NEW YORK, May 6, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A U.S. consulting firm says the
number of people who travel outside their country for medical treatment is lower
than marketers report.
McKinsey & Co. said research suggests about 60,000 to 80,000 patients travel for
medical treatment each year, with most patients looking for faster service and
high quality rather than lower costs, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
That figure is sharply lower than the number given by medical tourism marketers,
with one marketer saying 1.3 million medical tourists visit Asia each year, the
newspaper said.
McKinsey found that 40 percent of medical travelers are people from developing
countries who travel primarily to the United States seeking high quality care,
32 percent traveled to another country for better care than was available at
home and 15 percent were seeking faster service. About 9 percent were patients
from the United States seeking lower costs for medical procedures.
The findings were based on data from nearly 50,000 patients around the world.
McKinsey said the number of U.S. patients seeking cheaper care abroad could
eventually grow to 710,000 procedures a year.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International