AUSTRALIA: Australian health reform may affect medical tourism demand Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:51:29 GMTThe Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) will host a health and wellbeing conference in Cairns next month to look at ways of making Australia a medical tourism destination. Not on the agenda is a topic that will affect those countries attracting Australians for dental tourism, and those working out how to position Australia as a destination. The topic is wholesale reform of the Australian health system. The Rudd Labor government has embarked on a massive transformation of the failing health system in Australia that will turn Medicare on its head and firmly embed the private health insurers as managers of a US-style health system. The reforms will effectively hand over the Medical Benefits Scheme (Medicare), the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), a new dental scheme, and public and private hospital cover to the private health insurance industry. The aim is to create a health industry where health care becomes a commodity and public and private providers compete for patients seen as customers in a market. The key elements of the government’s program are outlined in the final report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) entitled A Healthier Future for All Australians. The commission wants the federal government to fund and control all primary health care services and establish primary health care centres, taking control from individual states, with the new system up and running by 2015. Every Australian will automatically belong to a government...

SAUDI ARABIA: PlanetHospital opens Jeddah office Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:21:24 GMTPlanetHospital, an established California-based medical tourism agency, has opened an office in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to serve inbound and outbound medical tourists from the Gulf region. "The Gulf has the potential to drive growth in medical tourism. It is not only a place where medical travellers come from, but it is also becoming a medical tourism destination itself thanks to major hospital development throughout the region," said Mohammed Alarifi, managing director of PlanetHospital in Jeddah. In the past few years, the company has helped patients from the Middle East to secure advanced medical treatment abroad. With PlanetHospital Middle East, the company now will be aggressively promoting its ability to inbound medical tourists to the Gulf region hospitals. It will work with local new insurance providers to create a medical tourism based benefit, and eventually attract Middle Eastern expatriates in the US to come to the region for medical treatment, rather than going elsewhere. PlanetHospital has been working to expand its business by teaming up with insurers interested in providing an overseas option for members. Company founder Rudy Rupak said they have been negotiating with a major US insurer but those plans are delayed until at least 2010, after the insurer became a prominent victim of the financial crisis. PlanetHospital does already offer a range of insured plans for specific countries and ethnic groups. Since 2002,PlanetHospital has sent more than 2,000 patients to overseas hospitals. Read More >> CHINA, UK,...

SINGAPORE: Eye on the Gulf states Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:49:32 GMTSingapore continues with its marketing campaign to attract more patients from the Gulf states to visit the city-state for its first-class medical services. The city has become a popular destination for medical tourists from the Gulf, many of whom head to the city-state for its advanced facilities, top medical specialists, quality treatment and Arab-friendly environment. SingaporeMedicine recently led a delegation of healthcare providers at a Dubai medical exhibition and conference. "The Middle East is a key market for SingaporeMedicine and by building our presence in the region. We hope to raise the level of awareness of our services to patients, doctors and medical tourists looking for first-rate healthcare," said Dr Jason Yap, director of healthcare services at the Singapore Tourism Board. SingaporeMedicine, together with the Healthy Travel Media, has launched the Arabic version of Patients Beyond Borders Singapore Edition, a promotional medical travel guidebook aimed at educating Middle East patients about medical travel to Singapore. The Arabic version of the book is for native Arab speakers who are looking for alternatives to healthcare services outside their own country. The 200-page book, written entirely in Modern Arabic, provides an in-depth overview of the hospitals and specialist centres, along with coverage of specialised surgical procedures and patient resources, accommodation options, and recommended travel activities that cater to Middle East patients and their companions. Both print and electronic version of the book are available from SingaporeMedicine and in retail outlets throughout the...

PHILIPPINES: Eye clinic group targets medical travellers Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:07:09 GMTA private eye clinic group in Cebu has its sights set on medical tourists as its next major market if the government will help medical tourism players promote the province as a healthcare destination. The Associated Cebu Eyes Specialists (ACES) eye referral clinics have treated some medical tourists but want to expand. ACES have two multi-subspecialty referral centres in Cebu City for complex and difficult eye cases - one at the Cebu (Velez) General Hospital and the other at the Perpetual Succour Hospital. A seven-member team of eye specialists runs these eye centres. ACES want to promote their services in Australia, Japan, and Korea but are cowed by the perceived amount of investment it would be involved. An ACES spokesperson reported said tapping foreign markets would be easier with government support. ACES doctors are willing to partner with travel and tourism agencies to accommodate more medical tourists. The group is one of the first to effectively challenge the politicians to stop talking about medical tourism, and give real support, financial and marketing, to make what so far has been mostly empty promises, a reality. Read More >> UNITED KINGDOM: Scotland opened health tourism consultation Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:03:55 GMTScots travelling abroad for medical treatment must have "clarity and certainty" over what will be paid for by the NHS, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said. Ms Sturgeon spoke at the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the issue of...

