Category Archives: Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas

Mayor touts Columbia as medical tourism mecca

Mayor Brian Treece wants to capitalize on Columbia’s plethora of hospitals and surgical centers to market the city as a destination for health care.

As Treece lauded the passage of Proposition 1 — a lodging tax increase that will help fund a new terminal at the Columbia Regional Airport — he told Regional Economic Development Inc. board members he plans to launch an initiative devoted to medical tourism. A resolution to form the Mayor’s Task Force on Medical Tourism will be up for city council consideration on Monday night.

“We are blessed to have a lot of health care providers,” he said Wednesday during a REDI meeting. Treece wants to gather representatives of Boone Hospital Center, University of Missouri Health Care, Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, hoteliers, the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau and local surgical centers to form a task force of sorts to study the topic.

“What are the services that we do well, and how can we use Columbia’s health care density to market ourselves as a community for those that want to travel here for procedures?” Treece said.

More than two-thirds of ballots cast Aug. 2 supported Proposition 1, a measure that will raise the city’s gross receipts tax on hotels and motels from 4 percent to 5 percent for a period not to exceed 23 years. Treece said his initiative would take “a holistic approach to the airport as an incubator” for medical tourism.

Missouri Orthopaedic Institute’s BioJoint research program has reported that about 30 patients a month fly to Columbia for the institute’s procedures.

“The University of Kansas is advertising in our marketplace for patients to go to KU,” Treece said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “There’s no need for that.”

That potential medical tourism boon is not limited to human patients, said Steve Wyatt, a REDI board member and vice provost for economic development at MU.

“I would encourage you to think about our four-legged friends,” Wyatt said.

Some out-of-town pet owners bring their furry companions to MU’s Veterinary Health Center for treatments and procedures, he said, noting the potential benefits for the business community.

source: http://www.columbiatribune.com / Columbia Daily Tribune / Home> Business> Street Talk / by Jodie Jackson Jr. / Saturday – August 13th, 2016

Across the border: Dental tourism grows, especially for pricey procedures

Dental tourism has been expanding, especially for pricey procedures such as implants and root canals. Patients say they’ve received good care and saved thousands on expensive dental treatment by traveling abroad, but the ADA warns it could end up costing patients more if problems arise when they get home.

When Ralph Grosswald and his partner, Terri Heeter, of Santa Fe, NM, needed extensive, expensive dental work, friends told them about getting good care at a dental clinic across the border in Palomas, Mexico.

“We needed four crowns, and Terri needed a little cosmetic work, and it was going to cost about $6,000,” Grosswald told DrBicuspid.com. “We got good referrals from people who had work done there, and we had $6,000 worth of dental work done for about $920.”

More than 500,000 U.S. residents traveled out of the country for dental care in 2013, according to the medical tourism group Patients Beyond Borders. Mexican dentists even advertise in the weekly newspaper with procedure prices to show the comparison to U.S. dentists.

Central America: Hot spot for dental tourism

Based on their experience and Heeter’s background as a travel consultant, the couple started Beyond Borders Dental , a dental concierge service that arranges dental care, lodging, and round-trip transportation from Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM, to dental clinics in Palomas, Mexico.

Ralph Grosswald and Terri Heeter, operators of Beyond Borders Dental.

Ralph Grosswald and Terri Heeter, operators of Beyond Borders Dental.

“We found that people who needed dental work were concerned about safety, which dental clinics to go to, and what documentation was required in Mexico,” Grosswald explained. “They needed a lot of support and hand holding.”

Other dental tourism companies offer trips to Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, and Thailand, but Grosswald said many people can’t take that much time off or don’t want to spend thousands of dollars for airfare.

“We can take you to Palomas and either wait for you or bring you back next day, so you don’t have to miss a lot of work,” he said. The company works with several clinics, which have seven dentists and about eight specialists who do periodontal or orthodontic work.

The most common procedures are crowns, root canals, veneers, and cosmetic dentistry, Grosswald said.

“Any work that can be done in U.S. can be done in our clinics,” he said. There’s also a big demand for implants, which can be done for $1,500, about $1,000 less than stateside, Grosswald said.

A dentist in Palomas, Mexico, working on a patient. Image courtesy of Beyond Borders Dental.

A dentist in Palomas, Mexico, working on a patient. Image courtesy of Beyond Borders Dental.

What about quality of care?

Don Pardue of Jacksonville, FL, heard about good dental care in Costa Rica during his fishing trips there.

“Americans who lived there raved about dental care and how good it was,” Pardue told DrBicuspid.com. “I had an empty spot and needed an implant on my lower right, which would have cost about $3,000.”

