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| MEDICAL TOURISM Medical tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of traveling to another country to obtain health care. More recently, the phrases global healthcare and medical journeys have emerged as synonyms. Such services typically include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries. The provider and customer use informal channels of communication-connection-contract, with less regulatory or legal oversight to assure quality and less formal recourse to reimbursement or redress, if needed. Leisure aspects typically associated with travel and tourism may be included on such medical travel trips. A specialized subset of medical tourism is reproductive tourism, which is the practice of traveling abroad to undergo in-vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology treatments. The concept of medical tourism is not a new one. The first recorded instance of medical tourism dates back thousands of years to when Greek pilgrims traveled from all over the Mediterranean to the small territory in the Saronic Gulf called Epidauria. This territory was the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios. Epidauria became the original travel destination for medical tourism. Spa towns and sanitariums may be considered an early form of medical tourism. In eighteenth century England, for example, medtrotters visited spas because they were places with supposedly health-giving mineral waters, treating diseases from gout to liver disorders and bronchitis. The cost of surgery in Bolivia, Argentina, Cuba, India, Thailand, Colombia, Philippines or South Africa can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less. A heart-valve replacement that would cost US$200,000 or more in the U.S., for example, goes for $10,000 in the Philippines and India—and that includes round-trip airfare and a brief vacation package. Similarly, a metal-free dental bridge worth $5,500 in the U.S. costs $500 in India or Bolivia and only $200 in the Philippines, a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy costs about one-fifth of what it would in the States, and Lasik eye surgery worth $3,700 in the U.S. is available in many other countries for only $730. Cosmetic surgery savings are even greater: A full facelift that would cost $20,000 in the U.S. runs about $3,000 in Cuba, $2,700 in the Philippines or $2,500 in South Africa or $ 2,300 in Bolivia." Easy Destination World City Travel Guide brings to you the most popular medical destination from around the world. These places are recommended by famous doctors and Health Departments of various countries on being less expansive with world standards medical facilities and specif field these countries are specialized in. FAMOUS MEDICAL TOURISM COUNTRIES Hong Kong |India| Malaysia| New Zealand| Philippines| Singapore| Thailand| Germany| Malta| Portugal| Turkey| Spain| Ukraine| Colombia| Cuba| Mexico| Panama| Canada| Israel| Hong Kong Hong Kong has 12 private hospitals and more than 50 public hospitals. A wide range of health care services are offered. All 12 of Hong Kong's private hospitals have been surveyed and accredited by the UK's Trent Accreditation Scheme since early 2001. This has been a major factor in the ascent of standards in Hong Kong's private hospitals. The Trent scheme works closely with the hospitals it assesses to generate standards appropriate to the locality (with respect to culture, geography, public health, primary care interfaces etc.), and always uses combinations of UK- sourced and Hong Kong-sourced surveyors. Some of Hong Kong's private hospitals have now gone on to obtain dual international accreditation, with both Trent and JCI (and have therefore attained a standard surpassing some of the best hospitals in Thailand and Singapore). Others are looking towards dual international accreditation with Trent and the Australian group. Hong Kong public hospitals have yet to commit to external accreditation. Back To Top India India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine. The government and private hospital groups are committed to the goal of making India a leader in the industry. The industry's main appeal is low- cost treatment. Most estimates claim treatment costs in India start at around a tenth of the price of comparable treatment in America or Britain. Estimates of the value of medical tourism to India go as high as $2 billion a year by 2012. The Indian government is taking steps to address infrastructure issues that hinder the country's growth in medical tourism. The south Indian city of Chennai has been declared India's Health Capital, as it nets in 45% of health tourists from abroad and 30-40% of domestic health tourists. Dental care has also caught on in India, with tourists coupling stays in cities like Udaipur with general check-ups and complex procedures. Back To Top Malaysia Malaysia has ambitions to develop itself as a medical tourism hub. The country has