UK: CHKS expands international hospital accreditation services Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:50:15 GMTThe international market for UK based accreditation agency CHKS continues to expand in some interesting directions. Having established a strong foothold in Europe over the past fifteen years, mostly in Portugal, Ireland and Denmark, it has worked as far afield as India and South Africa. Initially driven by statutory requirements for accreditation and independent certification, increasingly the reason is a need for hospitals and clinics to have something to enable potential medical tourists to choose on quality, rather than price alone.  CHKS has seen a surge of interest from Southern Europe, particularly from Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. Places with large numbers of British expatriates are seeking external recognition from organizations that the expat community will trust as independent. In Cyprus, it is working with the Cyprus Certification Company on certifying local hospitals. Having previously worked in Serbia to establish quality improvement and licensing, it is now part of a consortium introducing local accreditation systems to healthcare organizations, with validation and licensing of healthcare professionals. In Egypt, CHKS is developing healthcare services in Cairo that include acute hospitals, diagnostic centres and nursing homes- all at the commissioning phase. Once the facilities are built, CHKS will work with them on international accreditation. Meanwhile, in Egypt, discussions continue on the practicalities of rolling out accreditation to some local private clinics. The CHKS healthcare accreditation and quality unit (HAQU), incorporates the Health Quality Services (HQS), the longest established healthcare accreditation service in...

MEXICO: Mexicali Healthcare partners with Health Travel Technologies to manage medical travel operations Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:29:06 GMTHealth Travel Technologies, a technology and services platform for medical travel management, has signed an agreement with Mexicali Health Care to provide the technology infrastructure for managing its international patient operations. Mexicali Health Care was formed in response to the long-term trend of US patients particularly from California and Arizona crossing the border for dental and surgical care at significant savings over US prices. A recent study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research estimated that a million people from California alone seek medical, dental or prescription services in Mexico each year. Mexicali Health Care’s partnership with health Travel Technologies is designed to keep pace with that demand. Carlo Bonfante at Mexicali Health Care comments. Mexicali is very serious about becoming a major international healthcare provider. As a new business starting at ground zero, we need to work with a company that can guide us in building procedures for establishing a professional system for processing and managing patients. Working with Health Travel Technologies has helped us to get up and running with minimal up-front investment. Now we have the capability to grow our business and focus on health care delivery instead of the details of handling medical tourism. Herb Stephens at Health Travel Technologies says, Our core business is providing behind the scenes operational support for international health care providers. Our technology platform has been architected specifically to take the headache...

PAKISTAN: Pakistan government keen on medical tourism Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:04:43 GMTA sudden government interest in health tourism to prop up a national tourism industry with problems is an increasingly familiar refrain. The latest in this growing list of countries with little existing inbound medical tourism is Pakistan. More than 2,000 people have been killed in Taliban-linked attacks across Pakistan in the last two years, scaring away all but the most intrepid foreign tourists. Pakistan earned $200 million from 800,000 visitors in 2007. Fewer than 400,000 visitors came in 2008, and the numbers are expected to be even lower this year. Terrorism has really affected us a great deal, admits Tourism Minister Ataur Rehman.The Pakistan government hopes that medical tourists can help revive the country’s troubled tourism industry in a big way, which is why the main focus of their new tourism policy will be on health tourism. Rehman says that his ministry is in consultation with the provincial tourism departments, travel agencies, airlines, businessmen, and other stakeholders on the new policy of providing foreigners with quality healthcare at a price far less than what they pay in Western countries, The introduction of health tourism will not only bring in foreign tourists but will also help develop health infrastructure on modern lines, create job opportunities, generate greater revenues and most importantly, cast off the country’s negative image of being an unsafe destination. He argues that the country has internationally acclaimed doctors and world-class medical facilities, with Pakistani hospitals and...

CUBA: Is Cuba ready for American medical tourists? Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:11:04 GMTThe island of Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida’s coast, has had a fifty year dispute with the USA.The cash-strapped state has suffered from an embargo that prevents trade with the US. But with a new president, a new day may be dawning. US entrepreneurs are planning for the day when the embargo is lifted. Tourism firms have the promise of new regulations promising greater access. Although Cuban-Americans have been able to go there since April, the big unknown is if or when other Americans can travel there freely. More foreign visitors would provide access to the quick cash that it needs to jump-start the economy. The island received 2.3 million visitors in 2008, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. If the U.S. government dropped its travel restrictions entirely, the island could expect more than one million additional visitors a year. The island has about 50,000 hotel rooms, and while it is making improvements, its phone system, electricity and water supply infrastructure are struggling. Cuba needs the infrastructure to attract investors, but it can’t pay for the infrastructure until it gets the investors. Cuba’s mild weather, proximity to the United States and surplus of trained doctors and nurses could make it ideal for Cuban-American retirees and those requiring long-term medical care. The Cuban economy has benefited from the promotion of health tourism. This is despite the fact that Americans, but not Canadians, could be punished by fines...

