Conflicting regulation of relations in the field of medical tourism: the experience of the European Union

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the conflict regulation of relations in the field of medical tourism in the European Union. The author analyzes the concept of «medical tourism» and other terms used to denote the phenomenon of travel of persons to foreign countries to receive medical services («cross-border healthcare», «medical tourism», «medical travel»). The article analyzes the regulation of the EU-member states and supra-national regulation of private law aspects in the field of medical tourism. In particular, the peculiarities of receiving medical care by citizens of the European Union, which are regulated with the Directive of the Euro-pean Council and the Parliament 2011/24 / EU on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare. The author concludes that the conflict regulation of medical tourism in the European Union is based on the general conflict rules on the conclusion and implementation of contracts in the field of services and insurance, as well as compensation for damage caused by improper performance of contracts or civil offenses (torts), resolving conflicts of jurisdiction, etc. Special conflict regulation of relations in the field of medical tourism in the European Union is not developed. At the same time, the author emphasizes the significant gaps in the conflict regulation of certain issues related to medical tourism, especially such debatable as cross-border surrogacy, organ transplantation, eutha-nasia and others. The author supports the view that for the countries of the European Union today in the context of medical tourism for the purpose of surrogacy in countries where such a procedure is legal, relevant today are issues of conflict regulation, such as determining the nationality of the child; recognition of paternity (origin of the child); recognition of birth certificates of a surrogate mother issued in other countries.