MMedsolution – Medical Dental Tourism Resource On-line

The total amount of money spent by foreigners on Korean medical care during last year is estimated at over $100 million, mostly spent on plastic surgery and general check-ups.

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

The end-to end approach in the form of an International Wellness Card will enable patients from abroad to gain access to a host of e-health services, medical tourism educational kits and discounted rates on medical services and products, Ramesh Balasubramanian, Business Head, Medical Tourism, Prime India told reporters here.

The card will be available for patients from 12 countries – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai to have medical access to hospitals having ties with Prime India, he said.

“We have tie-ups with over 45 hospitals in the country. The card will help patients to have a easy access to medical services in these hospitals. More than just a card, we eill also electronically store the medical records of our clients, so that they need not carry around them whereever they go,” Balasubramanian said.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-03-14/news/31168819_1_medical-tourism-medical-services-medical-records

 Medical Tourism Resource Online

JEDDAH – India’s trade with Saudi Arabia is gradually increasing not only in terms of revenue but range as well, according to Consul General Sayeed Ahmed Baba.

Read the rest of this entry »

>The impacts of medical tourism – traveling long distances away from home to obtain medical care – which more and more is not about obtaining medical procedures that are not available at home , or seeking improved quality of medical care but in most cases either finding a way of economically “jumping the cue” or reducing the costs of treatment or therapy dramatically.

The cost differential of treatment abroad may only be a portion of the costs of the same procedures at home. To this end not only is it a case of cosmetic elective surgery but rather that insurance companies are coming up with the realization that even after travel costs they are far ahead in most financial accountings. There are issues and other costs true – what of follow-ups in cases of complications and downright negligence true.

However if one is to look at the system in a cold hearted financial sense the insurance companies are still light years ahead – in terms of output costs. In addition these complications and mishaps can be reduced through basic research and inquiries into medical systems and procedures and using well known accredited institutions.

To this point some major health care insurance providers are actually promoting medical tourism to the customers – even to the point of setting up programs , marketing programs and departments to promote , market as well as facilitate the logistics and follow through to the customers and their providers of medical care. It would appear to be a win / win situation for all.

Yet this is not always the case. Medical care and medical care costs in the states and E.U. is driven by both demand and costs. True with medical tourism the demand for medical care and services back home may be reduced. Yet medical tourism at the moment is only scratching the surface. Even the most aggressive of medical insurers estimate that in the range of only 1 to 2 % of their procedures afforded are being serviced overseas via medical tourism.

Yet in the case of the American medical system this small group serves to subsidize the medical system as a whole – providing an essential source of funds to keep the system going and in effect subsidize the health care of those less fortunate, in financial terms, but very demanding overall on the health care system – the aged, the elderly and the poor.

In the end result the demand for health care – the demand side of the supply/demand model will not diminish much. But funding which both funds the system and provides for economies of scales in the health care system will.

Thus while some may benefit from medical tourism, and the insurance companies of health care may benefit from reduced costs – in the end the medical system as a whole as well as the quality of care afforded and provided for may well decrease as well as diminish.