So about 10 years ago, Pardue went to a dentist outside the capital of San Jose

____________________________________________________.

“There are thousands of people who need dental care but can’t afford it or have dental insurance that’s not good enough, and for them this is a very viable alternative.”

— Ralph Grosswald, CEO, Beyond Borders Dental
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“I went to see him initially, and he said it would be no problem and would require two visits,” Pardue said. “He was trained in Miami and spoke English very well. Everything was very clean and very professional.”

The dentist used general anesthesia during the oral surgery to place Pardue’s implant, which cost about $800.

“He put me under with an IV, and there was an anesthesiologist right beside me to monitor it,” he said. “I went fishing the day after the implant.”

Pardue returned to Costa Rica two weeks later for a checkup and had a crown placed on it back home in Florida.

“My U.S. dentist showed me the x-rays and said it was excellent work,” Pardue said. “Every time I go back he says, ‘How’s that Costa Rica implant?’ and takes a look, and there has never been a problem.”

Would he recommend going to Costa Rica for dental work to others?

“Absolutely,” Pardue said.

Nana Lopez, DDS, a dentist with Community Health of South Florida , recounted mixed experiences of patients who went abroad for dental treatment.

When Dr. Lopez was the dental director for Austin, TX, her hygienist and a couple of dental assistants went to Piedras Negras, Mexico, to get treated by a U.S.-trained dentist in 2001.

“He did very inexpensive gold crowns,” Dr. Lopez told DrBicuspid.com. “I examined two of them, and they were good quality.”

The crowns cost about $100 each, she said.

But a Florida Keys patient had a different experience in Nicaragua.

“He needed a bridge where he had lost #4 or #5, and he was from Nicaragua and needed to visit his mother, so he had a cantilever bridge made for about $35,” Dr. Lopez said. “He proudly brought it back for me to see and it was not good — yellow gold with some kind of plastic facing on pontic, bulky margins, open margins. I told him it was not good and why. He was going to return and have them make it better.”

ADA warns about complications

Maria Lopez Howell, DDS, a San Antonio dentist and an ADA spokeswoman, has unique insight into dental tourism: She is one of 13 dentists in her extended family, including nine who practice in Mexico.

Maria Lopez Howell, DDS.

Maria Lopez Howell, DDS.

 “I started translating for my uncle and aunt’s dental practice in Mexico when I was 4 years old,” Dr. Howell told DrBicuspid.com. “I helped translate for American patients who came to them for dental care.”

She described the dental care some of her patients had in Mexico.

“One woman came back and needed some treatment,” Dr. Howell said. “It was a crown that basically didn’t fit correctly, and I had to replace it.”

Dental technology has advanced greatly, but potential problems also can be greater because many procedures are now more complicated, she said.

“If something happens during treatment where the patient is in a compromised position, what recourse do they have? Is there a ministry of health? Is there a local dental society?” she asked. “You went down there for crowns, because it’s cheaper and now it’s not. You really have to do your research.”

Also, infection control and safety standards in U.S. dental offices are really the gold standard, Dr. Howell noted.

Dentists also have insight into their long-term patients.

“We monitor certain things for our patients that are actually more cost-effective for them over time,” Dr. Howell said. “Whereas someone who doesn’t know the patient will perhaps make a decision to intervene when monitoring may be in the patient’s best interest.”

“It’s not for everyone,” Grosswald said of international dental care. “But there are thousands of people who need dental care but can’t afford it or have dental insurance that’s not good enough, and for them this is a very viable alternative.”

source:  http://www.drbicuspid.com / DrBiCuspid.com / Home / by Donna Domino, Staff Reporter / July 14th, 2016

Reproductive Tourism in India: No Child’s Play

Check the DNA

Check the DNA

The baby you get may not be the baby you sired

American nationals Morgan Newton and his partner were in for a rude shock when they discovered that the twins born through the in-vitro fertilisation arrangement they had opted for at a private clinic in Delhi were genetically not theirs. The gay couple had been swindled by the Surrogacy Center India and ISIS Hospital and IVF Center where they had paid US$20,000 for their bundles of joy.

Newton and his friend depressingly are not alone. They are the victims of an industry that is badly regulated and sometimes peopled with unscrupulous practitioners. For instance another American, Adam Berman, experienced a similar nightmare at the same clinic, handed over a child that was not genetically his own. Both Newton and Berman have now registered criminal cases against the clinic, alleging that its owners and doctors are running a well-organized racket to induce prospective parents to use their services and then cheat them.

