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

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

In this report, Winifred ogbebo brings into perspective, the hazards of travelling overseas for medical treatment

Medical Tourism has become a status symbol. It has continued to flourish with high exploitation by the high and the mighty to further drive a wedge between the haves and the haves-not.

Arrest a criminal today and the next day, he is asking for his international passport to enable him to travel to India, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom or Germany for medical treatment.

There’s no gainsaying the fact that the influx of Nigerians seeking medical treatment abroad continues unabated; a fact the minister of health, Prof Christian Onyebuchi Chukwu has often lamented at different fora.

Medical tourism to India and Egypt is big business and many companies openly advertise here in Nigeria. Some of these companies representing hospitals in India advertise in Nigerian Hospitals in collusion with the medical directors and are allowed to speak to doctors directly.

They often invite doctors in these hospitals to refer patients to them for a 10% return on the total cost of treatment. This money is added to the cost of the patients’ treatment and then surreptitiously paid to the doctor.

A neurologist, Dr Biodun Ogungbo, disclosed, “We have also heard reports of patients and their relatives being asked to become touts in Nigeria for some Indian Hospitals.They are asked to refer other patients to India for a percentage of the treatment costs.

Some have ended up being coerced into providing fake medical reports and making all sorts of unsubstantiated claims as this becomes a new source of income for them. “

Nigerian hospitals and doctors are not allowed to advertise. Yet, many of these hospitals and businesses in India, Egypt and South Africa do not subscribe to the same ideals we practise.

They openly advertise for patients through the government, both federal and state. Many government officials now prefer to travel abroad for treatment and some even wear it as a status symbol. This is really shameful and not part of nation building.

Sadly, nobody is willing to talk about the effects of medical tourism, and many other patients trudge the same route and end up with similar problems.

The Chief Medical Director of Cedar Crest Hospital, Abuja, Dr Felix Ogendegbe, said, “Hundreds of Nigerians continue to troop out to these areas for unsupervised medical care. When you shop around for a hospital in Nigeria, you can easily see them in person holding meetings with the staff.

But, this type of in-person reconnaissance becomes a little harder to manage if the hospital is in another country. None of these hospitals are vetted by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Health Ministries or the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)”.

He asked, “Even when the treatments have gone well, who will continue the necessary follow-up care here in Nigeria?

He noted that many patients who have not seen a specialist here before travelling to these countries cannot afford to go back for further treatment and have no one here to continue their care.

“For many conditions, it’s customary to check in with your physician from time to time as you recuperate. However, by receiving treatment in a foreign country, it becomes prohibitively expensive to consult with whoever provided you with primary care.

In fact, for some operations requiring long recovery periods, you’ll need to make postoperative arrangements on your own. The early successful results may then change for the worse especially in many cancer cases.”

On the cost of treatment in travelling overseas for treatment, the neurologist disclosed, “It is more expensive in many cases to have treatment abroad and sometimes that money is wasted if the hospital cannot treat you.

If for example, you do not need treatment, the cost of travel and consultation is wasted. In other cases, additional costs accrue from having a companion travel with you.

You will need to provide money for travel costs, feeding and accommodation for your companion while you get treatment.”

India’s National Health Policy declares that treatment of foreign patients is legally an “export” and deemed “eligible for all fiscal incentives extended to export earnings.

” Government and private sector studies in India estimate that medical tourism could bring between US $1 billion and US $2 billion into the country by 2012. Specifically, it has been reported that India earns about US $260 million from medical tourism from Nigeria alone.

According to Ogendegbe, the health seeking Nigerians forget that some illnesses are so acute requiring immediate medical attention that cannot wait for the flight to other countries.

He says, “Supporting the local hospital and ensuring that it has both personnel and equipment may be the difference between life and death.

Conditions such as road traffic accidents can kill within minutes to hours if nothing is done, precluding time to get a visa, air ambulance and even the foreign exchange necessary to travel out.

For example, if a former or serving Nigerian president, senator, governor or government functionary collapses with stroke – what is the probability of getting a visa, flight ticket, booking a hotel, etc. and getting the required emergency care in India, Germany, UK or USA to save his or her life within a few hours?

Who provides the emergency resuscitation and care necessary here before travelling? Which hospitals have been equipped and personnel trained to provide acute level of care in such situations and in major disasters such as the current problems with sectarian and political violence?”

