Incomes Abroad articles Archives

Ten years ago while stationed as a volunteer nurse in Archidona, a small community not far from Tena in Ecuador’s jungled east, Michelle Klein found the accommodations to be lacking. “I rented a room for $50 a month. But there were up to nine people at times competing for the bathroom, the shower didn’t have hot water, and the windows didn’t have screens. It was dark. And there really wasn’t any other good place to stay,” she says. It was easy to spot the gap in the market.

A few decades ago, going abroad for medical or dental care, especially surgical procedures, was practically unknown. But today, fueled in part by the rising cost of health care in the developed world, medical tourism (including dental care) is growing by leaps and bounds...and by some estimates it’s already a $100-billion business worldwide. Expats in Latin America and Asia—where costs are low and health care quality often high—have launched businesses that cater to the growing demand for medical tourism. Others—often those with medical-related training—have found different ways to earn a living abroad in this industry.