Over the last decade, India has become a major global destination for what is variously referred to as “reproductive tourism,” “health tourism” or “pregnancy tourism,” a US$2.5 billion industry to help childless couples, mostly foreigners, become parents through the IVF route.

Driving the demand are India’s unique advantages as a low-cost surrogacy destination, its lax laws, lack of regulation of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) clinics and the easy availability of poor, illiterate surrogates who rent their wombs for a pittance. Most Indian IVF clinics also have a strong internet presence which helps them attract patients from all over the world. Long waiting periods for a surrogate arrangement in western countries are further driving western couples towards India.

The monetary advantage for a childless foreign couple opting for India are spectacular. In India, surrogacy arrangements usually cost around US$$10,000-15,000 as compared to a whopping US$50,000- 70,000 in the West. Moreover, while many western countries have banned commercial surrogacy, it has been legal in India since 2002.

However,  the surrogacy industry has also spawned malpractices which exploit  uneducated surrogates as well as rich, hopeful parents. This is largely because currently there are no laws to govern the practice. What passes off as “law” is a skeletal, 126-page document issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 2005, which lays down the National Guidelines for Accreditation, Supervision and Regulation of ART Clinics in India.

But, as analysts point out, the guidelines are legally nonbinding, as they have not yet been ratified by the Indian Parliament. Besides, the council’s rules are ambiguous about vital issues like the rights of the surrogate, her minimum age, details about the contracts drawn up between the parents and surrogates, informed consent and adoption requirements.

“The issue of legal parentage in India has been particularly fraught,” said Prakash Arora, a senior gynecologist with Max Hospital, NOIDA. “Many childless couples have spent whopping sums of money on airfare and surrogacy contracts only to be told at the last minute that they can’t take their baby out of the country till cumbersome paperwork for adoption is completed.”

Lack of a stringent law has also resulted in fatalities. In 2012, a poor surrogate Premila Vaghela, 30, who had rented out her womb to a US couple, died in the eighth month of her pregnancy due to negligence by an IVF clinic in Ahmedabad. Many other such cases have come to light highlighting the grey area under which ART clinics continue operate in the country.

The risk of cancer is also quite high among the donors because of the heavy doses of hormone injections and medication administered to enhance their ovum-producing capabilities. “Most of the fertility specialists in India are gynaecologists,” said Pramit Rajpal, a medical anthropologist. “After a few years of practice, they learn some basic ART methods and set up clinics in metros or smaller cities. Nobody comes to check their licenses.”

The clinics work through an entrenched network of brokers who target villages where poor women consent to become egg donors. The pimps charge hefty sums from rich, childless couples but pay a pittance to the women.

Every day, thousands of socio-economically backward women are tempted into donating their ova for monetary benefit. Medical experts say that 50,000 to 60,000 women face potentially serious health complications due to egg donations done without proper precautionary measures. “When someone is willing to donate semen or eggs, there are a number of procedures to be followed, including medical tests. But none of the clinics follow the guidelines,” Rajpal said.

Acknowledging these infractions, ICMR has said in a report that “Most of the new technologies aimed at taking care of infertility involve handling of the gamete – spermatozoa or the ooctye – outside the body … These technologies not only require expertise, but also open up many avenues for unethical practices that can affect adversely the recipient of the treatment, medically, socially and legally.”

“There’s an urgent need to build in adequate safeguards to protect parents & surrogates, with added checks and balances to prevent exploitation of innocent people,” said Prakash Motwane, a Delhi-based fertility expert, and a consultant with Apollo Hospitals.

In the absence of comprehensive laws to prevent exploitation, contracts between surrogate mothers, and intended parents are often structured in a manner that are difficult to comprehend. There have also been horror stories of multiple embryos being implanted in the surrogate’s womb to ensure a higher chance of success, a dangerous practice that can imperil the surrogate’s health.

Health workers say the passage of the Assisted Reproductive Techniques (Regulation) Bill, 2014 will bring in the requisite transparency into the industry. With 7,000-8,000 surrogacy clinics operating in Delhi alone, and an estimated 50,000 across the country, the stakes are quite high. Many of these clinics operate illegally, catering to 10,000 to 15,000 childless foreign couples who visit India each year.

Last year, the Indian government stated its lack of support for commercial surrogacy — where the surrogate mother is paid a fee, as opposed to being merely reimbursed for expenses, a practice referred to as “altruistic surrogacy” — to the Supreme Court. It had added that only “needy infertile married Indian couples” would be allowed to use altruistic surrogacy. However, the matter is still pending in court.