Besides, there is also the consideration of the impact on local doctors, as explained by the experts.

“The key issue is that such medical tourism is eroding the fabric of our own health services and further depleting the nation of medical facilities and expertise. It demoralises local medical practitioners and increases the brain drain.

It reduces the training of medical students, further creating substandard and poorly trained doctors to look after us all in the future.”

“We recognise the fact that over time, Nigerian doctors and hospitals have lost the trust and respect of patients. Rather than seeing this as a reason to seek medical attention elsewhere this should be a call and pressure applied to the government to optimise and improve our facilities and expertise. Patients are best served by medical treatment provided close to where they live; particularly in emergencies.”

The consensus is often that this is something we have to embrace for now since our medical facilities leave us open to severe competition from abroad.”

Speaking at the Association of Resident Doctors’ (ARD) 1st Intellectual week at the National Hospital Abuja Chapter on the theme “ Enhancing Healthcare Delivery through Local Research.’’

The former Chief Justice of the Federation, Alh Alfa Belgore, decried the situation when Nigeria had so many colleges of medicines and doctors who were properly trained to manage certain health conditions but are saddled with ill -equipped health facilities.

He said, “I believe our doctors are the best trained anywhere in the world and the problem is that they are not availed the facilities in post qualification training on new development.”

For example, he said, up to recent years, Nigeria and Egypt used to supply doctors to Saudi Arabia, and they never performed badly”.

However, Ogendegbe opined that the responsibility to bring back the faith and trust by the Nigerian populace in the healthcare systems in the long term rest with all Nigerians.

http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/20283/2012/03/26/you_travel_abroad_treatment.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

From the corridors of Government to the layman on the street everyone wants to know how Barbados can be a part of it.

But hang on a minute, this isn’t actually a new concept for Barbados at all, we have been selling ourselves as an island of well-being and the place to relax for over 200 years.

Our first and most famous medical tourist was George Washington, who brought his brother Lawrence to Barbados in 1751 to successfully recover from tuberculosis.

From that time until now, Barbados has affirmed its reputation for excellent medical care.

Barbados has changed a lot since 1751, but when it comes to medical care, our reputation is still very strong, particularly for assisted reproduction in the international community, and much of this is credited to the work of Barbados Fertility Centre (BFC).

The medical team at BFC is headed up by Barbadian Dr. Juliet Skinner and in April 2012 will be celebrating 10 years of success in creating families.

From inception BFC set out to be an international centre of excellence for fertility treatment.

BFC treats patients from the UK, Canada, USA and the Caribbean region. Patients are encouraged to leave the stresses and strains of everyday life and have a 14 day vacation in Barbados whilst undergoing fertility treatments at the state of the art centre in Hastings, Christ Church.

Over the 10 years, BFC has created a successful treatment program to ensure their patients are at their optimum of relaxation to receive IVF treatment.

Combining holistic and traditional treatment methods, their success is proven in the thousands of babies having been created for childless couples.

With the understanding that the island and its natural beauty compliment the services at the clinic, BFC created holiday packages to suit each patient’s budget from self-catering apartments right through to a fortnight at Sandy Lane.

Gone are the days that travel was once deemed a luxury for only the elite. In today’s world, travel itself can heighten stress levels for the travelling tourist. To minimize this, BFC offers an entire holiday package for patients including flights, accommodation, all transportation requirements and a local mobile phone.

As patients embrace Barbados’ island culture, they begin to unwind enjoying other aspects of their holiday including island tours, catamaran cruises, restaurants, and a plethora of ancillary tourist oriented activities which in turn benefit the island’s foreign exchange and employment levels.

To spread the word of the clinic’s success and options available to future patients, BFC works hard at marketing their services internationally.

By attending and exhibiting at targeted conferences and exhibitions throughout the year in the US and UK, BFC is now a recognized brand within the medical tourism fraternity.

Dr. Skinner and her team are often asked to speak at international conferences on the subject of medical tourism and for the last 3 consecutive years has been a featured speaker as one of the leaders in their field at the Medical Tourism Association AGM in the USA.

The medical team also go out on the road, travelling around the Caribbean to hold free educational seminars to help people to understand the subject of infertility, which affects one in six couples throughout the world.

