Such trips are often combined with holidays. The idea of medical tourism is not new: as early as the 4th century BC, Epidauros was a sanctuary and healing site for people from across the Mediterranean region who travelled to Anatolia to heal from various diseases.

For several decades, treatments at the Dead Sea have been recognized as effective for skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.

Why travel far afield?

There are many reasons for medical tourism: bypassing long waiting times for surgeries, as in England, inadequate insurance coverage, as in the USA, but also anonymity or a pleasant climate (temperature, surroundings, staff).

At the moment, Swiss people primarily travel abroad for dental or cosmetic surgery procedures, but also for ophthalmic treatments (laser), mainly to Istanbul, Turkey.

These are services not covered by health insurance in Switzerland, which is why price is a key factor. The treatment costs abroad are often significantly lower than the fees charged by Swiss doctors and clinics.

Here you can read a report (in English) about health tourism in Turkey. On Wikipedia, you can also find this article about dental tourism.