However, many specialists object to a complete ban on commercial surrogacy, saying that if done right, it can help bolster the economy. Rather than a ban, what is needed is a vibrant legislative structure to regulate the industry, they add.  “We need to build in adequate safeguards to protect surrogates, with added checks and balances to prevent exploitation of foreign couples,” Motwane said.

The government’s latest draft of the Assisted Reproductive Techniques (Regulation) Bill seeks to impose heavy penalties  on erring clinics who cheat clients or jeopardize the life of surrogates, couples who refuse to take custody of a surrogate child born with disabilities, and prioritises the rights of the surrogate mother.

However, experts point out that the bill also differentiates between Indian and foreign parents, which risks driving surrogacy clinics aimed at the more lucrative foreign market underground, further endangering both mother and baby.

The ills notwithstanding, some doctors also feel that it is unfair to tarnish all fertility clinics with the same brush because the good ones are indeed a boon to childless couples. “Surrogacy is one of the well-accepted concepts of assisted reproduction,” said IVF expert Dr Indira Hinduja, who gave the country its first test tube baby in the 1980s. “It benefits patients who can’t conceive or carry a pregnancy to term. Such people can take the help of surrogates to carry their child in the uterus and then hand it over to the genetic parents post delivery.”

Given the complex dynamics, while the proposed bill won’t be a panacea for all ills, there is unanimity that it will at least minimize the damage by sensitizing the stakeholders about their rights while acting as a deterrent for unscrupulous merchants of the trade.

source:  http://www.asiasentinel.com / Asia Sentinel / Home> Trending Topics / by Neeta Lal / July 12th, 2016

Innovate approach and new services at Chinar Hotel & Spa Naftalan

ChinarHotelCT06jul2016

Synergy Group, Ata Travel and Health and Thermal Tourism Association organized info tour to Naftalan based Chinar Hotel & Spa on July 2-3. Azerbaijani media representatives and tour companies were taking part at this event.

The main aim of this info tour was to introduce health and medical tourism of Chinar Hotel & Spa, as well as advocacy of medical tourism.

Firstly, media and tour company representatives were introduced with diverse opportunities and extra-ordinary medical procedures which are in implementation of this renovated Hotel for the last 5 years.

Effective treatment and healing Naftalan

Currently, the Hotel is composed of medical and hotel components. Within the medical part polyclinic, diagnostic, physiotherapy & SPA centers are in service. The polyclinic carries therapy, neurology, cardiology, dermatology, dietology, gynecology, urology, ear-nose-throat treatment and stomatology rooms. For the Naftalan treatment, the new comers initially pass through the polyclinic diagnosis; in order to evaluate and check if their health conditions can afford it. In case of anything not contradicting with the Naftalan treatment, patient is allowed to go through.

The diagnostic center of the Hotel holds the best and innovative technical resources; including modern digital rentology, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, echo-doppler and medical lab.

It should be also mentioned that at physiotherapy center at Naftalan Chinar Hotel & Spa, it is possible to get therapy at therapy, electro therapy, magnet therapy, laser therapy, ultrasound therapy, magnetic therapy, shocking therapy, hydro therapy, medical massage and traction. There are also 28 Naftalan bath at therapy department.

Through the centralized system, the bath is filled with Naftalan oil bath at 36-38 degrees. The patient enters to the bath with supervision of doctors. If the patient does not feel good during the bath, he/she can deliver message to doctor via specialized electronic system. The entire bath is composed of 10 minutes. Afterwards, patient can deliver shower.

Normal treatment period with the Naftalan oil is 21 days. It is required to have 12-14 baths in this period. The Naftalan oil helps treatment of more than 70 diseases, including nerves, ear-nose-throat, urology, gynecology, periphery vein, etc.

Chinar Hotel & Spa in Naftalan is composed of 20 ha. The outside areas is composed of green space, as well as pave ways, benches, sport center, kids playground center for guests. Also, outdoor statues by sculptor Azad Aliyev provide furhter beauty for the garden. The statues reflect transportation and treatment of Naftalan oil in ancient times.

Number of foreign visitors to Naftalan is increasing

Later on media briefing covering activities of hotel was conducted for info tour participants.

During the conference General Manager of Chinar Hotel & Spa Turgay Ari mentioned that “the Hotel is renovated and in exploitation of guests as of 2011. It is already 5 years that we are in this business. On average 10.000 people visit us. As of now, we have hosted more than 50.000 guests. And the number of guests is increasing on a daily basis. We have a stong basis in Azerbaijani health tourism and we aim to consolidate our reputation and increase number of guests. For this reason, we are implementing various innovations and campaigns. Even, cooperating with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan.” Furthermore, he mentioned implementation of efficient packages for attracting further guests. For example: 2 weeks of package, including medical treatment and 3 times food, is only 59 manat per day.