Diverse marketing has brought the spotlight to the services of this gem in the crown of Barbados’ Medical Tourism.

Incorporated in their market strategies are dedicated websites for both European and North American clients in an effort to help the patients feel more comfortable with travelling to Barbados for treatment. With a strong social media and web based presence, the clinic is reaching global recognition.

Not only keeping with state of the art medical technology, BFC was also the first healthcare provider to develop The Fertility App for iPhone & iPad to help anyone, anywhere in the world that is trying to conceive.

With downloads across the globe, again helping to put Barbados on the map as a health care destination.

Imperative to any business which falls under medical tourism umbrella, BFC holds the gold seal of approval from JCI, the premier US health accreditation body, assuring patients of the highest quality and patient safety standards upheld at the clinic.

For an international patient it makes a lot of sense to come to Barbados for IVF treatment. With costs being a third of that of the US, combined with high success rates of 72% for women under 35 – this attractive combination of low cost, high success means that their dreams of having a family can indeed come true.

Medical tourism is alive and working exceptionally well in Barbados and is part of the government and private sectors vision for the future as other hospitals and therapy areas continue to progress in this industry.

http://businessbarbados.com/industry-guide/tourism/medical-tourism-concept-barbados/

Medical Tourism Resource Online

“We are pleased to promote Costa Rica Dental Team as our dental services sponsor in Costa Rica,” said Ilene Little, CEO of Traveling4Health&Retirement.

“The sponsor selection was based on patient-generated reviews, interviews with the company leadership, and excellent ratings from our tour of the Costa Rica Dental Team facilities,” said Ilene Little.

Costa Rica Dental Team (CRDT) provides excellent care for local residents as well as international patients who choose to travel to Costa Rica for significant cost savings paired with a tropical vacation.

“When patients rave about their medical outcomes and a provider’s customer service, that gets our attention,” said Ilene Little, “We only promote and accept sponsorships from providers whose patients and professional peers recommend their services.”

Selecting a medical treatment provider catering to foreign patients is crucial to planning safe and cost-saving overseas medical treatment.

Traveling4Retirement&Retirement, the first resource of its kind connecting travelers interested in alternative planning for medical tourism, presents viable medical provider sources from around the globe.

Traveling4Health&Retirement is proud to introduce travelers to Costa Rica Dental Team as our selected sponsor of dental care in Costa Rica.

Traveling4Health&Retirement gives the latest information and news about affordable medical and dental care.

Traveling4Health&Retirement continues to spearhead the advancements in medical treatment sourcing, the only resource of its kind for travel and health advocacy.

According to Little, “Dental tourism is frequently a patient’s first experience with medical travel because the savings are substantial, and you can find quality dental services equal to, if not better than, what you can find locally.”

“We offer the ‘highest quality’ most affordable dental care in the world,” says Mike Lomax, President of Costa Rica Dental Team, “North Americans seeking world class dental care at deep discounts over most US pricing continue to seek us out, and have made us a leader in dental tourism.

We are pleased to be recognized by Traveling 4 Health & Retirement, and gratified to be invited to join this popular medical tourism information site.”

“I seriously thought about medical travel, because that was what was affordable,” says Cindi Lindquist, a Traveling4Health&Retirement member.

“My husband did a ton of research on the internet for my teeth,” said Lindquist, “We narrowed it down to three dentists, and I called each one of them.”

Cindi Linquist is one of an increasing number of U.S. citizens locating viable alternatives to high cost dental care. Knowledge about medical travel options, commonly referred to as medical tourism, is easily accessible through the Traveling 4 Health & Retirement website.

“Patients really are becoming more and more comfortable taking advantage of medical travel options for cost and quality considerations,” said a THR spokesperson.

Traveling4Health&Retirement is the definitive resource bringing together subject experts to inform members about the newest medical advancements in patient medical services and expert medical providers.

Traveling4Health&Retirement leads the industry with insightful, informative editorial and content about the advantages of medical travel and promoting health advocacy for patients who travel for medical treatment.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9328496.htm

Medical Tourism Resource Online

The new report , “Medical Tourism Research: Facts And Figures 2012”, separates fact from fiction.

