First it was doctors who crossed borders in response to various international calls, ranging from humanitarian crise s to better pay and skills advancement.Now their patients are following.An increasing number of people are heading to foreign countries for treatments they either can’t get at home or which are much cheaper than at home. And while there, these medical tourists are throwing in a few extra days to recuperate, either at a spa resort, on the beach or on a safari.Estimates of the size of the global medical tourism market vary widely, but US consultancy Patients Beyond Borders puts the value of the market at between US$45.5bn and $72bn.The US firm believes the industry is showing growth of between 15% and 25% each year.SA, ranked among the top destinations for medical travellers, is in a sweet spot to benefit from the money these tourists are prepared to spend.For Europeans and travellers from the Americas and Asia, SA offers an affordable alternative for many cosmetic proc...
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