Category Archives: Reports,Features, Statistics

Nigeria partners MTA to check medical tourism

Posted on August 27, 2013 | Comments Off on Nigeria partners MTA to check medical tourism

To stem the tide of capital flight and increasing numbers of Nigerians seeking medical treatment abroad, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) is to enter into partnership with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), an American-based non-profit organisation, as the body has expressed strong interest in helping to brand Nigeria as a viable destination for medical tourism and check the prevalence of Nigerians of all ages and status from seeking medical care abroad.

This formed the crux of agreement reached by the association and NTDC when the representatives visited the Nigeria stand at the recently concluded international travel and tourism trade exhibition – ITB, in Berlin. The partnership agreement brokered by the association team led by Jonathan Edelheit, executive officer, and Cristina Cardona, global congress manager, would see the body with membership in over 100 countries across the world, dedicated to promoting medical education and enlightenment through workshops, seminars and training sessions among others. MTA would also work through hospitals, medical personnel, health service providers, governments and tourism bodies in the realisation of their aims in Nigeria.

“Our organisation works with governments and hospitals in over a hundred different countries and we would like to help brand Nigeria and train personnel with a view to help bring in medical tourists to Nigeria,” said Edelheit. The body through NTDC, according to him, is seeking to come into the Nigerian market to create awareness of it services and help to midwife the Nigeria branch of MTA, which would be saddled with the responsibility of helping various medical service providers and the government in creating and promoting a health and conducive environment for medical tourism to thrive in the country.

He explained that Nigerian hospitals would benefit from specialising in medical procedures that take advantage of the products and services that the country has to offer while also analysing what types of patients from which specific markets to target. “Presently patients travel round the world looking for value, quality and affordability. What the MTA is offering is to come to Nigeria to provide education on where the country’s competitive advantage lies and help develop it,” Edelheit continued.

Responding, Olusegun Runsewe, director general, NTDC, revealed that the apex tourism body in Nigeria is happy about this development and share the enthusiasm of MTA even as he pledged the commitment of NTDC in helping to introduce this initiative to Nigeria and help bring all the stakeholders together. According to him, Nigeria is in dire need of such body to help check the growing numbers of its citizens travelling abroad for medical treatment under the slightest appearance of any life threatening disease.

OBINNA EMELIKE, with agency report

source: http://www.businessdayonline.com / Business Day / Home> Health Business & Living> Training> Stay Connected / by The Editor / March 22nd, 2013

Comments Off on Nigeria partners MTA to check medical tourism

Posted in Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics

Goa to promote health-and-wellness tourism

Posted on August 26, 2013 | Comments Off on Goa to promote health-and-wellness tourism

Goa needs more high-end hotel rooms to hope for big-ticket tourists, says a draft investment policy prepared by a government-appointed task force that says the state can position itself as a health and wellness tourism destination.

(Goa to promote health-and-wellness…)

(Goa to promote health-and-wellness…)

The Goa Investment Policy 2013 that has just been put into the public domain for suggestions has also outlined the importance of medical tourism in taking forward Goa’s story.

“The government  targets granting permissions to starred hotels, across categories, to a cumulative additional capacity of around 8,000 beds in the next five years,” says the policy, authored by a task force headed by Atul Pai Kane, the Goa chairman of the Confederation of Indian industry (CII).

The report also says that attracting high-end visitors will also mean creation of infrastructure and facilities which in turn will provide gainful employment for the state’s youth. The current disparity in the proportion of low-end to high-end hotels  will be made up by encouraging more boutique and luxury hotels in the state, the draft policy says.

The increased focus on high-end tourists also comes with the inevitable requirement of creating high-value tourism products, which should include oceanariums, theme parks, shopping malls, entertainment centres, high-end water sports and adventure sports, the policy says.

At present Goa attracts nearly 2.8 million tourists annually, out of which over half a million are foreigners.

Setting its sights on the emerging segment of health and wellness tourism, which attracted over 1.3 million people to India in 2013 alone, the draft policy suggests that Goa has “good basic healthcare infrastructure” to cater to the segment.

But more needs to be done, the draft policy says.

“While medical tourism is growing in Goa, the government is keen to attract investments  in new facilities and draw more medical tourists to Goa for high-end and complicated procedures. For medical tourism to take off in a big way, uniformity and quality of services offered are critical,” the report says, recommending several steps which the Goa government could take to beef itself up in the medical tourism sector.

The recommendations include setting up of large healthcare facilities to meet the needs of increasing medical tourists, mandatory registration with the Directorate of Health Services and the Goa Medical Council for facilities offering medical tourism and a rate card and details of facilities to be offered.

Also meted is a government portal with details of each healthcare facility and which will serve as a liaison between patients and doctors and medical facilities.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> Travel> Medical Tourism / by IANS / August 19th, 2013

Comments Off on Goa to promote health-and-wellness tourism

Posted in Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics, Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas, Wellness Tourism

No Chinese-Funded Health Village in South Iceland

Posted on August 24, 2013 | Comments Off on No Chinese-Funded Health Village in South Iceland

Plans by Chinese investors CSST International to contribute up to ISK 7 billion (USD 59 million, EUR 44 million) to the development of a health village in Flúðir, South Iceland, have fallen through. Financing projects in health tourism that have come up in the past few years has proven difficult.

