Medical Tourism
Medical Tourism
Medical tourism.
To explain the meaning of this term: it meant getting on a plane and going to another country to receive treatment.
Was it because their own country didn't have hospitals? No.
But not every country on Earth was wealthy. If there were developed nations, there were naturally developing ones, too. And honestly, hospitals in developing nations weren't trustworthy. On top of that, their technology and systems weren't as good as those in developed nations.
However, as capitalism arrived across the globe, there were people living in developing nations who earned as much money as the rich in developed nations.
If such people were to fall ill with a serious disease, wouldn't they naturally go to a hospital in a developed nation rather than one in their own country?
It was because the demerits of their own country's hospitals outweighed the merits. If you received surgery overseas, medical insurance benefits didn't apply, so you had to pay a surgery fee that would make your eyes pop out. Though, for the rich, that probably wasn't such a huge amount of money.
One thing was certain: the rich in developing nations also knew well that their own country's medical technology was backward.
However, there were also cases where the rich living in developed nations went on medical tourism. It was when they caught a disease that couldn't be treated in their own country.
It was the same right now.
"Uh..."
Michael Anderson, who served as the chairman of a leading energy conglomerate that handled natural gas production, distribution, and supply chain management, as well as oil extraction and the refining and manufacturing of oil byproducts, was in the same boat.
"Chairman-nim..."
"Uh...? Oh!"
The secretary looked at Michael and gave the work report for the day. But that report didn't enter Michael's head.
He was a patient suffering from dementia. He had caught dementia at the early age of not even 60. He couldn't help but feel frustrated when he was diagnosed with early-stage dementia. The disease called dementia was an incurable illness that even shattered the will of a successful businessman.
He immediately took dementia medication. But the dementia medication made with modern technology wasn't a drug that fundamentally cured dementia.
It was only a drug that slowed the progression of dementia. It couldn't stop the dementia from getting worse.
Michael went around the company and returned home according to his routine. However, he couldn't help but feel his forgetfulness getting worse.
It was the same right now. Because he had forgotten what he was supposed to do after coming home. No, this wasn't forgetfulness. It was dementia.
In the case of forgetfulness, when you entered the bathroom, you knew what you had to do. Whether you went in to wash up, or whether you went in to relieve yourself.
But dementia was different. He had entered the bathroom, but he had absolutely no idea what he had come in to do.
Wa-jang-chang!
Michael swept everything in the bathroom away. But his anger didn't subside. He collapsed on the floor and wailed. The dementia was getting severe enough that even he could feel it.
Moreover, the disease called dementia was one that destroyed a person slowly but surely. Michael wasn't even sure if he had a clear will of his own right now.
He became even more afraid when he went to sleep. There was a fear... of whether he would be able to maintain his ego if he woke up after sleeping.
He couldn't sleep properly, and his worries just piled up. After a short time, he became a wreck.
Company work or other things didn't catch his eye. Everything would be useless if he died. Good news from his secretary came to him as he was spending his nights with alcohol.
"A dementia treatment has been developed."
It was words that made Michael's ears perk up. Michael opened his eyes wide and watched the video the secretary brought. It was a video of a severe dementia patient regaining consciousness.
Michael didn't have any other alternatives anyway. He immediately boarded his private jet and entered Korea. It was a drug that didn't exist in the United States.
"This is Korea?"
He had heard of the country called Korea. But this was his first time coming to Korea in person. Because it was a country that took over ten hours to fly to from the United States.
Besides, wasn't it a country with not much to see? There were plenty of Americans who had never left their own territory in their entire lives. Because the country called the United States was wide enough on its own.
"So this is the country that sells the dementia treatment...?"
"Yes, Chairman-nim."
"But why isn't this treatment in the United States?"
Michael was curious. If such a miraculous treatment had been developed, shouldn't it naturally be released worldwide? The secretary said this after hearing Michael's words.
"Because the drug has only been approved for use in South Korea. Other countries are still conducting tests for stability."
The secretary continued while reading something.
"The drug started being developed in earnest 2 months ago... It would normally take over 10 years just to finish clinical trials and various verifications. But the Korean government used a system called emergency use authorization to drastically shorten the new drug testing period."
Michael smirked at those words and said.
"In that case, it means I'm taking a drug that hasn't even guaranteed its stability yet."
The secretary nodded at Michael's words. But there were no options for Michael.
"Whether I become a fool just like this... or believe that there are no side effects and take Neurogen..."
There was no room for choice. One path was definitely becoming a fool as the dementia progressed, and the other was the path to being cured of dementia and returning to a normal person.
Even if that path was dangerous and he didn't know what would happen ahead, he had absolutely no intention of living as a fool.
Michael immediately booked an appointment at the hospital. Fortunately, it didn't require major surgery. He could see the effects just by taking the medicine like a cold.
Michael found that fact interesting. Didn't they fix cancer or other major diseases by admitting you to the hospital and performing major surgery? Dementia was much more vicious and harder to treat than those diseases. Yet, such dementia was being treated so simply.
"What is the price?"
"It is 100 dollars."
"Hm? 1 million dollars... That is expensive."
The secretary gave an awkward smile at Michael's words and said.
"It is 100 dollars per pill. Neurogen is a treatment that must be taken every day."
"100 dollars?"
Michael now knew the fact that he had to take it every day. And calculations started in his brain. As a result of working his brain, which wasn't working well, he was able to derive the value.
"To be able to cure dementia for 100 dollars a day. The country called South Korea must be an incredibly powerful nation when it comes to medicine."
It was a price that wasn't even a handful to Michael. That it was that cheap... The fact that he could cure dementia with that amount of money was just very surprising. Before, it was a disease he would have wanted to cure by giving away all his assets.
Money was something he could earn again. But the memories disappearing due to dementia could not be brought back.
Anyway, Michael was able to get a prescription for Neurogen. He started taking the medicine with a pounding heart. Since the dementia had progressed quite a bit, there were times he forgot the fact that he had to take the medicine.
But because he had a secretary, there was never a time he completely forgot and didn't take the medicine. And when he was hazy, he just took the medicine.
Because it wasn't like anything would go wrong just from taking two pills a day.
Two weeks passed like that. Michael woke up in the hotel bed with a refreshed feeling.
It really had an effect. His head, which felt like it had been covered in fog, had become clear. Moreover, his memory had returned to its prime. Not only did he not forget the contents of the secretary's report, but the path for how to run his business in the future was clearly visible.
Michael thought about the days he spent with alcohol. It was not good behavior for dementia patients, but he couldn't help it. Because dementia was eating away at him.
But now it was different. The thing called dementia was gone. He changed his clothes to exercise and left the hotel. Even though the value of the companies he owned exceeded 100 billion dollars, there was no way the people of South Korea would recognize him.
Originally, incredibly rich people didn't stand out. Michael started jogging along the walking path.
The feeling of running while breathing in the morning air was beyond refreshing. Moreover, he now knew well what he had to do. He was able to regain the cognitive abilities he had lost due to dementia.
Michael was able to regain the smile he had lost. He didn't know what side effects were waiting, but he thought it was at least better than catching dementia and losing his ego.
Rather than fearing not knowing when he would lose his ego and die, it was better to know the day he would die and wait for it.
Anyway, dying from losing his ego due to dementia was more fearful than dying from the side effects of Neurogen.
Besides, the side effects of Neurogen didn't mean dying. Although it hadn't been revealed yet, it could be a minor side effect.