Category Archives: Healthcare Cities

SINGAPORE AS A MEDICAL TOURISM DESTINATION

Host of the first ever Youth Olympic Games, the tiny island of Singapore is also famous for many more things big and small. Claiming to be Asia’s leading medical hub, Singapore has long been the choice of destination for major medical care for patients from neighbouring countries viz., Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Middle East, Indochina, Greater China, and so on. Today, even Americans, Canadians and Europeans are choosing Singapore as a medical tourism destination for healthcare that is low, price-wise and just-like-the-West, quality-wise.

SINGAPORE’S HEALTH CARE DELIVERY

There are 15 hospitals and medical centers in Singapore that have obtained the united States-based Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. That is a large concentration of JCI accredited hospitals in one country. A JCI accreditation gives the healthcare provider the top-quality label which in turn gives the patient the peace of mind that the service received will be on par with or superior to what is available in the United States.

To appeal to patients from Europe and other Asian nations, Singapore hospitals are also looking towards European and Asian-based hospital accreditation systems. This says a lot about the quality of healthcare delivery. Not just that, hospitals in Singapore have strategic partnerships with many acclaimed overseas institutes like Harvard Medical School. Such alliances give them access to the latest cutting-edge medical technology. Also, it is common for doctors and surgeons in Singapore hospitals to have an overseas education and training.

TOP SINGAPORE HOSPITALS AND COMMON PROCEDURES:

Some of the most famous hospitals in Singapore are National Heart Centre (NHC), Parkway Hospitals (including Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital, East Shore Hospital), Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), and Raffles Hospital. Some of the common medical procedures sought in these hospitals are cardiac bypass surgeries, joint replacement procedures, cosmetic or plastic surgeries, cancer therapies like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and so on. Increasingly, Singapore is becoming popular as an organ transplantation destination as well. Patients visit Singapore from all over the world for transplant surgeries such as liver transplant, kidney transplant, and hair transplant.

There are also several dental offices island-wide that offer good dental services to foreigners for cheap. A lot of tourists coming into Singapore combine vacation with a health check (preventive and wellness checkups) on the side.

SINGAPORE’S USP IN THE MEDICAL TOURISM INDUSTRY

Things that set Singapore apart from others vying for business in the medical tourism industry are:

Prosperous country: Unlike other medical tourism destinations in the world that are mostly developing countries, Singapore stands out as one of the most prosperous nations in the world with a per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

Cosmopolitan image: About a quarter of the population is composed of residents from foreign nations making the country culturally diverse. Sensitivity and respect towards people from other cultures, ethnicities and religions is, therefore, at the heart of the society. For international patients seeking medical treatment in Singapore, this is a big plus.

High service standards: High service standards in all sectors of the economy, and not just in the health care sector, give Singapore a significant advantage in the medical tourism industry.

English as an official language: You will not have to worry about learning another language or bother with interpreters because English is the most commonly spoken language in the country.

Tourism: Medical tourists traveling to Singapore often visit the several tourist attractions the country offers. In fact, tourism in Singapore is a major industry and attracts millions of tourists each year. From cultural attractions to natural and heritage conservation sites, and from adventurous activities to relaxation retreats, Singapore caters to every type of tourist.

IN SUMMARY

Singapore may not be the cheapest option available to you in terms of health care but with a price differential of 60-80% (compared to US hospital rates) on major medical care, the cost savings still amount to a lot. High quality of care offered in modern facilities using state-of-the-art technology and equipments makes Singapore a top medical tourism hub.

So, if you need top class medical care but do not have the means to pay for it then get your local doctor’s reports together and call upon a reputed medical tourism facilitator such as Healthbase for affordable treatment in Singapore.

Medical Tourism: Boom or Bust during Economic Turmoil?

Medical tourism used to be the way individuals without insurance saved significant money on surgery. Today, more and more employers are offering a medical tourism option as a way to beat back their ever-increasing health plan expenses.

While medical tourism facilitators are seeing a dip in requests for non-urgent procedures–like tummy tucks, chiseled noses and dental veneers, they report a corresponding uptick in patients who need serious surgery–such as knee replacements, bypass surgery, spine fusion, hip resurfacing.

A California-based medical facilitator recently completed a study on procedures completed and found that over 90 percent would have been covered if the patient had a typical employer-provided policy. With employer-provided insurance slipping away or costing individuals more, combined with most procedures costing 85% less overseas than near home, medical tourism is expecting a continued upsurge in patients who find medical tourism their most attractive option.

It’s not just individual patients who are attracted to the significant savings of overseas care. Employers and insurance companies are forced to more closely examine their health plans to protect against health insurance premiums that have risen 73 percent since 2000, according to the National Coalition on Health Care. This has spurred some employers to cover fewer employees, perhaps by eliminating benefits for retirees or imposing longer gaps between hiring date and benefit eligibility. Others have been steadily increasing co-pays and co-premiums (employee contributions increased 145 percent since 2000 according to NCHC). Other employers have narrowed the list of covered procedures.

