Category Archives: Medical Tourism/Health Tourism

5 Tips to Choose a Medical Tourism Facility

Medical tourism is a new way of doing tourism that is growing everyday. More and more people are doing medical tourism; the benefits are quite obvious, at the same time you are taking care of yourself (of your health) you are visiting a different country, a different culture.

Medical care will vary from country to country, for example, some countries are known for having an excellent medical care on a particular area; other countries are known for having supreme medical care (and outstanding results) in another area. People engage in medical tourism because they want outstanding results and they seek the finest medical care services. However, some persons just arrive to a medical facility and unfortunately it can’t meet their expectations. That is why you have to choose the medical tourism facility wisely.

  • 1 – International Standards

Both the American College of Surgeons and the American Medical Association have set strict criteria in the matter of medical tourism. If you want to select a medical tourism facility, it is advisable you select one that follows the international standards for medical tourism. The international standards are strict rules, guidelines and ethics all the hospitals of medical tourism must follow.

  • 2 –Worldwide Affiliation

The affiliations of a Hospital can tell a lot about it. Make sure that medical tourism hospital is affiliated with recognized and accredited entities (Harvard Medical School, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins, etc.) if that hospital has these type of associations that will be a plus.

  • 3 –Feedback

It is very, very important to check feedback from past users of the medical tourism facility where you want to do medical tourism. Make questions, check with past users, check successful treatments (but do not forget to check unsuccessful treatments as well). By doing this you will be capable of gaining a better insight about that medical tourism facility and you will also make sure you are not going to a hospital which do not follows your criteria.

  • 4 –Certification

If a hospital for medical tourism is not certificated by the Joint Commission International it means that if you decide to visit that hospital to perform some kind of treatment, the risk of seeing your high expectations dropping is very high. All the quality hospitals for medical tourism have to be certified by international organizations like the Joint Commission International.

  • 5 –Check the Health Care Professionals

It is not just about the facility, it is also about the professionals working on it.If you are a patient  from America it is natural you want to be treated by health care professionals that can speak you language. You are going to other country to do medical tourism, you are going to a foreign hospital but this does not mean that you can’t be treated by professionals from America, UK or Canada. If you feel more comfortable with American professionals, you can easily check if that hospital has American health care professionals available to treat you.

By following these simple although effective tips you will make sure you choose the right medical tourism facility and that your high expectations will be met.

Daniel is passionate writer who loves to medical tourism  and medical treatment related tips. He would like to invite you to find out more guides about medical treatment in Lithuania at www.medtrips.eu

source: http://www.getholistichealth.com/ Home> Overall Health / by Daniel Barett / October 09th, 2012

Wal-Mart Stores turning to ‘medical tourism’ to control health costs

Digital Content Producer- Dallas Business Journal
In an effort to save on health-care costs, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will begin next year offering its insured employees no-cost heart and spine surgeries and will pay for their travel at eight hospitals around the nation, including one in Texas.

The Dallas Morning News reported that the nation’s largest employer will offer the so-called “medical tourism” at Scott & Whitle Memorial in Temple and at seven other hospitals in the country.

The newspaper said that rising health-care costs are driving some employers to narrow the number of doctors and hospitals that are covered on their insurance plans.

You can read the full report in the Dallas Morning News here.

Lance Murray edits and writes for the DBJ’s website and can be reached at 214-706-7106

