5 Challenges of Seeking Medical Care in a Foreign Country

When visiting a foreign country for the first time, you are likely to bump into all kinds of challenges. You’ll certainly have to adjust to a new environment and maybe even communicate using an unfamiliar language. Imagine the difficulty this might create if you were seeking medical attention while traveling. In this article, we have discussed the five challenges you are likely to experience in the event that you are seeking medical attention in a foreign country.

 1. Cultural Differences

Studies conducted on how cultural differences can impede medical care in a foreign country suggest that certain cultural beliefs can make it hard to get medical attention abroad. These studies give examples of some countries where healthcare providers cannot holistically address health issues because it goes against their cultural or religious beliefs. This can severely limit the amount of care they are willing and able to provide. Through your own research and connecting with the locals, you can achieve a better understanding of significant cultural differences and how they may impact the quality of medical care.

 2. Language Barrier

The language barrier is another major challenge when it comes to seeking medical care in a foreign country. While interpreters and translating apps can be used to help solve this problem, a lot of crucial information can be lost. So you, the patient, want one thing while the doctor perceives another. This is just one clean-cut example of how language can create difficulty, and in many cases, this could discourage foreigners from seeking medical attention at all. On the other hand, language barriers can create difficulty and frustration for the medical provider as well, making it even harder to address your illness or ailment.

 3. Insufficient Knowledge of the Local Healthcare System

While you can navigate around most language barriers by using a translator or learning a new language yourself, it is almost impossible to know everything about the local healthcare system in a new country. Some countries have very few programs advising foreigners on how the local healthcare system works. This leaves foreigners unfamiliar with the system which, in turn, can lead to distrust as well as dissatisfaction. It is challenging enough to understand the healthcare system in one’s home country. Fortunately, there are resources out there that can help you locate cross-border treatment while traveling abroad, giving you access to on-site medical care or care via telemedicine. Telemedicine gives healthcare providers a chance to use the latest telecommunication technology to diagnose, evaluate, and treat patients from anywhere in the world.

 4. Costly Healthcare Service

The high cost of healthcare services, particularly in European countries, can also act as a barrier to seeking medical attention. Foreigners fear visiting both outpatient clinics and emergency rooms because of high bills. They also avoid specialty clinics as well as well-known medical institutes, which is completely not a good thing to do. That is because these institutes have hi-tech equipment that helps them handle certain types of illnesses efficiently. But, since they are expensive, foreigners avoid them and, instead, go to general health centers. Now, the problem with general health centers is that they may not have the necessary equipment to address your health issues as expected.

5. Fear of Being Stigmatized or Prejudiced

A good number of foreigners prefer not to receive medical attention because they do not know how the people around them would receive them upon knowing that they have certain illnesses. You do not know anyone in a foreign country, plus you are far away from home. This is likely to make you fear being prejudiced or rejected. As such, you will find yourself reluctant to seek healthcare services. Furthermore, there are instances when healthcare providers perceive that foreign patients are semi-literate. These healthcare providers, therefore, oversimplify medication instructions, which, in turn, leads to inadequate care. Healthcare providers can also assume that foreign patients understand everything. As a result, they issue instructions without giving adequate information. And this, in turn, compromises healthcare services.

Conclusion

Seeking medical care in a foreign country can be harder than anticipated. That is because of the numerous challenges, including differences in culture and language, unfamiliarity with other healthcare systems, high costs, and more. Hopefully, now that you are aware of the challenges you might expect, you can be better prepared and less worried when traveling abroad.