USA, COSTA RICA: Costa Rica clinics receive accreditation from AAAASF Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:36:13 GMTThe news that three Costa Rican clinics have just received accreditation from the AAAASF may lead you to ask, who? The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) was established in 1980 to develop an accreditation program to standardize and improve the quality of medical and surgical care in US ambulatory surgery facilities while assuring the public of high standards for patient care and safety in an accredited facility. Today more than 1,100 outpatient surgery facilities are accredited by AAAASF, the largest not-for-profit accrediting organization in the United States. Many more facilities are in process for accreditation. These numbers have increased dramatically over the last two years. The vast majority of ambulatory surgery facilities in the world are unaccredited by AAAASF or anyone else, operating independent of any peer review and inspection process. In 1996, California became the US state to mandate accreditation for all outpatient facilities that administer sedation or general anesthesia. AAAASF was instrumental in the development of the California legislation as well as subsequent laws and regulations in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and many other states. AAAASF conducts an accreditation program that certifies that an accredited facility meets nationally recognized standards. Physicians, podiatrists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons conduct the accreditation program. The AAAASF strives for the highest standards of excellence for its facilities by regularly revising and updating its requirements for patient safety and quality of care....

EUROPE: European Medical Travel Conference 2010 announced Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:45:25 GMTA major European medical travel conference will remind the world that every year, millions of medical tourists and health travelers go to, from or within Europe. The European Medical Travel Conference 2010 in Venice will focus on a sector of the medical tourism industry that is long established and highly significant in revenue terms. Topics covered will include areas which many international medical tourism conferences have failed to address such as the implications of the European Union Directive on Patient Mobility, and the growth of spa and wellness tourism. Representatives of the twenty plus medical travel industry associations around the world have also been invited to attend and discuss the need for creation of an umbrella trade organisation for the medical tourism industry. The agenda is evolving to respond to the issues and challenges that medical tourism needs to address for patients and providers. The conference accepts that the industry contains people with often conflicting views, so will seek to stimulate genuine discussion and be much more than just a shop window for products, services and destinations. Around 350 participants with a genuine involvement or interest in the business are expected, quality of participant being more important than just boosting numbers by any means. The venue for EMTC 2010 is the Villa Fiorita Park Hotel, a 4 star hotel in Venice. The dates, 5th to 7th May 2010.There will be visits out to local spas and hospitals in...

PHILIPPINES: Plans to develop medical tourism Thu, 12 May 2011 15:49:13 GMTCebu Doctors’ University Hospital (CDUH) has obtained international accreditation, a development to boost medical tourism. CDUH is the first hospital in the Philippines to receive full-accreditation for two years by QHA Trent, a health care company owned and managed by a group of doctors and experts in the UK. QHA Trent is looking into accrediting more local hospitals. The accreditation assures patients that the hospital has all safeguards, policies and procedures in place to ensure high-quality health care. Tim O’Carroll of QHA Trent says,” With the Philippines looking increasingly to promote medical tourism, the need for local hospitals to obtain international accreditation is increasingly important. QHA Trent’s doctors and experts are actively working within Britain’s NHS, the world’s largest publicly funded health system.” CDUH and two other big private hospitals, Chong Hua Hospital and the Perpetual Succour Hospital, are spearheading efforts to make Cebu a destination for medical tourism. The three hospitals will work with the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Board of Investments (BOI) to make the plan a reality. Macau is the first place in Asia to have a branch of The Malo Clinic medical spa that offers implant and cosmetic dentistry as well as cosmetic surgery. Currently the clinic can also be found in Brazil’s Sao Paulo, New Jersey in the United States and Lisbon in Portugal. Malo has three clinics under construction in Angola’s Luanda, Tokyo and Casablanca,...

SOUTH KOREA: 2010 was a good year for international patient treatment in South Korea Sat, 01 Feb 2014 11:50:08 GMTThe number of foreign patients who visited Korean hospitals for medical treatment was a record 81,789 in 2010, up 36 % from the previous year, says the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Total revenue from treatment on foreign patients nearly doubled. (Note: These are not exclusively medical tourists - see below on how foreign patients are defined.) The number of foreign patients has been on a sharp increase, with the government actively promoting medical tourism. It recorded 7,901 in 2007, 27,480 in 2008 and 60,201 in 2009. The 2010 number for foreign patients was calculated based on data submitted by 1,686 hospitals and clinics nationwide. Yonsei University Severance Hospital attracted the largest number of foreign patients, followed by Samsung Medical Center, CheongShim International Medical Center, and Asan Medical Center. The numbers do not equate to actual medical tourist numbers as they include all foreigners who are non-Koreans who receive no benefits from medical insurance. This includes American soldiers based in the country, plus holiday and business travellers and expatriates treated in the country. The total number is an exaggeration as even the ministry admits that they have assumed all non-nationals visited Korea for medical purposes and did not adjust the numbers for other categories such as general tourists, who fall ill during their trip. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the total of 60,201 foreign patients in 2009 included...

