| International patients are increasingly travelling for health reasons in a globalized health economy. In response, governmental bodies such as the EU are developing frameworks to regulate patient mobility. In other parts of the world less regulation and more privatization is taking place, creating the phenomenon of medical tourism in contrast to the cross-border health care seen in the EU. This dissertation proposes an alternative global terminology of transnational health care, as a professionalized, structured network of health services visible to the international patient. Furthermore a focus is on five factors which influence the international patient: 1. The role of worldmaking and the internet:. Health providers are using the Internet to attract international patients. The content that is put online, could be seen as ethically unjust. 2. The role of culturalism: Following Jurgen Habermas one can observe that in medical tourism both strategic and communicative actions are present. Culturalism can enhance the balance between those actions. 3. The role of the media: The media show a market discourse of medical tourism, presenting products as "opportunities". An ethical discourse is still present, but is framed within this market perspective. 4. The role of quality in the sector: International patient departments guide the international patient in her or his quest for non-medical enquiry. In this framework measuring the quality of these services requires further exploration. 5. The relation with public health: International patients in the EU could be seen as both citizens with rights and health consumers. These perspectives have complex relationships with existing and future regulations. Based on these five factors, a policy route is suggested to enable (regional) governments in steering the health provision potential of their region to position themselves as transnational health regions in view of visibility and quality for patients and other regions. |
