A study titled “Philippine Medical Tourism Compendium 2011: Facts, Figures & Strategies” estimated that the country earned a total of $1.30 billion from health care and wellness services in the period of 2006 to 2010.

The study also projected that the Philippines has the potential to earn as much as $1 billion in additional annual revenue by 2018 or earlier if it would invest thoroughly on healthcare infrastructures, more open and liberal travel arrangements for medical tourists and lay down an extensive international marketing promotions campaign.

The study, conducted by healthcare business intelligence firm Healthcore, indicated that the earnings were from overseas foreign tourists and balikbayans who visited during the period of the study.

The research noted that the Philippines has a high potential to grab a larger market share in the global medical tourism industry based on the following criteria: High level of quality in healthcare;

Competitive cost of healthcare services; Large supply of competent healthcare professionals; English communication skill, and culture of compassion and service; and Geographical proximity to countries that have expensive medical services such as Guam and Micronesia, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

The study noted that top tertiary hospitals in the Philippines have state-of-the-art medical and hospital facilities and were staffed with highly qualified medical consultants, doctors, nurses and other personnel.

It added that at least eight hospitals and clinics were now accredited by various international accreditation agencies.

The Philippines also has a competitive edge since these world-class healthcare services generally cost lower than in most developed countries like the United States and Canada.

The Philippines, being a major source of medical professionals to the global workforce, boasts of world-class medical doctors, highly qualified nurses, therapists, and medical technicians.

The Filipinos’ high level of English communication skills, and unique culture of compassion and service – the same competitive advantage that made the country one of the top BPO providers in the world – will also help place the Philippines among the top global healthcare providers.

International research firm Deloitte, the research added, has identified the Philippines as one of the emerging players in the multi-billion dollar industry, which currently is dominated in Asia by Singapore, India, Malaysia and Thailand.

The study concluded that medical and tourism sectors and other related industry stakeholders should work together and further develop broad-ranging strategies and facilitate the implementation of programs in the field of healthcare infrastructure and service, likewise, the government should liberalize visa restriction for medical travelers and an aggressive international marketing and promotions campaign should be launched in order to catapult the Philippines in the elite circle of medical tourism providers. (advt)

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http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/33165/philippines-emerging-major-player-in-medical-tourism-industry%E2%80%94study

Medical Tourism Resource Online

According to the Bank of Korea’s ’Statistics on International Balance of Payments in 2011 (tentative)’ released on Tuesday, revenue from medical tourism rose by 29.2% over last year to 116 million dollars- the highest ever since data collection began in 2006.

Revenue from medical tourism was only $59 million in 2006. The numbers have risen steadily since, reaching $67.5 million in 2007, $69.8 million in 2008, $82.7 million in 2009, and $89.5 million in 2010.

“As Korea’s medical skills and quality of services became better known in other countries, more medical tourists are coming here,” said an official from the Bank of Korea.

“It seems that Chinese and Japanese tourists are entering Korea mostly to have plastic surgery.”

In fact, the total number of medical tourist visas issued by the Korean Embassy in China was 1073, 3.9 times more than 2010.

In addition, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare’s report of ‘Performance Review on Attracting Foreign Patients in 2010,’ the number one type of medical treatment that foreigners chose was dermatology and plastic surgery (14%).

This was followed by internal medicine (13.5%), general check-ups (13.1%), family medicine (9.8%) and obstetrics and gynecology (5.6%).

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_business/516984.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

He was arguing in favour of local healthcare providers building a large-scale medical tourism industry here.

“The same things that all tourists do,” he said, “the medical tourist has to do. (And) if the ownership is Bahamian, then the economy really wins because those funds will stay here.”

But at the same time he felt constrained to point out that Bahamians were offsetting the income from foreigners by flying off to get treatment in the US.

“We boost their economy big time. We are reverse medical tourists. Several hospitals in South Florida say their biggest international clientele is from the Bahamas.”

Medical tourism is a multi-billion-dollar growth industry that hospitals, doctors and tourism marketers around the world are eager to tap into.

By some accounts, more than half a million Americans travel to other countries for medical treatment – partly for cost reasons and partly to take advantage of procedures not yet approved in the US.

There can be no disagreement with Dr Brown’s position in terms of the Bahamian economy. And for patients, the benefits are equally obvious and compelling.

If Bahamians obtained their medical treatment at home they would significantly reduce the logistics, expense and stress of being treated abroad.

Why then, do so many of us spend so much money overseas for treatments that are available right here at home? We can answer that question fairly confidently – given a choice, patients will seek medical care from the doctors, hospitals and clinics they trust the most.

