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Medical traveling has risen in the past decades, as old apprehensions about the dangers of traveling abroad for medical procedures have been dispelled by the growing adherence to international quality standards in hospital in developing countries. Also, as health care costs in developing nations continue to rise, traveling for expensive surgery overseas is starting to look like a more attractive idea to many people Here are a few of the more popular medical travel destinations today. Each country has its own advantages in terms of what they offer to medical tourists. The Middle EastIsrael is one of the most prominent medical travel destination in the Middle East. Many of its medical tourists come from Central European countries, where some surgical procedures are just not available. Israel is renowned for its state-of-the-art in-vitro fertilization facilities, as well as its Dead Sea spa, a world famous resort where patients can recuperate. Jordan is another popular destination, though newer to the medical travel industry than Israel. Medical treatments in Jordan can cost a fourth of what they would in the U.S. Many patients who go to Jordan for medical treatment come from Sudan, Palestine and Iraq. Medical treatments in Jordan can cost about 25% of what they do in the U.S. Latin AmericaCuba is one of the oldest medical travel hotspots in Latin America. It has been one for more than four decades, providing cheap cosmetic and non-cosmetic surgical procedures for people looking to save money. Prices in Cuba can be sixty to eighty percent lower than in the U.S. Brazil, though not as old of a medical tourist spot as Cuba, is well known as one of the world’s cosmetic surgery capitals. And though new to the non-cosmetic side of the medical travel industry, Brazil still generates a significant portion of its national GDP from medical tourism.Being right next to the U.S., Mexico receives a lot of American medical tourists. Mexico is a renowned destination for dental and cosmetic surgery procedures. AsiaIn Asia, Thailand is one of the most popular surgery abroad booking spots. In fact, many Thai hospitals cater especially to foreign medical tourists. Patient care in many Thai hospitals is often far beyond what most westerners have come to expect. Some of the most popular medical procedures that people go to Thailand for include organ transplants, cosmetic surgery, cardiac surgery and orthopedic treatments.  The Republic of Korea was named by CNN.com as one of the world’s “hot destinations” for medical tourism. While it is a relative newcomer to the medical travel industry, Korea has some of the best facilities and attracts a good number of cosmetic surgery patients from Japan.

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