source: http://www.bizjournals.com / Friday, October 12th, 2012

Medical Tourism Booming in North Africa

Despite the unrest rocking several Arab countries, many foreign tourists are still heading to North Africa not only for holidays but also for plastic surgery which has become a big business namely in Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco.
The pyramids of ancient Egypt, the antiquities & beaches of Tunisia and the mystical city Marrakesh (Morocco) are no longer the main attractions for international travelers. Tourists are now more and more coming to this region for liposuction, breast augmentations and other cosmetic surgery procedures.
The popular plastic surgery operations include tummy tuck, liposuction, facelift, breast lift or reduction, dental care, buttock augmentation & lift, nose job, ear surgery, eyelid surgery, chin augmentation and hair transplantation.
Its proximity to Europe, proven skill of certified board surgeons and moderate prices that make the three northern African countries attractive alternatives to India, Thailand, Pakistan or Latin America (the current giants in the field of medical tourism). The clinics there offer unbeatable packages which combine a beach vacation, relaxation and scalpel. Instead of a hospital environment, foreign tourists seeking a new look (flawless face or body), can enjoy the luxury and comfort newly built clinics, equipped with the most modern medical and surgical apparatus.
This highly attractive offer appeals to those short on time and who want to save money at a time economic & financial crisis is hitting badly Euro-zone. Thus, Europeans (women and men), who are looking for an affordable makeover and vacation wrapped into one deal, keep coming to North Africa from as far away as Sweden, Russia and the United States.
They keep coming because they’re paying half of the medical costs in their homeland, preferring to stay in a hospital like a 5-star hotel, and getting a safe and quicker treatment.
However, it is perplexing to see that countries that attract most medical tourists are often experiencing difficulties to give the adequate medical care to their own populations. So, it’s worth thinking about and one should start shopping around for a clinic that donates some of its profits to providing medical care for those who can’t afford it at all.

source: http://www.northafricapost.com / Home>  LifeStyle>  Eating Out / by NewsDesk / October 12th, 2012

Penang top destination for medical tourism in M’sia

The state of Penang accounted for 60 per cent of 555,000 foreign medical tourists to Malaysia last year for healthcare services.

Northern Corridor Implementation Autho-rity (NCIA) chief executive officer Redza Rafiq Abdul Razak said seven private hospitals from the Penang Health Association (PHA) recorded a revenue of 280 billion (US$91.88 billion) in the past year.

“A total of 333,000 people sought medical treatment from hospitals such as Pantai Mutiara Hospital, Lam Wah Ee Hospital, Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, Loh Guan Lye Spe-cialist Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital, Penang Adventist Hospital and Island Hospital.

“Among those who came to Penang for medical tourism were from southern Thailand and Australia,” he told a press conference in conjunction with the International Conference for Cancer Caregivers yesterday.

He added that NCIA was collaborating with the association to penetrate into other countries such as Cambodia, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

“We are stepping up efforts to promote medical tourism among foreign tourists through several measures including flight incentives which would be announced later,” he said.

Penang Adventist Hospital marketing and business development manager Ng Gim Bee said the state expected an annual growth of 15 per cent on foreign medical tourists to Penang.

“Foreigners come to Penang mostly for open heart surgeries and procedures, and dental care,” she said.

source: http://www.asianewsnet.net / Home> Latest News> Business / News Desk> The Star / October 05th, 2012

Medical tourism expanded in 2011 — association

Amman:

The Kingdom’s medical tourism sector expanded in 2011, the Private Hospitals Association (PHA) announced on Sunday.

PHA figures made available to The Jordan Times showed that 240,000 visitors came to the Kingdom last year either to receive treatment in private hospitals or to accompany a patient, compared to 220,000 in 2010.

Previous PHA figures showed that the sector brought in 220,000 visitors in 2009, 200,000 in 2008, and 190,000 in 2007.

The PHA last year repeatedly warned that regional unrest was hurting medical tourism in Jordan, and announced in January that the number of medical tourists had fallen to 180,000 in 2011.

It now appears, however, that turmoil in the Middle East has brought more business to the sector, not less.

PHA Executive Director Abdullah Hindawi on Sunday attributed the increase in the revised figures to the influx of injured patients from regional countries that witnessed civil conflict last year, particularly Libya.

Hindawi noted that 58,000 Libyans came to Jordan for medical care in 2011, while Palestinian, Iraqi, Sudanese and Yemeni patients made up the bulk of the remainder.

In a previous statement, PHA President Fawzi Hammouri said the association’s figures only include inpatients and that the number of outpatients, if calculated, might double the total figure.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with the matter told The Jordan Times that Libya’s outstanding dues to the Kingdom’s hospitals are expected to be paid after the formation of the new Libyan government within two weeks.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the outstanding debts stood at JD120 million as of August 31.

source: http://www.JordanTimes.com / Home> Local> article details / by Khetam Malkawi / October 07th, 2012