A Green, Circular, Responsible, and Regenerative (GCRR) Framework for Medical Tourism

Medical tourism has become a major global phenomenon at the intersection of healthcare, mobility, and economic development. While it drives revenue and fosters medical innovation, it also raises significant ethical, equity, and environmental concerns, including unequal access to care, resource diversion from local populations, and ecological impacts. This viewpoint introduces a Green, Circular, Responsible, and Regenerative framework to guide sustainable and socially just medical tourism. Integrating environmental sustainability, resource circularity, and corporate social responsibility, the framework promotes economic viability alongside social justice and planetary health. Grounded in circular economy principles, CSR, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it outlines how policymakers, healthcare providers, and tourism stakeholders can collaborate to advance equitable, sustainable, and regenerative medical tourism systems.