Reaserch shows that Australians are becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of heading overseas for cheap medical and dental procedures. / Photo: Michele Mossop /
Australians don’t seem to need much of an excuse to travel. In the midst of endless complaints about the cost of living, many of us are finding the spare cash for a trip to Bali or Hawaii to relax and indulge in some overseas shopping, and perhaps some value-for-money dental work as well.
The Ipsos Global Advisor Study, conducted in August of this year, found a class of global citizens who are medically mobile. One in five of those surveyed (18 per cent) indicated they “definitely would” consider travelling to another country to receive medical or dental care if the costs were significantly lower than in their own country. The findings shed some light on medical tourism, an increasingly popular phenomenon that is becoming a formalised industry in many countries.
In terms of Australia, Global Advisor found that while only 11 per cent of us definitely would consider travelling for a medical procedure, 24 per cent probably would. That’s 35 per cent of Australians open to travelling for healthcare despite the fact we have a strong and affordable healthcare system in this country. We sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of countries in this regard; less eager than Indians (35 per cent of them said they would travel for healthcare) and more willing than the Japanese (only 3 per cent were interested in medical tourism).
We are finding increasing reference in our qualitative research to the cost of healthcare in Australia and the idea that travelling overseas for procedures (mostly cosmetic) isn’t a bad idea. In Ipsos’ recent Mind & Mood Report, we encountered a group of women exchanging stories about experiences and plans for trips to Asia that combined holidays with medical procedures.
Woman 1: “You know Steve? He went to Thailand to have his teeth done. It was going to cost him $10 000 to get it done here and it only cost $2000, plus he got a holiday.”
Woman 2: “I think I might get my nose job surgery there.”
Reflecting their obsession with travel and modest financial means, the Global Advisor Studyfound that younger adults were more open to going abroad to seek cheaper medical or dental work. On the global aggregate level, those under the age of 35 (19 per cent) and those aged 35-49 (19 per cent) were more likely than those aged 50-64 (15 per cent) to say they “definitely would” go.
UTS ethnographer and cultural studies researcher Meredith Jones – who is conducting an international study on cosmetic surgery tourism – is not surprised by this finding. “When I conducted a pilot study in 2009, agents were putting together packages for people who were travelling solo or with a spouse or friend to get cosmetic surgery in places like Thailand. These were people who had always wanted a particular procedure all their lives and just couldn’t afford it. When I returned for further research in early 2012, there had been a dramatic shift with agents putting together group packages of 10 travellers or less, mostly young women in their early 20s, wanting breast augmentation.” Jones reports that some agents told her that these group packages now account for about 80 per cent of their clientele. Her hypothesis is that these young women were keen rather than passionate about getting a procedure and the new, affordable, package tours make it easier to make the decision. “These tours are affordable and fun. It’s like a holiday with boobs at the end.”
And when you pass through customs you have nothing to declare but a new cup size..
source: http://www.brw.com.au / Blogs> Rebecca Hurley / November 22nd, 2012
Blogger
Dr Rebecca Huntley is a director of the Ipsos Mackay Report, an author and social commentator with a background in publishing, academia and politics. She holds degrees in law and film studies and a PhD in Gender Studies. She is the author of books on social and food trends and is a sought after media commentator on radio, in print and on television.
