Medical Tourism Wiki
Reviewed by Dr. Vitalina Ilyasli, MD| Medical Advisory Board| Last Updated 2 October 2026| 6 sources Medical Travel for Rare Diseases Verified against primary record EU definition Fewer than 5 cases per 10,000 people[1] EU network 24 European Reference Networks, 1,606 centres in 375 hospitals, October 2025[2] What moves Expertise, not the patient; patients do … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 6 sources| Official statistics read, no legal definition exists Cross-Border Healthcare for Border Communities Verified against primary record Pattern in official data Cross-border healthcare concerns mostly neighbouring countries[1] Scale under the Directive About 200,000 patients a year, under 0.05 per cent of EU citizens[2] Records read Commission data and audit … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 4 sources| Treaty and directive text read, current reception law unresolved This article concerns people displaced across borders, not travel undertaken to obtain treatment. For the latter see Medical tourism. Refugee Access to Cross-Border Healthcare Verified against primary record 1951 Convention, Article 23 Same treatment in public relief and assistance … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 4 sources| Official operational reports read, no statutory definition located Humanitarian Medical Transfers Verified against primary record Ukraine, as at 16 April 2026 Over 5,000 patients evacuated to 22 countries[1] Gaza, October 2023 to 23 February 2026 11,124 patients evacuated, including 5,835 children[3] Records read Official operational reports, 30 September … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 5 sources| Both EU instruments read in the Official Journal text Government-Funded Treatment Abroad Verified against primary record Route one Directive 2011/24/EU, reimbursement at home-state rates, Article 7(4)[1] Route two Regulation 883/2004, treatment under the treating state’s legislation, Article 20(2)[2] Records read Official Journal texts, 30 September 2026 Independently reported … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 3 sources| Guidance read directly, no policy contract examined Insurer-Arranged Medical Travel Independently reported Three distinct products Travel disruption, travel health, and medical evacuation insurance[1] Who decides on evacuation The insurer, not the traveller[1] Formal definition of the phrase None identified No band claims verification against a primary record. No … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 5 sources| No claim checked against a primary register Employer-Sponsored Medical Travel Independently reported Formal definition None identified; the phrase is descriptive Documented arrangement Some insurers and large employers have alliances with facilities abroad[1] Named programmes None identified in any source that could be read No band claims verification against … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 4 sources| WMA policy text read, other claims not verified Self-Funded Medical Travel Verified against primary record WMA formulation Patients travel voluntarily, most often at their own cost[1] Record read WMA policy text, 30 September 2026 Independently reported Status of self-payment Typical in one definition, defining in another[2] Bands apply … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 4 sources| Statistical standard read via guidance, not the standard itself Expatriate Healthcare Independently reported Statistical treatment Residence, not nationality, decides whether care is an export[1] Residence guideline One year or more suggested as a flexible guideline[1] Formal definition of expatriate None in the statistical standards; studies invent their own … Read more
Unreviewed Written 30 September 2026| 5 sources| No claim checked against a primary register Diaspora Medical Travel Independently reported Formal definition None agreed; a 2020 review states there is no consensus[1] Measured from Sending populations, not destination patient counts[2] Destination-side share No figure identified in any source No band in this entry claims verification against … Read more