Thousands of Americans travel abroad yearly for medical treatment, looking to reap the benefits of high-quality health care at substantially lower costs.
However, the recent killing of two United States citizens in Mexico underscores the inherent risks associated with “medical tourism.”
“Sometimes, people try to do their research [but] they don’t work through certified agencies,” says Jonathan Edelheit, co-founder and chairman of the Medical Tourism Association (MTA).
“What ends up happening is they choose a place that isn’t safe for the lowest price that doesn’t have quality or safety.”
Consultant oncologist and robotic surgeon N. Ragavan (R) speaks to a patient at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, India, on March 29, 2014. Chennai, known as India’s health care capital, is developing as a top budget destination for medical tourists. (Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images)
Mexican drug cartel members killed two vacationing American citizens and kidnapped two others last week while driving to Matamoros near the southern United States border….