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Medical tourism in Pakistan offers individuals the opportunity to travel for a range of health and medical procedures. Major cities like Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore are home to hospitals equipped with modern medical technologies, and many doctors and surgeons in these facilities have received international training. However, the growth of the industry faces challenges, including security concerns and limitations within the country's overall healthcare infrastructure. [1]
The Government of Pakistan has identified medical tourism as a priority area within its national tourism policy. In 2010, a task force was established under the Ministry of Tourism to devise strategies for promoting medical, health, spiritual, and wellness tourism in the country. As part of these efforts, the Government of Punjab initiated the development of a 150-bed hospital specializing in kidney transplantation and heart surgery, with the objective of positioning Pakistan as a destination for international medical tourists. [2]
The Minister for Tourism has announced plans to promote medical tourism in Pakistan by offering "low-cost, state-of-the-art medical facilities to patients." The minister highlighted the expertise of Pakistan's healthcare professionals and the availability of modern facilities, noting that certain surgical procedures could be performed at "less than a tenth of the cost in Europe or the United States." [3]
A significant number of patients from neighboring countries travel to Pakistan for medical treatment. Additionally, many patients of Pakistani origin residing in the Middle East, the United Kingdom, and the United States seek treatment in Pakistan, often due to the high costs or lack of insurance coverage in their home countries. Common procedures sought by these patients include cardiac surgery, infertility treatments, and cosmetic surgery. [4]
Pakistan’s initial entry into the medical tourism industry has been strongly reliant on cheap organ transplant-related medical tourism. [1] [3] In the past, a sizeable number of global patients travelled to Pakistan for kidney transplants. However, these cases have dropped ever since legislation that sought to outlaw the illegal trade of selling kidneys was enacted. [4] According to Pakistani medical experts, medical tourism is still an untapped market that could be turned into a huge opportunity if the government "focuses on key issues". [4]
Pakistan has emerged as a lower-cost destination for fertility tourism, particularly for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other infertility treatments. Many overseas Pakistanis opt for IVF procedures in Pakistan due to the significantly lower costs. A Pakistani doctor specializing in IVF stated, "IVF is much cheaper in Pakistan compared to other countries. You can get it done for one-third of the price in Dubai. The USA and UK are far too expensive." In 1998, there were only three IVF centers in Pakistan; this number has since increased to over 15.
The average cost of IVF in many countries can reach up to $12,000. In contrast, the cost in Pakistan ranges from approximately Rs. 200,000 (USD $1,950) to Rs. 450,000 (USD $4,390). [5]
Most medical patients who seek treatment in Pakistan are from neighboring countries. According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs figures, some 90% of Afghans who seek medical treatment abroad travel to neighboring Pakistan. [6] The majority of Afghan patients are from the poorer strata of society, who have access to free medical treatment in Pakistani government or philanthropic healthcare facilities. Over 40% of patients in Peshawar's largest government hospital were Afghans who had travelled from Afghanistan to Peshawar for medical treatment. [6] Nearly one-third of all visas issued to Afghan nationals by the Pakistani embassy and consulates in Afghanistan pertain to medical reasons. In 2008, one philanthropic organization in Pakistan performed over 30,000 free eye surgeries on Afghan patients. [6]
The continuing illegal organ transplant trade has hampered the image of the country's medical tourism industry. Kidney trade, mostly illegal, was once a thriving billion-dollar industry in Pakistan until the introduction of a law to prevent it. [7] The illegal trade is still practiced however, with numerous cases being reported of foreign patients having travelled to Pakistan to get a kidney transplant. [8] Secondly, while there is a large base of doctors present in the country, the overall health infrastructure of Pakistan is not as advanced or comparable to international standards. Only a certain number of modern and reputable hospitals exist. [9] In addition, security-related issues have also prevented foreigners from travelling to Pakistan exclusively for seeking medical treatment.
Professor Tipu Sultan from Bahria University has argued that while the government has focused on improving hospital quality in the hope of attracting medical tourists, "terrorism in Pakistan is scaring away potential health customers." He adds that Pakistan could offer services to foreigners in orthopaedic, optometric, EN, heart, and urology treatments at cheap rates besides offering facilities in endoscopies, X-rays, MRI, CT scan, cardiology, and arthroscopy. Commenting on patients from the United States of Pakistani origin who come to Pakistan instead of going to neighbouring India to receive treatment, Sultan has said that treatment in Pakistan tends to be much cheaper for them than in India "because of the downward slide of the rupee in terms of the dollar." He has also said that while there are good national hospitals, they have not shown enough interest in medical tourism. [10]
Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transported from a donor site to another location. Organs and/or tissues that are transplanted within the same person's body are called autografts. Transplants that are recently performed between two subjects of the same species are called allografts. Allografts can either be from a living or cadaveric source.
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A medical tourism agent is an organisation or a company which seeks to bring together a prospective patient with a service provider, usually a hospital or a clinic. These organisations are generally facilitators and developers of medical tourism, which brings into play a number of issues that do not apply when a patient stays within their own country of origin.
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Pakistan Medical Tourism Profile at International Medical Travel Journal IMTJ