This is a personal decision, and it is usually an informed decision. Patients must feel assured that the doctors and facilities they choose are both accountable and able to provide the best quality care they can afford. So what processes do we have in place to convey such assurances to Bahamians?

Well, there are three statutory bodies that are capable of providing quality assurance and oversight to the Bahamian healthcare sector.

The Public Health Authority has managed government hospitals and clinics since 1999, under the direction of the Minister of Health.

As an independent public body, the Authority is responsible for planning, policy, monitoring, evaluation, and management, as well as programme development and oversight.

However, the PHA’s legislation has no provision for the investigation of complaints about the healthcare facilities managed by the Authority.

Instead, PHA patients are advised to contact the “patient representative” to discuss any concerns they may have.

The Hospital and Health Care Facilities Board was created by Parliament in 1998 to license private hospitals and clinics. This legislation does include a specific mandate to investigate complaints into the “diagnosis, management and treatment” of any patient.

Physicians are the primary providers of healthcare, whether in the public or private sector, and since 1974 they have been licensed and regulated by the Medical Council.

According to its website, the Council was established “to regulate the medical profession, to upgrade doctors through continuing education requirements, and to safeguard the public through receiving and disposing of complaints.”

However, despite the fact that it represents one of the richest professions, the Council is made up of a handful of volunteers with virtually no administrative staff. Their website, for example, includes dead and departed physicians on its registry.

So do the records of these three bodies help to inspire confidence and trust in the delivery of healthcare services in the Bahamas?

Well, It would be useful to know how many complaints have been processed by the PHA’s “patient representative” and how they were resolved, but unfortunately that information is not publicly available.

As for the Hospital Board and the Medical Council, a summary of the case history of one complaint to these bodies over the past decade is instructive.

In 2004 a complaint was made to the Hospital Board concerning the treatment of a 42-year-old man who unexpectedly died in 2002 in a licensed Bahamian healthcare facility.

The Board initially refused to deal with the complaint. But after several Board members were replaced in 2005 by then Health Minister Dr. Marcus Bethel, he ordered that the complaint be investigated. This order by Dr. Bethel more than six years ago is the high-point of the case.

The 2005 Board met with the complainant’s legal and medical representatives in 2006. Afterwards, the Board chairman advised that ”since the patient was dead, the file should be closed.”

The Board did, however, reconsider, and an investigatory panel was to be formed. However, the government changed before this happened.

The new government reinstated the 2004 Board chairman, and other members. This chairman reported to a Rotary Club meeting in 2008 that the Board didn’t want to investigate any complaints, or “be involved in that detailed level of work.”

The Board said it would seek to have its enabling legislation amended, to remove the investigative requirements, and also to remove the requirement for licensed facilities to report deaths occurring on their premises – a legal mandate never complied with, and never enforced, over the Board’s entire lifetime.

(It should also be noted that over the past 14 years the Board has issued only two “annual” reports to Parliament, something which it is required to do by law every year. And even obtaining copies of those two reports presents enormous challenges.)

At a public meeting in 2008, Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis also promised to investigate the 2004 complaint. But it is now 2012 and the Board has taken no action whatsoever. Neither has it ever responded to the complainant.

As for the Medical Council, it received a complaint about the same patient’s treatment and care in 2008. The disciplinary committee of the Medical Council met twice on the matter, and three years ago, then Council chairman Dr Duane Sands assured Tough Call that “There is no stonewalling.

We take this very, very seriously because we want to ensure that the public will be well-served at the end of the day by this groundbreaking precedent.”

He also told me that a revision of the medical act (something which has been stalled for almost a decade now) would strengthen the Council’s ability to deal with “a finite group of people who are discrediting the profession without any real repercussions – from charging extortionary fees to providing less than appropriate care.”

However, in December of last year the Medical Council’s disciplinary committee suspended the 2008 complaint investigation indefinitely.

The Council decided it could not proceed because of an ex-parte injunction granted by a Supreme Court judge against the disciplinary committee in 2009, on the application of a doctor concerned in the matter.

Since then, the Medical Council has taken no steps to have the injunction removed or to proceed with the investigation.

The injunction itself is a curious feature in this story. It is perhaps “the one and only” injunction to be granted by one Supreme Court judge against another Supreme Court judge (who sits in his judicial capacity as a member of the statutory disciplinary committee).

Kerzner’s branding of the Ocean Club as the “One and Only” has given a high profile to the Bahamas as an attractive destination, but the “one and only” injunction against a Supreme Court judge could have a converse effect on the Bahamas as a destination for medical tourism – quite apart from the collateral damage inflicted on the public oversight function of the Medical Council.

