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Domestic Medical Tourism: A New Look on Patients of the Public Health System and Their Companions

In: Tourism and Culture in the Age of Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Izabel Cristina Schander Almeida

    (Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre)

  • Helena Charko Ribeiro

    (Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre)

  • Eurico Oliveira Santos

    (University of Caxias do Sul (UCS))

Abstract

Traveling motivated by health problems is an old practice. Nevertheless, the definitions of medical tourism and medical tourist are yet quite diverse. This market sector involves thousands of people and dollars all over the world. But there are also those patients who travel in their own country or region financially supported by the public health system who should be taken into consideration. To study this sector, we have analyzed the number of patients in “in a” public hospital in Porto Alegre-RS-Brazil in 2014. From a total of 32,056 admissions, 28,478 were admitted through the public health system. We have considered that each patient was accompanied by a relative and, for this reason, we would have an equal number of people using the tourism resources near the hospital. These can have a significant economic impact on all the services available. We propose that the patients who travel in their own country or region should be called traveling patients. We also propose that the definition of domestic medical tourism should not include the way the treatment is paid, since the public health system patients and their companions can also generate income.

Suggested Citation

  • Izabel Cristina Schander Almeida & Helena Charko Ribeiro & Eurico Oliveira Santos, 2016. "Domestic Medical Tourism: A New Look on Patients of the Public Health System and Their Companions," Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, in: Vicky Katsoni & Anastasia Stratigea (ed.), Tourism and Culture in the Age of Innovation, edition 1, pages 207-218, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-319-27528-4_15
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-27528-4_15
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