AccScience Publishing / CP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/CP025250040
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Cross-border healthcare policies and cancer care: Strategic opportunities for medical tourism in South Asia

Hamza Iftikhar1* Maheen Ahmed1 Namrah Ali1
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1 Department of Government of Public Policy, Jinnah School of Public Policy and Leadership, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
Received: 17 June 2025 | Revised: 21 July 2025 | Accepted: 8 August 2025 | Published online: 25 September 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

The globalization of healthcare has fueled the rapid growth of cross-border medical tourism, particularly in regions with significant disparities in healthcare infrastructure. In South Asia, cancer patients increasingly seek treatment abroad due to a lack of specialized oncology services, affordability constraints, and regulatory barriers. This research critically examines the intersection of cross-border healthcare policies and cancer care, identifying key push and pull factors that influence medical travel in the region. The study employs a document analysis and case study approach to assess how national healthcare policies either facilitate or restrict access to international oncology treatment. Findings highlight the uneven distribution of cancer care resources, with countries, such as India, serving as medical hubs, while others, such as Bangladesh and Nepal face severe treatment shortages. Policy inconsistencies, visa restrictions, and healthcare agreements further complicate patient mobility. This research underscores the need for regional cooperation in standardizing medical regulations, improving patient safety measures, and streamlining healthcare policies to enhance access to timely and cost-effective cancer treatment. The study contributes to the discourse on regional health integration by proposing policy recommendations for harmonized cross-border healthcare frameworks within South Asia.

Keywords
Cross-border healthcare
Cancer care
Medical tourism
South Asia
Health policy Regional cooperation
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Cancer Plus, Electronic ISSN: 2661-3840 Print ISSN: 2661-3832, Published by AccScience Publishing