• Thailand ? With its beautiful beaches just a few hours away, Bangkok has become one of the most important medical tourism destinations in the world. Patients can come for a procedure and spend their recovery relaxing in one of the area?s beautiful resorts. Bangkok?s Bumrungrad International Hospital boasts care that perhaps surpasses what you?ll find at home, with many doctors possessing international certifications and training. Bumrungrad alone treated 65,000 Americans in 2007 and 35,000 of those were from abroad.
• India ? As medical costs have grown steadily in the Western world, many people are looking for the lowest cost options available when it comes to healthcare. For those with their budgets in mind, India may very well fit the bill. Procedures in India can cost 1/10 of what they do in the United States and Europe and the country trains thousands of highly qualified medical professionals each year. The government?s investment in technology and infrastructure has also helped the medical tourism industry take off.
• Malaysia ? Medical tourism has become such an important part of the Malaysian economy that the government website even covers the topic: ?Quality and affordability, all within a tropical paradise like no other. That's the Malaysian promise.? All private medical facilities in Malaysia are required to be licensed and many hold international credentials, such as the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. Cosmetic procedures in Malaysia can cost half of what you would pay back home; for example, a liposuction procedure which would cost nearly $9,000 in the U.S. runs at about $4,500 in Malaysia.
• Brazil ? Brazil, with its bronzed bodies and strong sun, has long been known as a plastic surgery destination. Those on a medical vacation have a number of high-quality hospitals and medical facilities to choose from, including 25 JCI-accredited hospitals. The cost of common plastic surgery treatments in Brazil can range from 1/4-to-2/3 of the average cost in the U.S. Nose surgery in Brazil, for example, usually costs $3,000 to $3,500, while it costs $5,500 to 6,500 in the U.S. In general, high-end hospitals in Brazil may have less English spoken than similar-level hospitals in Thailand or Malaysia, and travelers should be careful in picking an appropriate location for their plastic surgery.
• Turkey ? For Europeans and others in the Balkans, Turkey can be a more convenient medical tourism destination. Turkey has more than 30 JCI-accredited institutions and a dedicated foreign relations board for medical tourists; this is actually the highest concentration of JCI-accredited facilities in the world. While more expensive than Thailand and India, Turkey is still considerably less expensive than most European countries. Liposuction treatment costs about $3,333 in Turkey, while it costs about $4,300 in Germany and $9,000 in the U.S.
• The Philippines ? The Philippines are growing in popularity as a plastic surgery and medical tourism destination, especially considering the country?s historical ties with the U.S. The Philippines has both private and public hospitals and healthcare facilities, and medical tourists should seek out top level private institutions for the best care. The Philippines is known for the number of trained nurses, physicians, and surgical technicians it sends to western areas, such as the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
• Singapore ? Singapore is an excellent medical tourism destination for those who only feel safe with the highest level of care. In fact, Singapore was ranked as having the sixth-ranked healthcare system in the world ? higher than both the U.S. and U.K. Most hospitals in Singapore are public facilities and many have JCI accreditation. Singapore has long been a medical tourism destination for those in Asia and U.S., with the government expecting 1 million medical tourists in 2012.
• Costa Rica ? For those in North America or South America not interested in flying to Asia, Costa Rica may be a solid bet for high quality, inexpensive plastic surgery. Costs here range from 30-to-70 percent of what consumers would pay in the U.S. The healthcare system in Costa Rica was actually ranked 36th in the world by the World Health Organization, which is higher than the system in the U.S. There are three JCI-accredited healthcare facilities in San Jose, Costa Rica, although much of the medical tourism is directed towards Guanacaste and the northwest region of the country.
• Germany ? Current residents of the Middle East or the U.S. looking for high quality, low-cost care may find a good fit in Germany. Germany has a short wait time for elective surgeries, as it has a high hospital density for its population. Annual healthcare costs are usually about half of what they are in the U.S. On the whole, the German system is highly efficient and specialized, offering top-of-the-line care.
• Estonia ? Western Europeans looking for low prices on cosmetic surgeries and other elective procedures have lately been flocking to Estonia. Estonia has performed very well on the Health Consumer Powerhouse report done by the Frontier Center for Public Policy, especially in the area of healthcare value per dollar. This small country is a member of the European Union (EU) and thus has to comply with EU healthcare regulations and standards.

Sources

Yale Center for the Study of Globalization (2010)

Malaysiandigest.com (2011)

Health-Tourism.com (2012)

Health in Turkey (2012)

USAID (2012)

Deloitte (2008)

NPR (2008)

Health Consumer Powerhouse