Drawing on a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives, this book is one of the first to critically address the substantial political, philosophical and ethical issues that arise out of the transnational practices of medical tourism. Through a series of chapters the book engages with key issues such as the role of regulatory and policy structures in influencing medical and health tourism related mobilities. These issues are investigated by considering range of developing and developed countries, medical systems and health economic perspectives.
The book adopts a multi-layered perspective to not only investigate the business and marketing practices of medical and health tourism but places these within a broader framework of contemporary globalisation, policy and practice. By doing so it opens up debate of the ethical space in which medical and health tourism operates as well as reinforce the wide ranging perspectives that exist on the subject in both the public and academic imagination.
This significant contribution will be of interest to students, academics in tourism and medical policy, trade and economic development fields.
C. Michael Hall is a Professor in the Department of Management, University of Canterbury, New Zealand; Docent in the Department of Geography, University of Oulu and a Visiting Professor at Sheffield Hallam University, UK and Linneaus University, Sweden.