If doctors and politicians want to attract medical tourism to the Bahamas, they need first to inspire confidence in Bahamian medical services among Bahamians themselves.

Putting the legislation that already exists to work on behalf of the public interest by providing quality assurance and oversight of healthcare delivery is the obvious place to start.

http://www.bahamapundit.com/2012/01/medical-tourism-and-medical-oversight-in-the-bahamas.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

In countries like Australia, the rate of regulatory and policy change is weighing down progress; it takes many years for significant advances to become available – no doubt at the cost of lives and quality of life.

Just a few years ago, medical tourism was considered taboo. But it is becoming commonplace for patients to undergo medical procedures outside their country of residence – usually because healthcare at home is lacking, not available fast enough or is too expensive.

Sometimes a sufferer chooses to try a treatment ruled out by the regulators in their home country. Medical entrepreneurs are stepping in to fill the demand.

Perhaps the most high-profile of these is Dignitas in Switzerland, which helps the terminally ill to die voluntarily. Another organisation keen to innovate its way into existence is planning to capitalise on the increasing popularity of medical tourism by offering medical procedures at sea.

Advertisement: Story continues below The Seasteading Institute is a libertarian project set up in 2008 by Patri Friedman (grandson of free-market guru Milton Friedman) that aims to create floating cities on the sea outside of any country’s jurisdiction.

These cities, or ”seasteads”, will allow the communities living and working on them to experiment with new political and social systems unconstrained by the laws of existing nations.

To cover the considerable costs of designing, building and operating giant off-shore communities, the institute is banking on its seasteads becoming an attractive destination for medical tourists.

In keeping with the libertarian principle that a person may do to themselves as they please as long as they’re not causing harm to others, the Seasteaders plan to offer cutting-edge and experimental procedures to early-adopting patients.

To facilitate this, the Seasteaders won’t regulate doctors, scientists and possibly anyone else who may want to provide treatments that are illegal elsewhere.

No doubt the libertarians’ hands-off approach to regulation will generate concerns about medical procedures gone wrong and quacks who are more interested in making money than saving lives. Which points to the broader issue here: What is the market’s role in medicine?

Like Australia, most countries with nationalised healthcare systems are sinking under the pressure of increasing demand from ageing populations and the plethora of new and expensive interventions. So governments are looking for ways to bear these exponentially rising health costs that aren’t political euthanasia.

While the Seasteaders’ plan sounds pretty out there, it’s not such a whacky idea. Last year our own federal Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism quietly commissioned an economics consultancy to research whether it would be viable for Australia to expand its offering as a destination for medical tourists.

According to the research, Australia has fallen behind countries such as Thailand, India, Singapore, South Korea, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, which have all put policies in place to stimulate this new market within their borders.

Leading the way are Thai private hospitals, which market themselves as a destination for medical tourism with luxury accommodation and quality healthcare.

The commissioned research found that the proportion of tourists travelling to Australia to access medical services was growing.

Although Australia couldn’t compete with Asian providers on price, the report suggested a niche treating first-world problems such as botched cosmetic surgery and IVF.

But with the Australian public hospital system already over capacity, it wouldn’t be a good look for Australian governments to fill up private hospital beds with fee-paying overseas patients. The alternative is to encourage purpose-built centres for medical tourists.

Marketing Australia as a destination for medical tourists could subsidise our local health services in the same way fee-paying international students support our higher education sector. It’s in Australia’s interests to take medical tourism seriously.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/tourism-idea-has-sea-legs-20120128-1qmsh.html#ixzz1vO4xjZhl

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/tourism-idea-has-sea-legs-20120128-1qmsh.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

They won’t be looking for Mayan ruins or ancient Buddhist temples, but something a bit more practical: affordable medical care. These medical tourists will be getting root canals, knee surgeries, and hip replacements at foreign hospitals.

If health-care costs in the U.S. keep rising—and especially if Obamacare is overturned by the Supreme Court—more of us may soon be joining them.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield has started a company called Companion Global Healthcare, which connects patients with hospitals around the world. Political events could also quickly make medical tourism considerably more attractive. If Obamacare is overturned, forty million Americans without insurance will stay that way.

If Medicaid and Medicare are cut sharply, the cost of American health care will eventually become prohibitive to many senior citizens. And if health-care costs keep soaring fewer employers will offer health insurance.

That doesn’t mean that Americans are soon going to jet halfway around the world for an ingrown toenail, but it’s easy to envisage regional systems becoming common, with Americans heading to places like Costa Rica and Mexico, and Western Europeans going to places like Hungary and Turkey.

