A review of small-scale niche treatment providers

While leading medical tourism hospitals in host countries have largely been examined in the literature of medical tourism, much less attention has been paid to small-scale providers, the main focus of this chapter. In comparison to key players in the industry who can afford to invest significantly in their pursuit of medical excellence, small players with relatively limited resources often operate modestly. This chapter argues that for the latter, providing specialty niche treatments is one of the ways to establish their uniqueness; this enables them to survive in an extremely competitive business environment. It investigates the business operations of these small-scale providers and the marketing strategies which they use to attract medical travellers. The chapter also explores issues such as the provision of medical information, informed patient choice and the ethics of business practices.