A Cautionary Tale

The ‘New’ Medical Tourism Industry in Argentina

Bibliographic Data

ID13008129
AuthorsCecilia Vindrola-Padros (0000-0001-7859-1646, University of Edinburgh, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume5
Issue1
Pages69-87
Publication date2015-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSomatechnics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2044-0138 • E-ISSN: 2044-0146
PublisherEdinburgh University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.3366/soma.2015.0148
OpenAlexW2062934694
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited35

Argentina's universal model of healthcare and open immigration policies make it a popular destination for people from neighbouring countries requiring free medical treatments. These medical tourists come from Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay. They are often from low-income households and rural areas, and travel to Argentina seeking medical attention in public hospitals because they are unable to pay for services in their own countries. In addition to these patients, current governmental-private sector agreements are being put in place to attract patients from the US and Europe. This new initiative – called Medicina Argentina (Argentina Healthcare) – hopes to raise the number of foreign patients from 6000 per year to 100,000. In theory, this change in government policy seeks to: provide services to patients who might not be able to access them in their own countries (due to high cost, unavailability, or long waiting lists), increase Argentine tourism income, and improve the quality of the medical services available for local populations. However, in practice, it will mean that an already overburdened healthcare system will have to adapt to suit the needs of short-term, medical tourists. The flow of foreign patients will interact with local migrating patients to create a tiered system of medical tourism, posing ethical and legal challenges in the distribution of scarce resources and regulation of medical care. In this article, I explore the ethical and practical impact of this ‘new’ medical tourism industry on the care provided to the local population

Business · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Government (linguistics · Health care · Medical tourism · Political science · Population · Private sector · Tourism · Unavailability · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Global Healthcare and Medical Tourism · Law · Medicine · Travel-related health issues

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