If more Americans sought care abroad, it wouldn’t just save them money; it could also help control medical costs at home. Medical tourism can be considered a kind of import: instead of the product coming to the consumer, as it does with cars or sneakers, the consumer is going to the product.

More medical tourism would increase free trade in medical services, something there has not been much of in the past. The U.S. has been religious about breaking down barriers to free trade, especially in manufacturing and service industries, exposing ordinary workers to foreign competition. But health care has been insulated from the forces of globalization.

This has been great for hospitals and doctors, but less good for consumers. It’s one reason that the cost of health care has risen so much faster than that of almost everything else.

http://shiracoffee.tumblr.com/post/20844628976/medical-tourism-affordable-health-care-in-thailand-and

Medical Tourism Resource Online

The Philippines’ government envisions the country as the “new hub of wellness and medical care” as it is the home to some best hospitals and standalone specialty clinics in the region.

According to a new research report by RNCOS, the nation is planning to introduce special medical visas for foreigners, with a view to grabbing a sizeable share in Asia’s booming health tourism industry.

It is anticipated that on back of such initiatives and developments, Philippines’ medical tourism market will expand at a CAGR of over 25% during 2010-2013.

The research report, “Asian Medical Tourism Analysis (2008-2012)”, says that the Asian medical tourism industry has been growing at a rapid pace for the last few years, and has become a key attraction for the foreign medical tourists.

The industry has gained grounds due to the rising healthcare costs in the developed world, long waiting time, and in some cases, the unavailability of quality healthcare (as in the Middle East).

It is estimated that the market will grow at double-digit rate in near future. Besides, six countries– Thailand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Philippines – are expected to be the most potential medical tourism destinations in Asia in the coming years.

The study provides comprehensive research and unbiased analysis of the industry’s current performance and future outlook of the key Asian medical tourism markets.

It acknowledges the fact that the six Asian markets covered in the report – Thailand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Philippines – have vast differences in terms of cost, infrastructure, human resources, patient perceptions, competencies, and level of government support.

Each destination has been thoroughly studied in the report that provides valuable information to clients who are looking to venture into these markets, and helps them devise sound strategies.

RNCOS specializes in Industry intelligence and creative solutions for contemporary business segments. Our professionals analyze the industry and its various components, with a comprehensive study of the changing market behavior.

Our accuracy and data precision proves beneficial in terms of pricing and time management that assist the intending consultants in meeting their objectives in a cost-effective and timely manner.

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-135839.htm

Medical Tourism Resource Online

The idea of combining high quality medical care with a relaxing vacation is highly appealing to people in countries such as USA and UK, where top quality medical care is very expensive.

The trend of travelling to countries such as Thailand, Mexico and India to get expensive medical treatment at cheaper rates is on the rise. Here are a few reasons why medical tourism has become so popular.

Affordable Medical Treatment and Medicines

Medical tourism helps people with existing medical problems save plenty of money.

Insurance plans do not cover certain medical conditions and getting treated for these conditions in one’s home country can turn out to be very expensive, owing to which getting treated for the same in a foreign country will prove to be a lot cheaper.

For instance, undergoing a surgery in the UK or the USA will be costlier than undergoing the same surgery in a country like India or Thailand.

Top Quality Medical Treatment

Countries that have boosted their medical tourism industry have invested a lot into it to ensure that proper, top quality medical treatment is made available to tourists at affordable rates.

Most of the doctors have obtained their medical degrees in countries such as UK and USA.

If medical tourists research their medical tourism destinations and hospitals well, they can put themselves in the way to receiving high quality medical treatment at affordable rates, something that is impossible back at home.

Convalesce and Have a Vacation

The medical treatment, usually involving a major surgery, is followed by a relaxing weeks-long or months-long vacation in delightful surroundings.

Depending on their destination, medical tourists can spend some time recovering at beach or mountain resorts or just stay at a luxury hotel.

The mountain or coastal air can be a great way to rebuild ones confidence and general health, with gentle walks on the beach not the worst way to recuperate.

You Can Get Insurance Coverage

Although insurance companies do not, as a rule, provide cover for medical treatment taken abroad, many of them are mulling over the idea of covering medical treatment in foreign countries.

If customers do a bit of research, they will find insurance companies that cover medical treatment particularly if it is done abroad. Besides this, fabulous vacation packages are available, often at a discount, for those who wish to undergo medical treatment abroad, enabling tourists to travel with loved ones, get the best medical care and stay in luxury hotels.

