the services of highly trained radiologists from around the world to read their reports. In addition to this, telemedicine and remote consultation services are also being offered thanks to the advancements in information technology.

Common destinations for medical tourists include India, Thailand, China, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Singapore, the Middle East, and Pakistan. Notably, destinations include many low- and middle-income plus a few high-income countries. Patients often seek treatment in their World Health Organization (WHO) region of residence, but the diaspora population may combine medical treatment with family visits. Seventy percent of patients going to Singapore and Malaysia are from countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; those going to Cuba are mainly from the Caribbean and Central America, and those going to Jordan are mostly from Middle Eastern countries. The main constraint on medical tourism is the challenge of insurance portability. High-quality medical professionals, often trained in the United States or the United Kingdom, are found in many institutions treating medical tourists; US medical schools are increasingly cooperating with foreign institutions in educational efforts. Meanwhile, lower costs of services, including labor, provide developing countries a substantial cost advantage.

Complete and accurate data on medical tourism volume, destinations, services, and procedures are unavailable. One source estimated 4 million international patients annually. Thailand attracted 1.28 million international patients in 2005, with India, Singapore, and Malaysia each approaching this number by 2012. The Asian market had been forecast to generate $4.4 billion in 2012. Singapore has launched an initiative to develop new areas, such as stem cell treatment and transplant. Widely variable estimates of global medical tourism value (US$20–$60 billion) are unreliable. Guidelines for consistent definitions and reporting methodologies for medical tourism have been recently published (2011) and may permit more accurate reporting.

Collaboration between healthcare organizations across borders

The future of healthcare lies almost entirely in the collaboration of healthcare organizations across borders. Collaboration between private medical centers, government agencies, pharmaceutical centers, NGOs, educational institutions, investors, and stakeholders will help bring reliable, affordable, and timely medical help to those in need.

Healthcare is going to see experts lend their knowledge and expertise to help develop medical centers in places where it is most needed. These experts will be able to bring in their knowledge to medical schools and institutions to better train professionals and bring them on par with international medical standards. The future is going to see them bring in new tools, techniques, medicines, and procedures to enable improvements in care. They can improve telemedicine facilities and leverage local talent and capabilities.

Combined and coordinated outlook on global health is the need of the hour and the future seems to be heading towards the same. It is essential to have a global healthcare policy that brings all the stakeholders together to build a consensus on public health issues of the future.

While the benefits of globalization are immense, it certainly comes with its own set of setbacks to deal with. The movement of patients across borders is going to unintentionally transfer diseases between nations. Globalization is also going to make it harder for smaller stakeholders such as NGOs and small businesses to provide help in poor countries. Additionally, globalization might also expand the difference in medical help provided to the rich and poor. The globalization of healthcare will create problems for policymakers as they have to deal with legal and regulatory complications as well. Even though healthcare globalization can create a number of issues, it is certainly changing the healthcare dynamics of the entire world for the better.