We aim to be leader of the market by increasing sales of competitive tourism goods

Head of Health and Thermal Tourism Association Ruslan Guliev mentioned that the role of media on promotion of tourism has significantly increased: “ Media puffs up novelties and problems of turism sector, informs society and relevant bodies. Also different decrees and decisions by the President stipulate the development of touism sector and this causes qualitative changes in this sector”.

R.Guliev also said that recently several bodies have seriously contributed to the development of tourism sector as well. Especially Ata Travel assist in development of tourism. Also we can mention training of young staff, organizing info-tours within the country and abroad, involvement of foreigners to these actions, etc. Guliev also indicated the fact that this Hotel plays an important role for allocation of time to extra-ordinary activities internally.

Lots of activities have been conducted in the UAE, Russia, Europe and Kazakhstan for attracting tourists. Currently, we are heavily working on Turkish, European and Gulf regions. The aim is obviously to be leaders of the competitive global market in sale of this product. Herein, it would be important to have support of the government, including tax vaiwe policies. Preparation of roadmap will obviously create a positive impact for development of tourism in the upcoming 15 years. It was also mentioned that Azerbaijan carries an excellent capital – safety and security. Lots of countries carry such problems which do create a challenge for tourism, yet, we can utilize this condition as our primary asset.

Later on head of Naftalan Cultural Department Mr Zohrab Adigozalov mentioned that we are located 330 km from Baku. Our airport will be launched for construction from the next year. Also, “distance to Ganja airport is too close. It is important to bring back and increase reputation of Naftalan with 10.000 inhabitants.”

It was also mentioned that 20.000 people visited Naftalan the previous year, where 4800 people were foreigners. During the first 5 months of 2016, 5000 tourists visited and number of visitors increased by 1200 people in comparison with the previous year period. From January until May of this year, 900 people were foreigners.

Head of Communications department at Ata Holding Mrs. Dilara Zamanova stated that Ata Travel is providing support for further development of tourism sector in Azerbaijan. We are organizing various info tours for foreigners in Azerbaijan, as well as organizing info tours for other countries. It is on our mission to intensive our work in this field.

source: http://www.azernews.az / AzerNews / Home> HealthCare> Travel /July 05th, 2016

Gulf tourists visit Turkey to look like famous TV stars

Kenan İmirzalıoğlu (R) in ATV’s TV series “Ezel.”

Kenan İmirzalıoğlu (R) in ATV’s TV series “Ezel.”

The expansion of Turkish TV series to Gulf countries and Latin America is bringing more people to Turkey for health tourism, as they want to undergo plastic surgery to look like their favorite Turkish actors. For the last 10 years, Turkish TV series have achieved considerable growth in exporting themselves, and Turkish actors have become favorites of the people in the Middle East, Balkans and Latin America.

Professor Fazıl Apaydın, the deputy president of the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery, said patients want to have Turkish actors’ facial expressions. “There are still people that would like to look like Hollywood stars. With the rise of high quality Turkish TV series, Istanbul has become a hot spot,” he said. Apaydın said plastic surgeons are seeing demand from Gulf countries. “We receive patients from European countries, but the number of patients from Gulf countries is increasing. They send their requests and most of them want to look like Beren Saat and Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ,” he went on to say.

Zeki Hozer, the deputy president of the Aegean Health Tourism Association, also said patients want to have a similar facial structure as their heroes. “Some Arab tourists show the photo of an actor and ask us to give them a similar nose. For women, Beren Saat is probably the first name in terms of facial adjustments. For men, Kenan İmirzalıoğlu is also popular. They come to us with the photos of the actors,” he added.

Turkish television series exports were worth more than $250 million in 2015 with more than 15 programs watched in more than 70 countries. The country aims to earn $2 billion from exporting cultural products by 2023. According to the Turkish Exporters Assembly, Turkish television series exports are up from just $10,000 in 2004. Exported productions include the popular series: “Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century), “Geniş Zamanlar” (Easy Times), and “Aşk-ı Memnu” (Forbidden Love), in addition to the private TV station ATV’s “Sıla” and “Ezel.”

source: http://www.dailysabah.com / Daily Sabah / Home> Life / by Anadolu Agency / Izmir, Turkey / June 22nd, 2016