REVIEW OF HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT, CURRENT TRENDS, FACTORS AND ISSUES OF MEDICAL TOURISM IN SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE

The medical tourism started not from XX-XXI century but in the ancient times, and was studied by both Russian and international authors. The analyzed segment did not develop uniformly, but, however, at the beginning of the last century the paradigm of systemic rendering of medical services to foreign citizens acquired the international character when countries began active urbanization and realization of the policy of ‘openness' for tourists. This article presents the key characteristics of medical tourism industry. The author presented analysis of various points of view of authors of scientific papers on the development of the medical tourism segment, starting from the ancient times and ending with the current situation. The article presents analysis of points of view of both Russian and foreign researchers and allows for a holistic understanding of the current trends in medical tourism industry.