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Turns Out South Korea Is Just As Shallow As Thailand

November 17, 2008 at 11:30 AM | 1 Comment

After watching Thailand, India and Argentina grab all the headlines--and big-spenders--South Korea is now courting medical tourists looking for everything from cheap joint replacements to low-cost breast implants. Government officials are encouraging the nascent industry, too, by relaxing immigration rules and working with foreign hospitals so potential patients will decide to have procedures done in Korea instead of elsewhere in Asia.

On Jeju Island south of the mainland, for example, the Wooridul Spine Hospital is adding apartments, a concert hall and an art museum to its existing amenities, which include a golf course, says The New York Times. A government official says:

We believe this is a major future industry for our island. The town will specialize in medical checkups, long-term convalescence and procedures Korean doctors do well and cheaply, such as plastic surgery and dentistry.

After reading a first-hand account of one of these swanky Asian destination hospitals, we're actually considering going to have a bit of dental work done ourselves. After all, if you're gonna suffer for your pearly whites, might as well get an international vacation starring UNESCO-recognized lava tubes thrown in for your trouble, right?

Related Stories:
· South Korea Joins Lucrative Practice of Inviting Medical Tourists [NYT]
· Wooridul Spine Hospital [Official Site]
· Jeju Island to Have Foreigners-Only Medical Centers [Korea.net]
· Plastic Surgery Travel: Thailand [Jaunted]

[Photo of Jeju Island: karendotcom127]

India Welcomes People Who Want to Make Babies

October 22, 2008 at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments

India's plans for outer space domination might be progressing only slowly, but when it comes to fertility tourism they're doing very well.

For those unlucky souls who have trouble producing children, India is welcoming them and offering fertility treatment such as IVF cycles for a fraction of the price in countries like the United States or Britain.

There are two bonuses here: One, the laws connected to fertility treatments are a lot more lax so you can get pretty much get anything you need; and two, you get an interesting Indian holiday thrown in with your baby-creating experience.

Related Stories:
· Indian Clinics Woo Fertility Tourists [news.com.au]
· Let's Hope the Mayor Isn't Hiding up There [Jaunted]
· Medical Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: flypig]

First-Person Medical Tourism: How Are the Dentists in Bangkok?

September 4, 2008 at 4:00 PM | 1 Comment

Geopolitics junkie and Knife Tricks blogger Paul Karl Lukacs had a bit of an oral revelation the other day, and since it's 2008, he blogged about it. Problem? Infected wisdom tooth. Solution? Surgery at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand.

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Medical Travel: Shrinks Galore in Argentina

August 25, 2008 at 10:00 AM | 0 Comments

We know that medical tourism is a growing field: After all, we've contemplated a trip to Hungary to get our teeth fixed or a stay in the Netherlands to cure our nail-biting habit. But our next booking is taking us to Buenos Aires, and here's why.

We've just discovered that Argentina's capital is the "psychoanalysis capital of the world," and a two-hour therapy session will set you back only around $18. They've got more qualified psychologists than anywhere and if you head to the district of Palermo, you'll discover there's a good reason why it's nicknamed "Villa Freud."

Locals suggest that it's the country's long history of instability--war, dictatorship and economic collapse are just a few of the problems--that's made them a nation full of shrinks. We're just happy to have an exotic destination lined up for our next mental breakdown.

Related Stories:
· Get Your Head Tested in Buenos Aires [UK Times]
· Hungary For Some New Teeth [Jaunted]
· Cure Your Nail Biting Habit [Jaunted]

[Photo: Esparta]

Russian Rubber Tourism

November 8, 2006 at 9:12 AM | 1 Comment


Medical tourism, sex tourism, or any of a number of new kinds of tourism: for many people these days, the main purpose of travel is nothing like seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa anymore. And if you want designer, custom-made condoms--made by a qualified urologist, nonetheless--then Moscow is your destination of choice.

Dr. Pomozov found a niche market when patients complained that they couldn't get condoms that fit them properly. Now he's expanded beyond producing "sized-to-fit" condoms to any kind that customers request:

Some patriotic people ask for them with Kalashnikov guns drawn on them while there are others who want something romantic like Venetian gondolas. We do it all for them.
Just be sure to tell your friends you're heading to Moscow to see Red Square or the slowly decaying body of Lenin.

[Photo: al greer]

Related Stories:
· Russian Doctor Launches Fancy Condoms for Demanding Clients [Mosnews]
· Post-Perestroika Prophylactic [Jaunted]

Let's Hope the Mayor Isn't Hiding Up There

June 5, 2006 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments


Eastern Europe's getting popular for medical travel: a nose job, new teeth, or even a tonsillectomy, if that's your idea of a good time. Now, Romania's trying to corner the fertility travel market. There's no first-class IVF clinic or fancy new technology involved: it's as simple as what the locals like to call the "Humping Hill".

In Horea, a small town on the north-western border of Romania, even the local mayor claims that gettin' busy atop this hill is responsible for most of the births in the region. For more than three hundred years, childless couples from near and far have miraculously been able to conceive amongst the bushes above Horea. The friendly mayor has even arranged for extra shrubs and trees to be planted to provide more privacy.

So hurry to Horea: it's just a matter of time before more capitalistic tourism practices kick in and they start charging per thrust.

[Image via 787b/Flickr]

Related stories:
Hungary for New Teeth [Jaunted]
The Humping Hill [UKTV]

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