excellent hospitals, English is widely spoken, and many staff have been trained to a high level in the UK or in the US. There is a highly active Association for Private Hospitals of Malaysia working to develop medical tourism. While Malaysia has a national accreditation scheme (MSQH), few of Malaysia's hospitals currently hold international healthcare accreditation. Back To Top New Zealand New Zealand is a relatively new player to the medical travel market, focusing on non- acute surgical procedures and fertility treatment. Like other Commonwealth countries, New Zealand's medical system is based on the British health system. Most of its specialist physicians have received training in New Zealand and the US or the UK, and all use English as their first language. The costs of private healthcare are significantly cheaper than the US or the UK, with packages (airfare, accommodation, medical service etc) for procedures like hip replacement, or coronary artery bypass costing in total approximately 40% of the procedure cost alone in the US. Many private hospitals in New Zealand are accredited by the national accreditation agency Quality Health New Zealand (QHNZ). QHNZ, like JCI, is a member of the International Society for Quality in healthcare or ISQua. Back To Top Philippines The Philippines has been growing as a destination for medical tourism. Procedures can be performed at a fraction of the amount that a patient would spend on the same procedure in the US or Europe. Philippine medical and nursing curricula are more challenging than in many in Southeast Asia, and many Filipino doctors have acquired their postgraduate or fellowship training from well-known institutions in the US, the UK and other developed countries. Medical centers in Metro Manila have complied to ISO standards, and are periodically and regularly undergo accreditations from Philippine's Department of Health. Others have already accredited by the American accreditation group Joint Commission International (JCI), while some are looking at UK-sourced hospital accreditation. Back To Top Singapore Singapore Medicine is a multi-agency government initiative that aims to develop Singapore into a leading destination for health care services. In 2005, some 374,000 visitors came to Singapore purely to seek healthcare. Many patients come from neighboring countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Patient numbers from Indochina, South Asia, the Middle East and Greater China to Singapore are also growing. Patients from developed countries such as the United States and the UK are beginning to choose Singapore as their medical travel destination for relatively affordable health care services in a clean cosmopolitan city. Back To Top Thailand Medical tourism is a growing segment of Thailand's tourism and health-care sectors. In 2005, one Bangkok hospital took in 150,000 treatment seekers from abroad. In 2006, medical tourism was projected to earn the country 36.4 billion baht. Thailand offers everything from cardiac surgery to organ transplants at a price much lower than the US or Europe, in a safe, clean environment. Thai medicine also features a higher, more personalized level of nursing care than westerners are accustomed to receiving in hospitals at home. One patient who received a coronary artery bypass surgery at Bumrungrad International hospital in Bangkok said the operation cost him US$12,000 (8,200 euros), as opposed to the $100,000 (68,000 euros) he estimated the operation would have cost him at home. Hospitals in Thailand are a popular destination for other Asians. Another hospital that caters to medical tourists, Bangkok Hospital, has a Japanese wing and Phyathai Hospitals Group has interpreters for over 22 languages, besides the English-speaking medical staff. When Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala needed medical care in 2006, he went to Bangkok. Back To Top Germany Germany has long been a medical tourism destination for people from the Middle East and North Africa. Now with a reduction in tension between East and West, many Russians and other Eastern Europeans are seeking treatment in Germany. British and Canadians, no longer willing to wait for treatment in their home country, are also traveling to Germany for treatment. Americans are also heading to Germany for the latest in spine surgery and novel cancer treatments and much lower prices than they would pay in the US. However, few German hospitals as yet have international healthcare accreditation. Back To Top Malta Malta has a strong medical heritage and possesses a high-quality healthcare system modeled on the British system. The population is English-speaking. Malta is part of the European Union and has the euro as its currency. There are a number of private hospitals within Malta (see List of hospitals in Malta) which are developing medical tourism, especially for UK residents. As yet, Maltese hospitals have not engaged in international healthcare accreditation. Back