According to report author, Ian Youngman, “Few of the oft quoted ‘facts’ are close to being accurate. Few of the countries regularly claimed as market leaders are the true leaders.

Some of the most successful countries are the least noisy, and often not dependent on claims of huge savings in healthcare costs. The reality is much more interesting.”

A summary and table of contents can be downloaded from IMTJ. Key conclusions from the report include:

In most cases, medical tourism is regional not international, and often within a country.
Many medical tourists do not seek out the cheapest destination.
The three most popular European destinations are also the most expensive ones.
The USA attracts as many inbound medical tourists as it generates outbound medical tourists.
Most medical tourism is for cosmetic, dental or fertility treatment.

The 2012 edition of Medical Tourism Facts and Figures has over 500 pages of updated information, including data from countries where no figures were previously available.

All figures are analysed for truth or fiction, and gaps in knowledge are highlighted. For each of the 137 listed countries, the report provides (where available) an overview, basic country facts, medical tourism numbers in and out, targets, destinations and sources, research reports, promotional bodies, plans and problems.

For anyone wanting the real picture of the vibrant and expanding medical tourism industry, or who wants to avoid the mistakes of others, the new report is a must read.

The report normally costs £900, but is available at a discounted rate of £800 until 31 March 2012 through International Medical Travel Journal.

About Ian Youngman
Ian Youngman is a writer and researcher specialising in medical tourism, healthcare and health insurance. He writes regularly for a variety of magazines, newsletters, and on-line services.

He publishes a range of market reports and undertakes research for companies. An ACII, with an honours degree in Economics from the University of Liverpool, Ian was a co-founder of The General Insurance Market Research Association.

He also has widespread experience within the insurance industry at management level, working for brokers, a bank and an insurance company.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9275834.htm

 Medical Tourism Resource Online

Australia does not yet offer medical tourism in any organised way as the number of international inbound visitors that meet the definition of a medical tourist is, according to the report, a consistent 7,000 a year from 2006 to 2009. While official figures suggest that there are over a million medical tourists in Australia each year, this is a definition that comes out of the unusual state based and insurance based healthcare systems in the country; so almost all of these are simply Australians travelling away from their home town/city, frequently a relatively short distance by Australian standards, but not by European standards, for medical treatment.

There are a much larger number of health and wellness travellers, but again the vast majority of these are from within the country. There are very few hospitals or clinics offering facilities to medical tourists from overseas. This research suggests that Australia would benefit from developing niche medical tourism offerings based on Australian medical strengths/expertise, as has occurred with the Cairns Fertility Clinic and its IVF services. Possible areas for development of Australian medical tourism services include cardiology, urology, orthopaedic surgery and oncology. The report recommends that Australia seek a competitive advantage internationally by focusing on the provision of quality services at a lower price point than the United States, and based on niche medical offerings in which Australia has an international reputation and expertise.

There is no state or national government policy on or support of medical tourism and no particular recognition of this as an area of distinctive opportunity. The prospect of medical tourism is seen by all these governments as fraught with difficulties for governments concerned with voters’ perceptions of medical resources being handed over to private sector entrepreneurs. The research suggests that the best way forward would be for the national government to establish and fund a body that develops a nationally coordinated medical tourism policy and actively promotes Australia as an international medical tourism destination through trade shows and other forums. To encourage the development of medical tourism, it is recommended that submissions are developed and presented to government to illustrate the potential for medical tourism to contribute to the supply of medical services and facilities in Australia and to contribute export income to the Australian economy.

One problem identified is that the visa application process for medical tourists is so complex that most medical tourists enter Australia on a tourist visa rather than go through the process of applying for a medical visa due to the associated delay. It recommends that the application process for medical visas (long-stay and short- stay) be reviewed and streamlined. The report identified a problem on price as Australia does not have a comparable selling point on price to India, but Australian medical services are still considerably cheaper than in the United States and several treatments are also less costly than in South Korea.

source: imtj.co

India is one of the best places for the medical treatment or any other health care in India. Every year thousand of visitors come to India from around the world just for the medical check up and other type of obesity surgery procedures.

Laparoscopic gastric banding in India with Medical tourism has become a common form of vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical services. Medical tourism mixes leisure, fun and relaxation together with wellness and healthcare.