TAIWAN: Taiwan to promote medical tourism with documentary Sat, 01 Feb 2014 12:05:49 GMTA documentary on Taiwan’s medical achievements will be aired around the world early next year, says the Taiwan Department of Health (DOH). The 60-minute film will showcase the healthcare system and give insights into its potential for developing medical tourism. National Geographic Channel will broadcast the show. The film will be completed by Fox International Channels in December ready for showing next spring in more than 30 countries, drawing an expected viewership of 0.2 billion households. ’Taiwan’s Medical Miracles’ will discuss the nation’s moves to develop medical tourism. According to statistics, more than 15,000 foreigners, including people from China, visited Taiwan for health checks, cosmetic treatment and surgery in 2010, creating an output value of US$11,875,000. These figures are much lower than figures released in 2010 when the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) Taiwan reported 40,000 medical tourists in 2009, and in early 2011 the Department of Health estimated that 2010 saw 85,000 medical tourists. Kaohsiung Medical University has signed a memorandum of understanding with a private medical center in Malaysia as a first step toward developing Kaohsiung into a hub for medical tourism in southern Taiwan. The cooperation can pave the way for the university to attract Southeast Asian clients to Kaohsiung. The Mahkota Medical Center (MMC) in Malacca is a medical tourism destination. The reason for the deal is that there is a shortfall of specialists in Malaysia, and the university will assist in...

INDIA: Official medical tourism figures from India Fri, 07 Feb 2014 16:40:43 GMTIn reply to a question in Parliament, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family, released some previously unpublished figures and stated that no later figures are yet available. Total number of overseas visitors 2009 5,167,699 2010 5,775,6922011 6,309,222 Total number of overseas visitors who came for medical treatment 2009 113,6892010 155,9442011 138,803 These government figures put medical tourist arrivals at around 2% of total overseas visitors. Read More >> THAILAND: Political crisis driving medical tourists away from Thailand Fri, 07 Feb 2014 16:39:06 GMTWith many of the 50 countries that had already advised citizens to think twice before traveling to Thailand, upgrading advice to recommend that they either do not travel there at all or not to travel anywhere in or near the capital of Bangkok, medical tourism in Thailand is suffering as people cancel travel plans. Kuwait has recommended its citizens in Thailand to return home, and the UAE advised all to delay their planned travel to Thailand, while Oman has advised all to avoid Bangkok. This could affect Thailand’s medical tourism industry, as it is the period when people from the Middle East seek annual checkups at Thai hospitals. The Thai Government has imposed a 60-day state of emergency, which gives security forces the power to impose curfews, detain suspects without charge, censor media, ban political gatherings of more than five people and declare areas off-limits. The political situation in Thailand is unpredictable...

SPAIN: Costa del Sol to become medical tourism destination Fri, 21 Feb 2014 15:09:02 GMTMalaga has ambitious plans to become a healthcare destination. Malaga Health, set up by a group of local surgeons, will aim to attract patients to clinics, hospitals and treatment centres on the Costa del Sol. According to the group, the initiative could help boost Malaga’s tourism industry by €250 million annually in three years, as health tourism becomes increasingly popular. Co-founder Miguel Such explains,” We are sitting on an untapped goldmine and we do not even realise it. None of us are motivated by money. We are embarking on this project to help Malaga. Health tourism is not being fully taken advantage of in Malaga considering the resources we have. The average incoming patient will spend around €10,000.” Costa del Sol has many private clinics and hospitals. The Malaga Health project is also backed by the University of Malaga, Agencia Idea and Turismo Andalucia. Over 30 hospitals, clinics and other providers have already signed up including Xanit International hospital in Benalmadena, Hospital Parque San Antonio in Malaga, Marbella’s Clinica Ochoa, the Santa Elena Clinic in Torremolinos and several specialist hospitals in Malaga. Participating luxury hotels include the Villa Padierna (Benahavís and Carratraca), Vincci (Marbella) and the El Fuerte chain. To get the project off the ground the sum of €700,000 has already been raised. Consultants Deloitte have been hired to put together a business plan. As part of its tourism faculty, Malaga University is to create...