Medical Tourism in Israel

Medical tourism in Israel has an increasing demand. Patients from different countries are treated in many major Israeli hospitals and in private practices.

“Herzliya Medical Center – HMC” has created a special department of medical tourism. It provides service to foreign citizens who are interested in medical treatment in Israel. In the field of medical tourism, both state and private medicine are involved. The activities of public and private health institutions are regulated and controlled by the Israeli Ministry of Health. The quality of public and private healthcare in hospitals is not fundamentally different.

At the same time, private hospitals have the opportunity to more flexible pricing policy, they respond to dynamic market realities and provide medical services to patients with a comfortable hospital stay.

According to data published in the Israeli Ministry of Health report, more than 30,000 people arrived for treatment in Israel in 2013. For comparison, in 2006 the number was 15,000. Medical Tourism in Israel is an independent branch of the economy characterized by rapid growth and a trend towards further development. It is estimated that its annual turnover is equal to the U.S. $ 140 million.
Medical tourists are citizens of other countries, visiting Israel to receive medical services. Most of them are residents of Eastern Europe (mostly citizens of Russia and Ukraine), Cyprus and the United States.

Main reasons why people come to receive medical treatment in Israel:

• Poor quality of health care in the country of residence, low level of medicine.
• Lack of experience of local physicians in performing specific procedures and /or lack of necessary modern equipment.
• Long waiting lines, bureaucratic difficulties.
• The high cost of medical services, the inability to pay for treatment under the insurance or private medical insurance.
• The need for specific treatment and medication, which were not approved in the country of origin (e.g. some methods of cancer treatment which were approved for use in Israel, but have not yet received official permission from the FDA).
• The desire to combine the healing process with a visit to another country, sightseeing, visiting friends and relatives.

One of the reasons for the prosperity of medical tourism in Israel is the highest level of medicine, appreciated all over the world.

The professionalism of doctors, unique treatment methods, and modern health centers with cutting edge facilities – all these factors attract thousands of patients from abroad who are unable to obtain or to pay for a similar level of medical service at home.

Medical procedures in various fields of public and private medicine in Israel have a high percentage of success, higher than the average world figures.

Israeli specialists demonstrate excellent results in the field of IVF, bone marrow transplants, heart surgery, and rehabilitation medicine.

We encourage patients to take the opportunity to compare the effectiveness of treatment in clinics in several countries and make a wise choice.
The climatic of Israel and its unique wonders of nature, the Dead Sea is attractive for those who would like to undergo climatotherapy, thalassotherapy, and heliotherapy for psoriasis treatment.
Medical tourism in Israel is largely due to the attractive cost of the medical treatments, adequate procedures and health care in general.

The advice of leading Israeli experts on treatments at “Herzliya Medical Center” the private hospital does not exceed the cost of similar medical services in the United States or in Western Europe. Moreover, in some cases, the price of treatment in Israel will be significantly lower than the rates of American or European medical institutes.

The absence of a language barrier between the patient and the attending staff also distinguishes Israel from other countries involved in the field of medical tourism. Many of the medical staff in Israeli clinics and hospitals speak Russian as their mother tongue and all staff speak in English. The Department of Medical Tourism at “Herzliya Medical Center” Private Hospital provides each patient with an interpreter and an accompanying individual who coordinates the treatment process and facilitates communication with the staff.