Laparoscopic gastric banding is a surgery that helps to gain weight loss. The surgeon places a band around the upper part of your stomach to create a small pouch to hold food. The band limits the amount of food you can eat by making you feel full after eating small amounts of food.

The surgery is done using a tiny camera that is placed in your belly. This type of surgery is called laparoscopy. The camera is called a laparoscope. It allows your surgeon to see inside your belly.

Laparoscopic gastric banding is not a “quick fix” for obesity. It will greatly change your lifestyle. You must diet and exercise after this surgery.

Prices and cost budget for the procedure of Laparoscopic gastric banding in India are normally 50% below the cost that runs in US and Europe plus Indian hospitals don’t charge any hidden costs.

They just include all necessary medical expenses; the hospital stay, surgeon’s fees, operation room fees, anesthesia, anesthesiologist’s fees, medicine, nursing, semi-private room, meals and pre-op diagnosis. Indian doctors are expert in their work and the hospital staff working under them is dedicated to the welfare of foreign patients who come to get speedy health gains.

For more details about Laparoscopic gastric banding in India, visit us at: www.forerunnershealthcare.com or mail your queries at enquiry@forerunnershealthcare.com or call us at: +91-9371136499, +91- 9860755000 (International) / + 1-415-599-2537 (USA) / +44-20-8133-2571 (UK)

source: pr-inside.com

The question looms in many people’s minds how do you get health insurance if you can’t afford it or if you have a pre-existing condition. Here are some different ideas to get health insurance or medical care when you have a pre-existing condition.

Move to Canada. Well, it probably would be hard to pull off, but if you are still healthy and don’t have a pre-existing condition and have skills to bring to the country you could move there and be covered after living there a while. But if you have a pre-existing health condition you might have to marry someone from the country to be able to live there and get access to the medical care.

Save up your money and travel to far away countries like India to get your medical care. This doesn’t always work for everyone as sometimes you need to have your care right away. But if you have something that can be planned in advance you could save a bundle getting the treatment or surgery in the other country. They call it medical tourism because you travel to get medical treatment.

Start your own group health insurance plan. Another option is to start your own company and depending on the state you live in you may need 1 or you may need 2 employees to include in your group medical plan. This doesn’t mean that you won’t get hit with high insurance premiums. If you have people that have conditions in your group the rates could go up. So you need to do your homework and shop around to consider your options.

Get help through the state government. States are going broke, and unfortunately the cutbacks in spending are going towards providing for medical assistance for the poor or those with uninsured health conditions. Let’s say that you have diabetes and you can’t get health insurance on your own, you can go through the state’s help to gain some insurance, that is if it is available. Be prepared for a waiting list.

File for medical bankruptcy and start over again. Make sure that you seek help from proper legal assistance of a lawyer that specializes in medical bankruptcies.

Beg with the doctors and hospitals for a break on your medical expenses. If you are uninsured and unable to pay the astronomical bill that they mail, chances are they will be able to lower it if you can show that it poses a hardship for you and your family.

Get hired with a company that has a health insurance policy and hope that they keep you working with them after they find out how much more they will have to pay for health insurance. The bigger the company the better your chances of staying because they have a larger pool of employees to insure and their rates hikes won’t be as shocking as it would be to a small company. But you never know for sure there are plenty of stories of people being pushed out of their work because of their medical condition.

Last but not least, we can hope and ask our government leaders to make sense out of a failing health care industry. To cater to the health of individuals instead of the profits of the health insurance companies. To ensure that doctors treat patients with necessary treatments and not short change the individual because they can’t afford it. Possibly after the health care industry self implodes upon itself because not one person can afford it, except for the super rich, then maybe there will be some changes for a sensible health care industry that doesn’t require you to make a fortune to afford it.

A divorced lady was sharing her plan to get health insurance coverage on the day-time syndicated television show ‘The Doctors.’ She has posted her plea for a man to marry that has a good health insurance plan. So far she has received 7,000 marriage proposals. The doctors asked her if she would seriously marry someone just for good health insurance. She said yeah, but at the same time she hasn’t agreed to marry anyone yet. She pointed out on the show that if she went to prison she could get the necessary health care and medication. She spends 90 percent of her income paying for her medications and medical care. She is a working person that can’t get health insurance, but if she marries she could get covered.

source: bestsyndication.com