To Top Portugal Portugal's health care system was highly rated by the World Health Organization's year 2000 ranking of the world's health systems, rated 12th of 191 countries. This is a European Union country with regulatory bodies that certify doctors and health facilities, thereby protecting patients’ rights. Proximity to the US and Northern Europe reduce patients’ travel risks, while Portugal's mild climate is well-suited for convalescence. English is widely spoken by the majority of the population and Portugal is well known for its low crime rate. Dental clinics and cosmetic surgery facilities are popular. Prices are low when compared with similar procedures performed in the UK or the US. Other medical procedures include orthopedics, cardiology and eye surgery. Back To Top Spain Spain's strong economy over recent years have provided for modern hospitals and well-trained health care professionals, making it an up-and-coming medical tourism destination. Back To Top Turkey Turkey has attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists form Europe seeking for health care. Back To Top Ukraine Ukraine features modern dental clinics with high-quality equipment, materials and effective anesthetics. They provide patients with dentistry services at lower cost in comparison with Western and Russian clinics. Other popular medical tourism offerings in Ukraine include spas, ophthalmology (eye surgery), plastic] surgery, and mud baths. As yet, Ukraine medical clinics have yet to seek international healthcare accreditation. Back To Top Colombia Colombia has been treating foreign patients for years, especially for cosmetic and eye surgery. Colombia has also provides advanced cardiovascular and transplant surgery. What often compels persons to seek transplant surgery offshore is not only cost considerations, but waiting lists (such as in the US) or the lack of an organized organ inventory and donor system in the home country. Colombia has such an organ donor and banking system which makes organs available to foreigners with certain legal restrictions. Orthopedic surgeries, such as knee and hip replacements, are done in Colombia with US-made, (FDA-approved) prosthetics at a fraction of the cost. Back To Top Cuba Cuba has been a popular medical tourism destination for more than 40 years. Thousands of patients travel to Cuba, particularly from Latin America and Europe, attracted by the "fine reputation of Cuban doctors, the low prices and nearby beaches on which to recuperate." In 2006, Cuba attracted nearly 20,000 health tourists. Medical treatments included joint replacement, cancer treatment, eye surgery, cosmetic surgery and addictions rehabilitation. Costs are about 60 to 80 percent less than US costs. For example, Choice Medical Services, a health tourism provider, provides a hip replacement in Cuba for US$5,845/C$6120/€4227 Back To Top Mexico Americans, particularly those living near the Mexican border, now routinely cross to Mexico for medical care. Popular specialties include dentristry and plastic surgery. Mexican dentists often charge one-fifth to one-fourth of US prices, while other procedures typically cost a third what they would in the US. Back To Top Panama Panama offers savings of more than 50% compared to the US and Europe. For example, Dental implants cost an average of $2,500 per implant in the US or Canada. In Panama, the same procedure with board and lodging, personal tour guide, and transportation is available at a much lower cost. Popular procedures include dental implants, plastic surgery, assisted reproduction, cardiology, cosmetic dentistry, pulmonology and orthopedics. Panama's hospitals have affiliations to international organizations such as: Baptist Health International of Miami, Cleveland Clinic, Tulane Health Science Center, Johns Hopkins International, Miami Children's Hospital, University of Nebraska Medical Center, The Kendall Medical Center in Florida, and Harvard Medical Faculty and Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in US. Back To Top Canada Canada has recently entered the medical tourism field. In comparison to U. health costs, medical tourism patients can save 30 to 60 percent on health costs in Canada. Back To Top Israel Israel is emerging as a popular destination for medical tourists. Its modern, field- leading set of physicians and medical facilities are often used by international patients. In 2006, 15,000 foreigners travelled to the country for medical procedures, bringing in $40 million of revenue.Medical tourists choose Israel for several reasons. Some come from European nations such as Bulgaria and Cyprus where certain procedures are not available. Others come to Israel, perhaps most commonly from the US, because they can receive quality health care at a fraction of the cost it would be at home, for both surgeries and in-vitro fertilization treatments. Other medical tourists come to Israel to visit the Dead Sea, a world-famous therapeutic resort Back To Top |