Growing Medical Tourism to Augment the Growth of the Hospital Stretchers Market

 

A stretcher, also known as gurney, is a medical device used for moving patients who require medical care. Over the years, hospital stretchers have evolved as a multipurpose device, and still transforming to provide ease and convenience for caregivers and better comfort to patients. Hospital stretchers are mainly used in acute hospital care situations such as in rescue services, military, emergency, and general medical services. Moreover, apart from this, they are used as surgical platform, hospital bed, and as inspection or examination desk. Most hospital stretchers are simple, lightweight, made of metal or other synthetic materials.

Increasing number of bariatric patient is driving the growth of the Hospital Stretchers Market. A person is classified as having obesity and may be referred to as a bariatric patient when they have a body mass index (BMI) that is equal to or greater than 30. According to the Trust for America's Health (the State of Obesity 2020), the U.S. adult obesity rate stands at 42.4 percent, the first time the national rate has passed the 40 percent mark. The national adult obesity rate has increased by 26 percent since 2008. This in turn creates a highly conducive environment for the growth of the bariatric hospital stretchers.

Moreover, there is an increasing demand for hospital stretchers and for ambulance facilities due to increase in number of road accidents worldwide. This in turn is also expected to propel growth of the Hospital Stretchers Market. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP). Furthermore, growth of the hospital stretchers market is driven by the growing geriatric population around the world. Aging population is prone to various medical conditions, as well as is associated to increases in hospitalization.

According to the United Nations, today, there are 703 million people aged 65 or older, a number that is projected to reach 1.5 billion by 2050. The Hospital Stretchers Market is growing with the rapid growth of the medical tourism industry. Medical tourism has indeed changed the future of the healthcare industry. It has expanded and is continually evolving all throughout the globe. The top ten medical tourism destinations are the US, India, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, Japan, and Thailand. Medical tourism is growing at a rapid pace in India, which in turn, is expected to increase the demand for stretchers, thereby driving the hospital stretchers market in the Asia Pacific.