Without Airlines in medical tourism, the industry would be crippled
Although in the recent decades medical tourism has developed into a fully independent and prosperous industry, its concept and practice is almost as old as history itself. At the dawn of civilization, cities like Babylon, Akkad, and Nineveh served as medical tourism destinations in Mesopotamia, while the Temple of Asclepius in the region of Epidaurus in Greece served as medical destinations for all Greeks. All of these medical travels however were faced with constant difficulties and were almost exclusively undertaken by upper classes of the society.
It was in such a circumstance that two human inventions changed the landscape of medical traveling forever: Trains and Airplanes. No longer did medical journeys require walking days on end or painful horse riding. No longer would bandits be a threat on the way, and suddenly, borders across the ocean did not seem so far away. Today we will cover the importance of the latter invention and the importance of airlines for medical tourism.
Importance of Airlines in Medical Tourism
From a logistical point of view, the volume of traveling that happens today in medical tourism would be crippled without medical tourism. For patients that are not in an emergency, the possibility of travel to faraway countries would be eliminated while for patients with emergency situations, the possibility of treatment even with airliners seems difficult.
Without these flying machines, medical tourism destinations would at best be limited to a country’s neighboring countries, while intercontinental medical tourism would have been abandoned in its entirety. On the other hand, some patients live in countries that do not possess the medical knowledge needed for some vital treatments. Should these patients be afflicted with such diseases, they will be left with no choice but to travel: The role of airliners does not just determine the profit or losses of the medical tourism industry; they determine the fates of human beings.
Airlines are Adopting Themselves to Medical Tourism
With the explosive growth of medical tourism and its transition to a global industry in the recent decades, airline companies have become conscious of their key role in the industry and are now working to facilitate medical traveling for patients.
Nowadays many of the most well-known airline companies are working hand in hand with medical tourism facilitator companies and in some cases, even directly with medical centers. For example Turkey has recently made their special medical visa available. This visa grants a 25 percent discount to all medical tourists that use Turkish Airlines. It is also not uncommon for one or two of the patient’s attendants to also be a recipient of this discount.
In many top medical destination countries, we are witness to the daily construction of medical centers that exclusively serve medical tourists. Airline companies carefully monitor this progress in destination countries and accordingly allocate more flights to these destinations. This facilitates more medical travels and creates a sense of confidence and trust in the patient and also makes the patient that they will not face a shortage of flights. Many potential medical tourists that were previously in doubt of making the trip due to logistical and financial reasons, are now encouraged by these discounts and packages to make the trip and undergo medical treatment across borders. Through this, airline companies have a direct role in the number of incoming medical tourists to a medical destination.
Special Privileges Given to Medical Tourists
It is now common for airline companies to charge a percentage of the original ticket price as extra should there be need for a ticket change. In recent years many of the best airlines such as Lufthansa, Japan Airlines and national airlines of Scandinavian countries have undertaken a new policy. These airline companies will investigate the case and should the reason for the delay be proved to be of medical origins, they will not charge any extra for the ticket change. This further provides trust and confidence for the medical tourist and greatly reduces the travel-induced stress.
Flying Hospitals
Another special measure that is becoming more common among airlines today was originally an idea courtesy of the Lufthansa. The idea is to optimize aircraft for international patients and medical tourists.
This process began in 1996 at the German national airline, and two years later, the first fleet of these optimized medical airplanes entered operational service. These aircraft were initially only equipped with standard hospital beds and surveillance facilities, but over time other departments, such as the intensive care unit have also been added little by little, and gradually each of these aircrafts have evolved into becoming a flying medical care machine.
These planes are ideal for patients with critical conditions who need permanent hospitalization and do not have access to the required treatment in their own country. Every year, more than a thousand flights are flown by Lufthansa to transport patients on such aircrafts, which saves the lives of these patients. This is further proof of the undeniable importance of airlines in medical tourism and the process of attracting medical tourists.
Article by: Parsa Khaknezhad