Factors influencing inbound medical travel to India
Journal of Health Organization and Management
ISSN: 1477-7266
Article publication date: 11 February 2019
Issue publication date: 5 April 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the demand-side factors that influence the inbound medical tourists’ (MTs) decision to travel abroad for medical treatment/surgery.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers conducted thematic analysis of in-depth interviews in India with 24 foreign MTs’ to generate the themes, identify factors and propose a model with hypothesis for future quantitative survey.
Findings
The findings conclude that patients ranked in ascending order less waiting time for surgery, healthcare quality and accreditation, staff/surgeons expertise, healthcare information, hospital facilities and services, patient safety, travel risk, surgical costs and holiday opportunity as important factors that influence the decision to travel abroad for medical treatment/surgery.
Research limitations/implications
Foreign patients from six private hospitals were willing to be interviewed with the permission of the hospital. Due to confidentiality and privacy policy, many hospitals declined interviews with foreign patients.
Practical implications
The findings are generalised in case of foreign patients as MTs and all private hospitals treating foreign patients in India and other global healthcare destinations. Policy implications suggest that private hospitals in developing countries need to provide first-class quality of healthcare as foreign patients look for internationally accredited quality, no waiting time, patient safety, qualified and experienced surgeons, healthcare workers education and experience hospital facilities and post-surgery care with positive healthcare outcomes.
Originality/value
There is little empirical research on the views of inbound MTs, about factors influencing their decision to travel abroad for surgery to India.
Keywords
Citation
Medhekar, A., Wong, H.Y. and Hall, J.E. (2019), "Factors influencing inbound medical travel to India", Journal of Health Organization and Management, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 155-172. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-08-2018-0234
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited