medical tourism

7 Medical Tourism Trends To Watch In 2016

2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for providers of medical travel (or is it medical tourism?).

Medical Travel Quality Alliance expects that these will be the trends and issues of 2016 for the medical tourism industry, and will affect nearly all segments of the industry in nearly all countries around the globe.

1. Medical tourism gives birth to a baby boom.

The demand by medical tourists for in vitro fertilization IVF, gender selection, commercial surrogacy, and birthing places keeps growing.

Chinese baby

After Thailand and India restricted commercial surrogacy, some surrogacy agencies moved operations to Cambodia and Nepal. In late 2015, Nepal and Mexico – which had allowed commercial surrogacy in the state of Tabasco – made surrogacy illegal.

But this doesn’t stop demand.

Surrogacy tourism to Russia, Ukraine and Georgia Read more…

UAE | Al Zahra Hospital Dubai

Al-Zahra-1-certifiedThe Al Zahra Hospital Dubai continues to show leadership in health care quality by achieving international medical tourism certification from the Medical Travel Quality Alliance.

A hospital, clinic or medical tourism agency receives medical tourism certification through a formal evaluation against standards of quality in 10 non-clinical areas that directly impact a medical tourist’s wellbeing and good results. Read more…

India | Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta

Fortis HospitalBangalore’s Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta, a leader in health care in India and a global leader in providing high quality treatment for medical travelers, has become the first Indian hospital awarded medical tourism certification from the Medical Travel Quality Alliance for its quality of care and services to medical tourists. Read more…

Lebanon | Clemenceau Medical Center

Clemenceau Medical CenterBeirut’s Clemenceau Medical Center affiliated with Johns Hopkins International has become the first hospital in Lebanon to achieve international medical tourism certification from the Medical Travel Quality Alliance.

This marks a medical tourism milestone for Lebanon and for the hospital. Read more…

With Thailand Shut Down, Is Commercial Surrogacy Tourism Dead?

surrogate babies(Commercial Surrogacy Tourism, part 1)

1,000 babies are born annually in Thailand to surrogates on behalf of foreign couples and individuals.

Worldwide, an estimated 6,000 babies were born last year via commercial surrogacy tourism.

Yet seemingly overnight last month, police in Thailand shut down clinics, stopped parents with newborn infants from getting on flights out of the country, and sent some newborns off to orphanages.

Surrogacy services in Thailand have been available to all couples, foreign and domestic, gay or straight, and Read more…