"I had dental implants to get. Paying for the consultation and the plane ticket to Lebanon was cheaper than getting treated on site," said Farid*, a Lebanese national living in Thailand, where a trip between Bangkok and Beirut can quickly reach $1,800. Still, when he needed dental work, the 40-year-old — who has lived in Southeast Asia for seven years — did not hesitate. While traveling to Lebanon for medical care has long been a common practice among the diaspora, it has become even more routine since the country’s socioeconomic crisis began in 2019. So much so, in fact, that flying halfway across the globe for a dental consultation is no longer surprising.'Patients arrive directly from the airport'Several factors contribute to this trend. For Farid, who took this decision for the first time, cost was the primary consideration. In...