Category Archives: Medical Tourism/Health Tourism

For Canadians considering a trip overseas for surgery or other medical care, there are guidelines now available from Simon Fraser University researchers to help make informed decisions.

SFU’s Medical Tourism Research Group recently developed a tool that helps to answer questions related to ethical concerns about the health and safety risks associated with out-of-country health care.

Created by SFU ethicist Jeremy Snyder, with support from a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant, the one-page information sheet outlines several key points to consider, including unforeseen costs, procedure risks, the potential for contracting diseases and patient rights. It also points to the potentially negative impacts medical tourism could have on local communities where surgeries or health-care is offered.

Snyder is hoping to distribute the guideline across Canada.

For more information, including a list of medical tourism research involving several popular travel destinations, go to www. sfu.ca/medicaltourism/ resources/html.

Sun safety

Summer’s almost here, and with it, longer, sunnier days spent outdoors. While this is a great benefit to boosting people’s moods and stocking up on vitamin D3, there are dangers in getting too much sun exposure as well, even on cloudy days, according to Fraser Health.

“Most people think that as long as they aren’t getting a sun burn, they aren’t damaging their skin, but even if your skin is tanning and not burning, daily exposure to sunlight adds up and over time can cause skin damage and even skin cancer,” said Paul Van Buynder, chief medical health officer with Fraser Health, in a press release. “A tan is visible proof that your skin has been damaged from ultraviolet radiation.”

Skin cancer may be the most serious consequence of too much sun, though it’s not the only harmful effect. Too much sun can cause premature wrinkling, spotting and aging of the skin, as well as eye diseases and weakening of the body’s ability to fight off infections, illness and disease.

Children are especially at risk of developing health problems later in life if they experience sunburn.

To avoid harmful UV rays, Fraser Health recommends seeking shade between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun is strongest, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants as well as a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, and applying sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or more.

Sunscreen should be applied 20 minutes before, and again after, sweating or swimming.

For more sun safety tips from Health Canada, visit www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/ sun-sol/index-eng.php.

Active kids

Kids across the country will soon have more encouragement to stay off the couch during afterschool hours.

The Public Health Agency of Canada recently announced a $1 million funding initiative aimed at supporting after-school programs that encourage Canadian youth to get moving.

Only seven per cent of Canadian kids get enough physical activity on a daily basis, according to Physical and Health Education Canada, one of the partners developing the project.

Specifically, the project – created by the Canadian Active After School Partnership – will focus on reducing community barriers to active after-school programs; supporting mental health through active after-school programs; engaging home and family to enhance access to after-school programs and; engaging aboriginal children and youth in active after-school programs.

Pilot projects have been launched across Canada in several communities, targeting Aboriginal Peoples, those with a disability, girls and young women.

The project has also included a national survey of parents and guardians to gather data online from across the country.

The project, supported through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Healthy Living Fund, will be awarded to the various participating organizations over a two-year period.

source: http://www.burnabynow.com /Burnaby Now / Home> News / by Marelle Reid, Burnaby Now / June 14th, 2013

Puerto Rico to finally enter medical-tourism field, aggressively court foreign investors.

The government is getting close to announcing new initiatives aimed at making Puerto Rico a world leader in medical tourism and the island an attractive destination for foreign investors, Secretary of State David Bernier told CARIBBEAN BUSINESS.

Both efforts are being propelled by a new public policy of the administration of Gov. Alejandro García Padilla that calls for increased coordination between different government agencies.

“We’ve been hearing about medical tourism for years. Now we are finally going to have it,” Bernier said. “I anticipate that in a very short time Puerto Rico will be positioned as a leader in the field of medical tourism without doubt.”

The Economic Development & Commerce (DDEC by its Spanish acronym), State and Health departments, and the Tourism Co. are involved in the effort.

“This effort is being mapped out, and we will see results,” he said.

Currently, government and private sector officials are defining a “process mechanism” that will carry out a sustained marketing push for medical tourism, Bernier said. He declined to release more details saying an announcement on the plan was expected shortly.

The effort will create the environment for new projects, including hotels, aimed at the sector and new medical-tourism facilities to be developed. Bernier confirmed that there is a proposal to redevelop the former Normandie Hotel in Puerto Rico into a medical-tourism hotel.

Meanwhile, the government is also finishing up plans to formally request becoming a regional center in the U.S. government’s EB-5 (Employment-Based, Fifth-Preference Category) Immigrant Investor Pilot Program. Begun in 1992, it grants U.S. residency to foreigners who make investments and create jobs in the U.S.

Rural areas with low population density or depressed urban areas where the unemployment rate exceeds 150% of the national average, can also qualify to host EB-5 regional centers, which allows for greater flexibility and gives destinations priority in receiving visas.

Puerto Rico is looking at a model used in the state of Vermont, distinguished by the participation of the state government, which is one of the most successful in the country.

“There are multiple proposals being considered. We are analyzing with the DDEC, what model will be best for Puerto Rico,” Bernier said.

Bernier confirmed that the government is analyzing creating an “open-ended” regional center that would be run in conjunction with the government and private investors. The idea would be to create a venture capital fund run by the Government Development Bank to fund projects selected by the DDEC.

CARIBBEAN BUSINESS sources have indicated that the target is to attract 10,000 investors from Latin America, raising $5 billion. One proposed use of those funds would be to set up a real-estate investment trust to buy bad loans from local banks, which have an estimated $7 billion on their books. Other potential projects include renewable-energy plants, tourism developments and infrastructure works.

DDEC Secretary Alberto Bacó Bagué told CARIBBEAN BUSINESS the government would be seeking “expedited” approval from federal officials because of the program’s success in other jurisdictions.

Within a regional center, foreign investors must invest at least $500,000 and their investment must create 10 or more direct or indirect jobs, with an economic analysis to back up the claims. The EB-5 program currently makes 10,000 EB-5 visas available annually, with 3,000 reserved for designated regional centers. There are currently 210 approved designated regional centers operating in 37 states and other U.S. jurisdictions.

Private entities on their own can also pursue EB-5 regional center status. Omega Puerto Rico Regional Center was approved last month by the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) for a project involving 350 units of assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing for elderly residents. At least two other projects have requested becoming a regional center from the USCIS and are waiting for a decision, according to sources.

source: http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com / Caribbean Business / Home> This Week / by John Marino  marino@caribbeanbusinesspr.com / Vol.41, No. 20 / May 30th, 2013