Hungarian dentist Ivan Solymosi checks British patient Bob Martin's implants at the Kreativ Dental Clinic in Budapest, Hungary on Feb 10, 2023.The foreigners with bad teeth he was counting on never arrived, deterred first by Covid-19 and now by a cost-of-living crisis that has left the medical tourism industry struggling to recover even after the lifting of pandemic travel restrictions.
For years, travelling abroad to clinics in countries like Hungary and Turkey has been an option for British and North American patients who face long waits, high costs or both for dental and medical procedures at home.But inflation fuelled by soaring energy and food prices since the Ukraine war started a year ago has left people with little money to spare, especially for cosmetic procedures.In Hungary, which borders Ukraine, the war itself is making foreigners wary, Knott said.
WeCure said flights, ground transfers and petrol now accounted for about 15per cent of the cost of its travel and treatment packages, roughly double their proportion pre-Covid-19, putting upward pressure on overall prices. Knott said most of his patients are from Britain and Iceland, while fewer are coming from other Nordic countries and France.
"If it's an emergency and only here could do it, then I wanted them to do it. Somehow you just have to find what you need," she said.The International Medical Travel Journal, published by market intelligence service LaingBuisson, estimates the medical tourism market is currently worth around US$21 billion , less than pre-pandemic, although editor Keith Pollard warned data is poor.