LATVIA: Latvia promotes health tourism Fri, 07 Mar 2014 12:05:37 GMTThe Latvian Health Tourism Cluster has launched a new promotion for 2014. In cooperation with Latvia’s resorts association the cluster has created a marketing brochure to promote the area, treatment, clinics, hospitals, spas, hotels and tour operators. It explains the specialities of each health destination. Two targeted groups are English speaking Western Europeans and Russian speakers from Russia and the other CIS states, So, the brochure has been published in Russian and English languages, and will be distributed at foreign medical tourism fairs, professional exhibitions, workshops and conferences. The print run of the brochure is 6,000 copies and it was created with the support of the Latvian Tourism Development Agency. Latvia believes it has advantages in both medical and health tourism with high product and service quality, professional medical staff, modern technological equipment to ensure services, and much lower prices than most European countries. Most destinations have both English and Russian speaking medical staff, so there is no language barrier. The problem Latvia has to overcome is that it is a little known tourist destination, and many people may be unsure as to where exactly it is. Jurmala is the first city in Latvia to receive resort status. The government recently granted the status of a resort city to a part of Jurmala’s administrative territory, but not parts in Brazciems, Priedaine and Varnukrogs. The idea is that the new status will help attract local and foreign investment in the infrastructure...

GLOBAL: Wellness trends in 2014 Tue, 08 Apr 2014 14:13:37 GMTIn recent years, Wellness Tourism Worldwide, has been forecasting wellness travel trends. Camille Hoheb of Wellness Tourism Worldwide argues that there are many revenue-generating opportunities in wellness tourism, but success depends on delivering services in the right niche. Among the top wellness trends predicted for 2014 are: • Matters of the mind Consumers are increasingly interested in vacations that offer mental restoration such as yoga and meditation. • A growing niche for wellness travel agents Given the growing interest and demand for holistic vacations that promote health and well being, there is an increasing demand for wellness travel agents. • Living the local life There is a deeper appreciation by consumers for the indigenous culture and lifestyle of the host destination. Getting to know the locals in a meaningful way improves the traveller’s experience. •The fusion of food and wellness tourism Destinations have capitalized on the goodwill of their exotic cuisine by fusing culinary tourism with wellness tourism in a package. This is a fast rising niche as food and drink tourism is increasingly popular and generates much revenue. • Holidays offering relief from stress Holidays are a way of dealing with the stress of modern life. This is also linked to dealing with problems of obesity and the nagging physical ailments of an ageing society. • The desire for personal enrichment Personal well-being is a more holistic concept than just adhering to healthy food and regular exercise. So, weekend...

MEXICO: Baja appoints medical tourism director Fri, 09 May 2014 14:56:57 GMTHoping to improve on the increasing number of medical tourists, Baja has appointed Dr. Jorge Tagle as the first director of the department of medical tourism. The region gets the majority of medical tourists from the USA and the rest from Canada. Most go to border cities like Tijuana and Mexicali (the state capital). The new department seeks to increase the number of patients’ and their relatives’ staying in local cities while receiving treatment. The department of medical tourism seeks to unify efforts by public and private hospitals, hotels, restaurants, government agencies and related businesses and entities to attract patients, rather than them wasting money and energy competing with each other. Dr. Alberto Aceves, a leading bariatric surgeon in Mexico, is optimistic, "We are hoping for government health agencies to regulate and provide proper validation and certification for every service related to medical tourism, so creating a trustworthy atmosphere among patients visiting us.” Millions of tourists go to Baja each year and the second most important reason to travel to the state is to get health services. The state claims it had 800,000 medical visitors traveled during winter 2012-13, although this includes many who just go for a medical check up, and probably includes large numbers who are just travelling companions. As there is no collecting body, there are concerns that this figure is also exaggerated as clinics and hotels are both counting the same person, and that figures...

MALAYSIA: New report provides lessons from Indonesian medical travellers going to Malaysia Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:07:11 GMTThe perception that Indonesians go to Malaysia just for the cheapest price deal is too simplistic, says a fascinating and detailed research report on Indonesian medical travel. ’More than medical tourism; lessons from Indonesia and Malaysia on South to South intra-regional travel’ by Meghann Ormond and Dian Sulianto’ looks at medical travel flows between Indonesia and Malaysia. The study concentrates on motivations, preparation and practices. Using 35 detailed interviews of Indonesians going to Malaysia for healthcare, it fleshes out how things work beyond the basics. The authors asked about treatment, accommodation and transport, as well as length of stay. One key point it highlights is that the idea of medical tourists traveling across the world for the cheapest care is out of date as most medical travel is regional, often between easy to reach nearby countries. The ease of travel determines where in the country medical tourists go, as does how comfortable they are with the final destination. The report also highlights that people from Laos go to Thailand mainly because it is a short trip across the border and they go there even for basic healthcare, as the Laos system is very poor. Rather than being welcomed, this cross-border trade is causing problems for some hospitals as many Laotians do not have the means to pay and hospitals are being over-burdened. Regional medical travellers vary in terms of socio-economic group, medical condition,...

