Medical Tourist Destinations May Not Be What They Promise

New Zealand touts itself as a medical destination for those wanting to save money. But folks from the United States might wonder about that when they learn that New Zealand sends those with anorexia nervosa and cancer to Australia.

This is true even though the country declares it is a world class destination for the treatment of medical conditions. Sick Kiwis are said to “cross the ditch” for such health problems as cancer and anorexia treatments , even though in the United States it is advertised as a medical tourism destination. It has, however, only 12 beds for treating people with anorexia, a serious eating disorder that affects 5 to 10 million women and girls in America. Is this because New Zealand doesn't have women with eating disorders or cancers? Likely not, however one might wonder why it promotes health tourism when it doesn't treat those problems that are particularly of concern. Eating disorders are fairly common in developed countries. Canada has found 27% of girls in Ontario in the age group 12 to 18 have severe problems related to eating behavior. Furthermore, the death rate for eating disorders is higher than any other type of problem in that age group. Anorexia, according to those involved in researching and writing about this problem, is a disease which usually begins around puberty and involves extreme weight loss. That loss is 15% below the normal body weight on average. Many anorexics are very skinny but still consider themselves as fat and may refuse to eat even when they become very ill or are near death. Anorexia is also very difficult to treat because sufferers are very secretive about their behavior. Famous people who have had eating disorders include Jane Fonda, Paula Abdul, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Princess Diana of Wales, Sandra Dee and others. Karen Carpenter, a lovely young singer especially popular a few decades ago, died of the effects of anorexia. New Zealand, if it is like other developed nations, likely has its share of individuals with eating disorders. One wonders why this country has to ship people to Australia at a cost of $750,000/year, and that was just for 13 teenagers. Has this country somehow found a way to help its young people avoid eating disorders or are certain health issues just not important enough to allocate sufficient funds and beds for treatment? It is something to be asked of those who advertise New Zealand as a place for tourists to find good medical care. Perhaps the country is equipped to treat some conditions, but the apparent lack of treatment for eating disorders reveals that its advertising itself as a world class center for medical care might not be entirely accurate.