Looking abroad for healthcare

Number of medical tourists rises because of cheaper costs, services

Talking about her recent trip to Thailand, Wang Jingxian said it was "really worthy as well as comfortable and happy".

The 35-year-old Beijing white-collar worker traveled to Bangkok in October for skin laser surgery to rejuvenate her appearance at Bumrungrad International Hospital, one of the world's top 10 multiple-specialty medical centers targeting patients globally.

"I appreciated the environment and services of the hospital. And it's affordable, even cheaper than the private medical institutes in Beijing," Wang said.

A man asking about medical information at a recent medical tourism fair in Seoul. It has become a trend in China for middle-income and affluent people to travel abroad for medical care services. South Korea is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese wanting treatment. Provided to China Daily

It has become a trend in China for middle-income and affluent people to travel abroad for medical care services.

An online survey conducted by Ipsos, a France-based market research company, shows 74 percent of Chinese respondents said they would look outside the country for cheaper healthcare services.

According to the poll covering 24 nations, 59 percent of respondents in the Asia-Pacific region would consider traveling to another country to receive medical or dental care if the costs were significantly lower than in his or her country. In Latin America the figure was 64 percent. In the Middle East and Africa it was 63 percent.

The findings shed light on medical tourism, an increasingly popular worldwide phenomenon that is becoming a formalized industry in many countries.