NIGERIA: Nigeria plans to restrict medical tourism Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:13:16 GMTThe National Conference in Abuja discussed Nigeria’s future and how oil money can be used in a fairer way. In a bid to reduce the current negative impact of medical tourism on Nigeria and its healthcare system, it suggested strict procedures that must be observed by public officers seeking medical treatment outside Nigeria. The 500 politicians at Conference argued that seeking medical treatment abroad has resulted in unaffordable capital flight and a drain on Nigeria’s economy. More specifically it cited evidence that regular abuse of existing processes for screening of referrals for foreign medical treatment as one of the reasons. The recommendation is that there should be restriction of government sponsorship of public officers for foreign medical care; and that unless for exceptional cases that require referral abroad, all public officers must use local clinics and hospitals. A medical board made up of medical and healthcare professionals must screen these exceptional cases. In addition, the recommendations of the board should be subject to the approval of the Minister of Health, who is the chief medical adviser to the Federal Government, except where such exceptional cases are serious emergencies, in which instant approval may be given. The Conference admitted that there is an urgent need for improvement in the quality of healthcare services in the country. Despite its vast resources, Nigeria ranks among the most unequal countries in the world. The poverty in the North is in stark contrast...

CANADA: New study reports Canadian healthcare system inferior to Dutch system Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:16:37 GMTDespite similar costs, the Dutch health care system features shorter wait times than the Canadian system with similar to superior outcomes, finds a new study by the Fraser Institute on the health care system in the Netherlands. Nadeem Esmail, author of ’Health Care Lessons from the Netherlands’ comments, ”The Dutch health care system offers more timely access to emergency care, primary care, specialist care and elective surgery than the Canadian system, with wait times in the Netherlands having shortened significantly in recent years. Policymakers interested in reducing delays for health care in Canada could learn valuable lessons from the Dutch approach.” Both the Canadian and Dutch health care systems are relatively expensive in comparison with universal access systems in other developed nations. The study notes that rather than relying on a Canadian-style tax-funded monopoly government insurer, the Dutch system provides universal coverage in an insurance premium-funded system with competition among private insurers. As they are not allowed to compete on price, Dutch insurers compete with one another for subscribers by providing services that reduce wait times, with insurers guaranteeing some treatments in as little as five working days. Among hospitals and surgical clinics, the private sector also plays a dominant role. The Netherlands has more than 150 hospitals and 50 outpatient clinics. Another 150 independent treatment centres provide same-day elective services such as orthopedic surgery and eyecare. Though government plays an important role in...

ISRAEL: Medical tourists get priority at Israelis' expense, says government report Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:18:13 GMTGiving priority to medical tourists over Israelis, operating on those tourists in the morning while the doctors are on the public payroll, financial irregularities in the management of medical tourism agents, are among the findings of an official report from the audit unit in the accountant general’s division of the Finance Ministry in Israel. The report covers five large state-owned hospitals during 2013 and the first quarter of 2014. Health corporations are the bodies that run the additional operations at the hospitals in the afternoons after services to the public have ended, and this includes medical tourism. The five hospitals: Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer; Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv; Rambam Medical Center in Haifa; Assaf Harofeh Hospital in Tzrifin; and Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. The revenue of these five hospitals from medical tourism in 2013 was 347 million shekels, states the report. The report estimates that by including other large private hospitals such as the two Hadassah medical centers and Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, as well as Assouta Medical Center in Tel Aviv, the total revenue of the medical tourism market in Israel in 2013 is more than 600 million shekels (£102 million). Of the five hospitals, Ichilov took in by far the most money at 155.4 million shekels, with Sheba earning 129 million shekels. The rest earned much smaller sums. The accountant general’s report was presented to the...