Flúðir. Photo: Páll Kjartansson/Iceland Review.

Flúðir. Photo: Páll Kjartansson/Iceland Review.

The Flúðir project was launched in 2008, assuming a village of 200 apartments, service buildings, pools and a rehabilitation center where more than 100 people were to be employed. The plans were downscaled after the banks collapsed, ruv.is reports.

The project is still on and its representative, Árni Gunnarsson, is seeking other investors. However, funding is hard to find.

That is also the experience of other pioneers in health tourism in Iceland, such as Primacare, planning a private hospital in Mosfellsbær where foreigners can have joint replacements.

Managing director of Primacare Gunnar Ármannsson remains optimistic about the participation of foreign investors.

Nordic Health Pro was planning a private hospital in Reykjanesbær, hoping to fly in patients from abroad, but the project has also yet to be executed.

source: http://www.icelandreview.com /Iceland Review Online / Home> Daily News / August 18th, 2013

Comments Off on No Chinese-Funded Health Village in South Iceland

Posted in Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Others, Reports,Features, Statistics

Baja California is Spearheading Medical Tourism in Mexico

Posted on August 23, 2013 | Comments Off on Baja California is Spearheading Medical Tourism in Mexico

Medical Tourism in Baja CaliforniaCT23aug2013

Baja California is making efforts to increase medical tourism in their state. By offering medical services 40-60% cheaper than in other countries, Baja California captures the attention of tourists who seek various types of medical services.

Secretariat of Health certified physicians offer specialties in dentistry, optometry, sports medicine and surgery. A number of tourists come to Mexico to undergo cosmetic surgeries (liposuction, Botox application and gastric banding) and to purchase medications.

While hosting an annual average of 450,000 tourists, mostly from the U.S., Baja California earns a foreign exchange of US$89 million from those seeking medical services. The state is planning to promote medical tourism in the U.S. by investing $15 million pesos to attract 15 million tourists who will bring an estimated $8 million in additional resources to this sector annually. The increase of medical tourism in Baja California  arises because of the affordability of health care compared to the United States, which represents a competitive advantage for the Mexican entity as well as new business development opportunities.

source: http://www.mexicotoday.org / Home / by John Ganjei / Wednesday – August 14th, 2013

Comments Off on Baja California is Spearheading Medical Tourism in Mexico

Posted in Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics, Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas

TAT, Eyeing China’s Luxury Markets, Invites 30 Medical Facilitators and Travel Agencies on FAM Trip to Showcase Thailand’s Health and Wellness Services

Posted on August 21, 2013 | Comments Off on TAT, Eyeing China’s Luxury Markets, Invites 30 Medical Facilitators and Travel Agencies on FAM Trip to Showcase Thailand’s Health and Wellness Services

Bangkok :

More than 30 medical facilitators and travel agencies specialising in health and wellness travel from 10 countries are visiting Thailand between 12-18 August, 2013, for the second annual fam trip of its kind organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The Thailand Medical and Wellness Tourism Trade and Media FAM Trip 2013 has been designed to showcase the market potential of Thailand’s health and wellness services, with a special focus on opportunities to tap the luxury Chinese market.

Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, TAT Governor, said “Because we received a good response to last year’s event, we decided to repeat it this year for buyers from the US, Australia, Russia, United Arab Emirates, and Oman. The most important new potential high-end market is from mainland China where there is great demand for high-end luxury health tour programmes.”

The TAT Governor noted, “The invited participants will have had a good chance to see the full range of our unique health and wellness facilities. Currently, 28 Thai hospitals are JCI-accredited, the highest number of this prestigious international standard in Asia. Furthermore, Thailand is widely recognised by various international institutes as the spa capital of Asia.”

The fam trip includes a conference on 13 August at which well-known Thai physicians have discussed trends and advanced medical treatments. They include Dr. Sanguan Kunaporn, a famous plastic surgeon from Phuket International Hospital, Dr. Somjate Manipalviratn, M.D., a well-known fertility treatment expert from Superior A.R.T., and Dr. Buncha Dangnium, M.D., a famous anti-aging physician from Villa Medica.

Another activity of the event is a business-matching meeting open to 58 Thai sellers from hospitals, clinics, and spas to meet with buyers for business opportunities, discussions, and to introduce their products and services. After the trade event, the fam trip participants will visit health and wellness medical facilities in Bangkok, Phuket, and Hua Hin.

​Mr. Suraphon said, “This trade event will have been an excellent opportunity for Thai health and wellness providers to meet buyers from new markets. It will have also emphasised on Thailand’s reputation as “The World Leader in Medical and Wellness Tourism.”

The Thai health and wellness tourism sector is expected to be a major contributor to the total projected revenue earnings of two trillion Baht in 2014, from both foreign and domestic tourism.

Contact Information:

International Public Relations Division

Tourism Authority of Thailand

Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48

Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419 E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th

Web site: www.tatnews.org

source: http://www.pattayamail.com / Pattaya Mail / Home> Travel & Tourism / by TAT / Saturday – August 17th, 2013

Comments Off on TAT, Eyeing China’s Luxury Markets, Invites 30 Medical Facilitators and Travel Agencies on FAM Trip to Showcase Thailand’s Health and Wellness Services

Posted in Associations/Organisations/Government/NonGovernment, Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment, Health/Medical Tourism Boards, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics, Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas, Wellness Tourism