THE ETHICS OF MEDICAL TOURISM: FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM TO INDIA SEEKING MEDICAL CARE

Is the practice of UK patients traveling to India as medical tourists morally justified? This article addresses that question by examining three ethically relevant issues. First, the key factor motivating citizens of the United Kingdom to seek medical treatment in India is identified and analyzed. S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of health services 2013-01, Vol.43 (4), p.779-800
Main Author: Meghani, Zahra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizens
Ethical aspects
Ethics
Female
Health care
Health Services Accessibility - economics
Health Services Accessibility - ethics
Helpseeking
Humans
India
India - epidemiology
Infant
Infant Mortality
Male
Medical service
Medical Tourism
Medical Tourism - economics
Medical Tourism - ethics
Morals
Neoliberalism
Patients
Population
Social Class
State Medicine - economics
State Medicine - ethics
State Medicine - trends
Time Factors
Tourism
Tourists
United Kingdom
Vulnerable Populations
Women's Rights
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Summary:Is the practice of UK patients traveling to India as medical tourists morally justified? This article addresses that question by examining three ethically relevant issues. First, the key factor motivating citizens of the United Kingdom to seek medical treatment in India is identified and analyzed. Second, the life prospects of the majority of the citizens of the two nations are compared to determine whether the United Kingdom is morally warranted in relying on India to meet the medical needs of its citizens. Third, as neoliberal reforms are justified on the grounds that they will help the indigent populations affected by them, the impact of medical tourism—a neoliberal initiative—on India's socially and economically marginalized groups is scrutinized.
ISSN:0020-7314
1541-4469
DOI:10.2190/HS.43.4.k