PHILIPPINES: Work to be done to attract medical tourism Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:19:26 GMTThe Philippines could attract more medical tourists if it could reduce the cost of air travel, improve air links, cut airport fees, build a transport infrastructure, improve tourist safety and security, deal with consumer concerns about the quality of healthcare, market better, and decide what niche it can target. So says the latest official report on medical tourism. Bearing in mind that the government has had initiatives, research groups, marketing forums and a bewildering history of official organisations since as long ago as 2004, a report that brings up the same answers as previous ones goes a long way to explain why inbound medical tourism has a long way to go in the Philippines. A key part of the problem is that politicians have long been proclaiming the Philippines as a top Asian medical and health wellness destination; but, believing their own rhetoric that they have done little to promote medical tourism. The report points out that the country could claim to be a leader if it had a million medical tourists, two million health and wellness tourists and 200,000 healthcare seeking retirees. The reality is that numbers are very much below these, and that the local medical tourism industry lacks direction. The harshest comments raise issues about standards of healthcare: “Poor health outcomes, combined with poor regulatory mechanisms, and uncoordinated government effort, contribute to the country’s low competitiveness.” Will this wake-up call make any difference?...

UK: Medical tourism agency offers low cost dental implants at home Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:02:21 GMTPerfect Profiles used to send UK patients to Hungary and Poland for treatment. The excellent standard of dental care, along with the low costs, meant it was the most cost-effective option for people looking to save money on UK dental prices. But with the price of UK dental implants now starting at £1,500, instead of sending patients to dentists overseas, the company has decided to bring the overseas dentists to their clinics in Luton and Wolverhampton. The company argues that the advantages are obvious: the same low cost, high quality implants, but without the expense and inconvenience of travelling abroad. For people with missing teeth, dental implants can be a good solution. It admits that the same quality implants can be had in Hungary or Poland for £400, a third less than UK dental prices. But it argues that it is rarely a one-off procedure. Customers might need to go back to see the overseas dentist 2 or 3 times over a few months. So, once you have factored in the cost of several flights, hotels, food and time off work, the savings are no longer there. If people take good care of implants they can last a lifetime. But the crown attached to the implant will wear and need replacement within 3 to 10 years. UK dentists can be reluctant to treat work carried out by another dentist, especially if treatment outside the...

TAIWAN: Protesters disrupt Taiwan conference promoting medical tourism Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:03:47 GMTA medical tourism conference aiming to launch Taiwan’s plans for medical tourism badly backfired when health professionals protesting that the plans are a profit making exercise ignoring staff shortages and high medical care costs, interrupted the opening ceremony while chanting slogans and holding cardboard signs that read: “Health is not for sale.” Members of healthcare reform groups protested outside the Taipei International Convention Center against the government’s plan to set up profit-making international medical centres in the proposed free economic pilot zones. The World Medical Tourism Congress in Taipei sought to discuss healthcare and showcase Taiwan’s development in medical services. As well as the zones, plans include five international medical service liaison centres at Taiwan’s major airports, all part of a master plan to make Taiwan’s medical services an international brand. Several healthcare reform groups panned the government’s medical tourism plan, saying it was a ploy for favouring big corporations by allowing them to set up profit-making medical centers in the proposed free economic pilot zones. Protest groups from the Doctors’ Working Conditions Reform Task Force, the Taiwan Radical Nurses Union, the Taiwan Healthcare Reform Foundation, Covenants Watch, the Taiwan Association for Victims of Occupational Injuries and the Black Island National Youth Front staged a protest. Ellery Huang of the Doctors’ Working Conditions Reform Task Force explains, “The congress may be branded as an academic seminar, but it is a platform for the Ministry of Health and...

ISRAEL: Private medical services to be disallowed in state hospitals Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:04:32 GMTIsrael plans major reforms of the country’s healthcare system that will ban private healthcare in most state hospitals and seek to use profits from medical tourism to boost the healthcare of Israeli citizens. Health Minister Yael German presented the long-awaited German Committee to Strengthen the Public Health System report in late June that could implement the most important reform to the healthcare system for 25 years. Some changes will be immediate and some implemented gradually in the next few years. The Treasury will inject NIS 1 billion into improvement in healthcare and additional manpower. All private medical services in hospitals owned by the government and Clalit Health Services will stop completely, except in a few selected Jerusalem medical centres. People will have a choice of being referred by their health fund to three hospitals rather than one, with the aim of shorter queues for treatment and operations and higher-quality care. New websites will increase public information and choice about healthcare. Senior doctors in government and Clalit hospitals will be encouraged to become full timers instead of only working mornings and then working the afternoon at private clinics. So they will be paid more by the government in return for treating patients and performing surgery in public hospitals after their regular shifts end. Profits from medical tourism will go toward improving the treatment and services for Israeli residents, but the committee that wrote and publicized the...

