HealthHop was founded in 2023 in San Francisco, CA by Shirien Elamawy. Working remotely and traveling the world without insurance, Shirien got hit by a speeding car while crossing the road (yes, really). And HealthHop was born.

Traveling through Istanbul Airport, she saw dozens of groups men – all bald and all beautifully wrapped with headbands around their red, irritated scalps. Incredibly confused she started Googling, “religious cults that shave their heads” and “Hair sacrifice  rituals?” thinking it was some kind of religious ceremony from some ultra-orthodox group. It wasn’t until she went to her hotel & saw buses of medical patients for all sorts of procedures going in and out that she realized what she saw was groups of men traveling and bonding together over hair transplant success. 

People came from Canada, the US, Australia, and all over Europe and the Middle-East for every type of procedure; orthopedic procedures, weight loss, aesthetic procedures and dental work. She saw people from remote and underdeveloped areas in Africa and Asia coming to get life-critical treatments, because the doctors were experts in specialized techniques not yet common in their countries. 

She spoke to many of the patients and they all told her the same things: It’s cheaper than in their home country & they didn’t have to wait months to see a highly qualified specialist. 

So HealthHop was born; an all-in-one medical tourism site where you can book your medical procedure, hotel, transportation and even some sightseeing excursions. All with fully-licensed and vetted clinics in safe areas aimed to reduce the risks associated with medical tourism.