The waiting is the hardest part

As Tom Petty put it: “The waiting is the hardest part.”  While it’s likely he it wasn’t referring to the time it takes to see a Scottish doctor for medical treatment, the description still fits.  But while long waiting lines are the bane of many patients in places like Scotland—where the double-edged sword of universal healthcare can make it difficult to see a doctor in a timely manner—it’s one of the biggest reasons for the growing success of medical tourism. 

Scotland is a prime example of just such a scenario.  Under Scotland’s National Health Service, citizens have to wait more than 6 months to undergo several procedures at clinics in the country. In a country like India, however, patients can be seen almost immediately, and the costs are significantly lower.  

While NHS services are largely "free at the point of delivery,” meaning there is no direct cost to see a physician (healthcare costs come out of taxes), there have been some criticisms levied at the system. 

The NHS is a monstrous organization and is practically a monopoly provider of healthcare services in Scotland.  However, NHS has been come under a firestorm of criticism for various weaknesses, most of which have to do with its funding not keeping pace with the rapidly increasing cost of heathcare and the population's demand for and expectations of high quality medical treatment.   

One of the problems that’s a fallout of the funding issue is the lack of availability of various treatments due to waiting lists, as well as the lack of professionals willing to treat NHS patients.  Such issues have lead many people to seek private treatment overseas. 

To meet that demand, some travel groups in Scotland have started to prepare health tour packages for the patients willing to travel to India for treatments.  These companies arrange the transportation and, if allowed by the physician, sightseeing endeavors, as well as facilitate the hospital admission process.   

Yet it isn’t just Scotland; citizens from the greater United Kingdom, as well as Canada, both of which have established universal healthcare systems, have experienced long waiting times that have caused them to seek out medical treatment beyond their countries’ borders.