EUROPE: European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not for medical tourists Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:05:15 GMTAlmost 200 million Europeans already have the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), according to the latest figures from the European Commission. This represents more than half of the insured population in the EU. The number of EHIC holders is steadily increasing, with 8 million more citizens carrying it in 2013 compared to the previous year (+4%). The EHIC allows people to get necessary treatment when travelling within the European Union, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. The EHIC, available free of charge, confirms that a person is entitled to receive medical treatment that becomes necessary on a temporary stay abroad from the host country’s public healthcare system on the same terms and at the same cost as nationals of that country. Hospitals that provide public health services are obliged to recognise the EHIC. In the vast majority of cases, patients presenting the EHIC receive the necessary healthcare and are reimbursed without any problems. However, there have been cases of refusals, in general due to a lack of awareness on the part of healthcare providers. Therefore both the European Commission and the member countries must continue to raise awareness on how the card works, both among health practitioners and citizens. In case the EHIC is not accepted, patients should contact the relevant health authority in the country they are visiting. The emergency contact numbers are easily accessible via the EHIC application for smart phones and tablets....

IRAQ: Iraq crisis hits Indian medical tourism Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:06:34 GMTThe crisis in Iraq is reducing numbers of medical tourists to India from Iraq, Iran and Syria. Some Delhi hospitals get between 25% and 35% of their medical tourists from the region, as they seek cardiology, spinal injuries and oncology. War has virtually destroyed the healthcare sector in Iraq and Syria, so patients with money have been traveling to India and other countries to get treatment. While Iran has much better health facilities than the other two, those needing specialist care still have to look abroad. Director of international business at the Rockland group of hospitals, Sunil Kapur, says, “There has been a dramatic drop in patients from Iraq, Syria and Iran. Where we would get five to eight patients every day, we are now getting one patient a week.” Anil Vinayak at Max Healthcare agrees, “We expect a drop in patients traveling from Iraq, if the situation does not improve soon. Patients are facing difficulty in getting flight tickets. Also, there are problems in getting a travel visa.” Hospitals that attract patients where the state pays for them have seen their business collapse from the region. Artemis Hospital had substantial numbers paid for by the Iraqi government, and at least for the time being, that business has fallen off. Several Indian hospitals were used to sending doctors to these countries to offer consultations to potential patients and act as medical tourism ambassadors. But visa restrictions and security...

KENYA: Kenya's ambitions for inbound medical tourism Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:07:33 GMTWhile Kenya is building more hospitals and some healthcare professionals are making bold claims about the number of medical tourists they may in future attract from other African states, the reality is that thousands of Kenyans go overseas for treatment. Some of the common ailments that have driven Kenyans out of for specialised treatments include cardiac conditions, kidney diseases, neurosurgery and cancer. Most go to India and South Africa with a few to Europe and the USA. The real concern for the local healthcare sector and the government is that valuable foreign currency is flowing out to other countries to pay for healthcare. Kenya Commercial Bank plans to offer loans to patients who want to undergo kidney transplant and dialysis at a Kenyan public hospital in an attempt to reduce capital flight that banks estimate to be up to Sh10 billion. Local healthcare professionals and government officials are working on a draft medical tourism strategy to reduce the increasing number of Kenyans going out of the country to get treatment. The longer-term aim is to provide facilities to attract patients to go to Kenya for treatment. Read More >>

GLOBAL: US health system fares poorly in comparison with others. Mon, 14 Jul 2014 11:08:03 GMTThe latest Commonwealth Fund report, ’Mirror, mirror on the wall: how the U.S. health care system compares internationally’ compares the US health care system against ten other countries. The USA comes off badly, but the data is pre-Obamacare. The 11 countries are—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and USA. The US health care system is the most expensive in the world, but this report shows that it under-performs relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance. It fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and the United Kingdom ranks first, followed closely by Switzerland. The report includes data from patients and doctors on care experiences and ratings of various dimensions of care. It includes information from the most recent three Commonwealth Fund international surveys of patients and primary care physicians about medical practices and views of their countries’ health systems (2011–2013). It includes information on health care outcomes featured in The Commonwealth Fund’s most recent (2011) national health system scorecard, and from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The most notable way the USA differs from other industrialized countries is the absence of universal health insurance coverage. Other nations ensure the accessibility of care through universal health systems. The Affordable Care Act is increasing the number of Americans with cover and improving access to care, though the data...