Turismo en salud: ¿una forma de medicalización de la sociedad?

Resumen

Introduction. Postmodernity is characterized among
\nmany of its typologies by extreme consumerism. In
\ndifferent countries, market logic extends from product
\ncirculation on the market to the configuration of
\nthe right to health services, to such an extent that
\npharmaceutical, clinical, cosmetics science and
\ntourism multinationals would seem to have gained
\ntotal control of biomedical sciences. A control of
\npeople’s right to health services by the market can
\nthus be observed. In fact, an indicative sign of this
\nreality is a significant increase in the medicalization of
\nsociety, since habitual problems of human existence
\nare treated as medical problems. In our environment,
\nit is common to see a great amount of treatments,
\nmedication, and cosmetic and nutritional products
\nbeing used to give sanitary response to problems which are not medical a priori, such as aging, unhappiness,
\nsocial isolation, shyness, among others. Objective.
\nShow the relationship between health tourism and the
\nmedicalization of society, from bioethics and biolaw
\nperspectives. Materials and methods. This article
\nreports on a qualitative documentary investigation
\nthat seeks to bring together methodologies typical
\nof bioethics and legal hermeneutics. Results. This
\nwork shows how health tourism is related to the
\nmedicalization of society, since the former is shown
\nin many cases as a life experience into which medical
\ntreatment can be “packaged”, commercially speaking;
\ntourist experiences offer, along with cosmetic
\ntreatments, surgery and hospitalization, spa services
\nand private medical home care. Conclusion. Health
\ntourism, seen from a bioethics perspective, would
\nseem to be redefining the doctor-patient relationship,
\nturning it from service assistance to a commercial
\nrelationship between a service operator and a client
\nin which profit, not medical assistance, prevails; thus
\nthe patients are reduced to the capacity they have to
\npay for the different medical services offered.