Considerations of Medical Tourism Abroad

The benefits of medical tourism abroad are clear, given the chance of a cheap holiday and cheap medical care in countries such as Thailand. DO though also be aware of the risks and do perhaps consider asking your local doctor for advice.

There can be potential risks given that the attention to certain procedures and ways of doing things, may be different abroad, to what you are used to. Research carefully the country and hospital you plan to use and do consider all options carefully.

Where will you stand for example if you need further surgery or if something went wrong. Will your standard travel insurance policy cover you for this type of trip? Plan carefully!

http://www.travelinsurancedeal.co.uk/medical-tourism-abroad/

Medical Tourism Resource Online

These medical tourists will go to Mexico, Thailand, Costa Rica and elsewhere for everything from root canals to hip replacements.

And while this type of tourism has been around for decades, it’s become more and more popular as health-care costs in the U.S. continue to rise.

And if Obamacare is overturned by the Supreme Court — more average Americans may soon be medical tourists as well.

Paul Vehorn is a behavioral psychologist, host of the Paul Vehorn radio show, and a medical tourist who’s visited Thailand for two different procedures.

And James Surowiecki is a journalist with the New Yorker. He explores what the bigger economic implications of medical tourism might be in his article entitled “Club Med.”

http://www.thetakeaway.org/2012/apr/12/rise-medical-tourism/

Medical Tourism Resource Online

Thailand has world-class medical facilities with its high-profile private hospitals and clinics. Thailand has been one of the favorite medical tourism destinations for all over the world.

This may be primarily due to the cultural heritage, state-of-the-art medical facilities, personalized hospitality and reasonable medical costs. The country takes pride in having the first hospital to receive the first JCI accreditation in Asia.

It has highest number of JCI accredited hospitals in Asia.

Renub Research report titled “Thailand Medical Tourist Arrivals, Medical Tourism Market & Forecast to 2015 provides a comprehensive analysis of the Thailand Medical tourism market covering in detail various aspects such as foreign patients’ arrivals, revenue from foreign patients, competitive landscape and market share of the foreign patients’ arrivals & revenue from foreign patients.

The report also entails major drivers and roadblocks of Thailand medical tourism market.

Key Topics Covered in the Report

- Number of medical tourists arrival in Asian countries (India, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines)

- Medical Tourism market in Asian countries (India, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines)

- Number of medical tourists arrival in Thailand

- Medical Tourism market in Thailand

- Major Drivers and Roadblocks of Medical Tourism in Thailand

Data Sources

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by Renub Research team of industry experts.

Primary sources include industry surveys and telephone interviews with industry experts.
Secondary sources information and data has been collected from various printable and non-printable sources like search engines,

News websites, Government Websites, Trade Journals, White papers, Government Agencies, Magazines, Newspapers, Trade associations, Books, Industry Portals, Industry Associations and access to more than 100 paid databases.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/research-markets-thailand-medical-tourist-172400312.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

The country has become one of the top medical tourism centers of the world. It is the leader of medical travel in Asia since it holds more than 40 percent market share of the Asian medical tourism industry.

The number of people visiting Thailand for treatment has been increasing rapidly since 2000 because the country not only offers low-cost medical services but also has an excellent tourism infrastructure.

The country is thus popular especially among travelers from North America and Europe for whom Thailand is easily accessible. Several airlines in UK for instance offer flights to Thailand from London at low prices making the medical trip all the more cost effective.

Another reason why people visit Thailand for treatment is because there are hundreds of hospitals in Thailand that offer high quality services to patients. Today, there are more than 15 hospitals in Thailand that are accredited by JCI.

Most medical tourists prefer local private hospitals because they have experienced and trained doctors and surgeons. Some of the most respected private hospitals in Thailand include Bumrungrad International Hospital, Bangkok Hospital Group (BHG) and Samitivej Hospitals.

Even though the private facilities in Thailand are expensive when compared to public hospitals, the price charged by them is much lower than the prices in hospitals in Western countries.

The total cost of a bypass surgery for instance in a good private hospital in Thailand is about $12,000. However, if the same surgery is done in United States the cost is more than $130,000.

Since there is a big price difference, many people who cannot afford treatment in their country prefer visiting Thailand.

Most hospitals in Thailand strive to create comfortable atmosphere for foreign patients. Both private and public hospitals thus have translators who can speak several foreign languages.

Many doctors and surgeons receive their education and training in USA and Europe. Many of the medical centers also offer private transportation from hotel to the hospital, regular checks on patients who are recuperating from surgery and emergency medical assistance upon arrival and departure.

http://www.tourism-review.com/thailand-holding-40-of-asian-medical-tourism-market-news3202

Medical Tourism Resource Online