Progressive companies are finding there’s another, better way: adding a medical tourism option into their health plans. By providing incentives for employees to travel overseas for costly procedures, there are big savings for employers, plus expanded options and the potential of shared-savings for employees: an all around win. Savings in the range of 85 percent is hard to ignore during the best of times, and imperative to examine during perilous times.

In 2008, significant events signaled heightened commercial interest in medical tourism. One milestone event was Swiss Re Commercial Insurance launching a medical travel option as part of its stop loss policy to clients in all 50 states, partnering with a single medical tourism facilitator to coordinate all logistics for their clients’ employees. Commercial interest in medical tourism has been percolating from coast to coast ever since, and is unlikely to abate until Congress enacts stem-to-stern health care reform.

More employers would likely offer medical tourism were it not for three misperceptions that the medical tourism industry is working hard to overcome. First is the perception that only the U.S. is capable of high quality medicine, that savings equate to reduced quality, and that it’s too complex to add a medical tourism component into existing health plans.

As to quality, as long as a company partners with a reputable facilitator, its employees will gain access to doctors at the top of their field worldwide and be able to select a facility that has achieved a world-recognized standard of excellence. Patients who travel for care frequently find far more advanced technology than what’s available at their hometown hospital and experience a very high staff to patient ratio. A reputable facilitator will have performed multi-day on-site visits with each medical facility–including in-depth interviews with the key surgeons and top administrators–before admitting them into its controlled network of providers. A facilitator that doesn’t do due diligence to ensure that the quality of care its patients receive is on par with or better than the care they’d receive at the top U.S. facilities, they’d quickly be out of business.

Savings overseas come from many factors. McKinsey Global Institute found recently that costs at U.S. hospitals are nearly twice as high as in the 13 industrial nations studied. Significantly higher salaries, insurance and the costs of equipment and administration are the leading reasons for the disparity.

The third hurdle–employers worrying about the complexity of setting up and implementing a medical tourism component–can be broken into three simple steps, according to Hoeberechts.

Employers, insurance brokers and individual patients considering medical travel all must first do their homework on the industry and create a short list of the most reputable facilitators that can help them. Second is to interview and assess each potential facilitator against a clear set of criteria, and third is to select the one that’s most capable of creating a tailored plan and delivering a smooth and easy process.

Medical travel is here to stay until the issues of affordability, access and efficiency of health care delivery are substantially improved. While legislators have put these issues on the fast track, so too have lobbyists and special interest groups who are enjoying the status quo.

Low cost lung cancer surgery with medical tourism in India

What is cancer of the lung?

Cancer of the lung, like all cancers, results from an abnormality in the body’s basic unit of life, the cell. Normally, the body maintains a system of checks and balances on cell growth so that cells divide to produce new cells only when needed. Disruption of this system of checks and balances on cell growth results in an uncontrolled division and proliferation of cells that eventually forms a mass known as a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant; when we speak of “cancer,” we refer to those tumors that are considered malignant. Benign tumors can usually be removed and do not spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors, on the other hand, grow aggressively and invade other tissues of the body, allowing entry of tumor cells into the bloodstream or lymphatic system and then to other sites in the body. This process of spread is termed metastasis; the areas of tumor growth at these distant sites are called metastases. Since lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize very early in its course, it is a very life-threatening cancer and one of the most difficult cancers to treat. While lung cancer can spread to any organ in the body, certain organs — particularly the adrenal glands, liver, brain, and bone — are the most common sites for lung-cancer metastasis. The lung is also a very common site for metastasis from tumors in other parts of the body. Tumor metastases are made up of the same type of cells as the original, or primary, tumor. For example, if prostate cancer spreads via the bloodstream to the lungs, it is metastatic prostate cancer in the lung and is not lung cancer. The lung cancer surgery in India is an affordable costing surgery as the costing is the prime need of the patients. Lung cancer surgery in India provides you the best medical facilities along with the guidance of our renowned surgeons.

How common is lung cancer?

Lung cancer is responsible for the most cancer deaths in both men and women throughout the world. The American Cancer Society estimates that 215,020 new cases of lung cancer in the U.S. will be diagnosed and 161,840 deaths due to lung cancer will occur in 2008. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, approximately one out of every 14 men and women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer of the lung or airways at some point in their lifetime. Lung cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly; almost 70% of people diagnosed with the condition are over 65 years of age, while less than 3% of cases occur in people under age 45. Lung cancer was not common prior to the 1930s but increased dramatically over the following decades as tobacco smoking increased. In many developing countries, the incidence of lung cancer is beginning to fall following public education about the dangers of cigarette smoking and effective smoking-cessation programs. Nevertheless, lung cancer remains among the most common types of cancers in both men and women worldwide. Lung cancer has also surpassed breast cancer in causing the most cancer-related deaths in women in the United States.

What causes lung cancer?

Smoking Passive smoking Asbestos fibers Radon gas Familial predisposition Lung diseases Prior history of lung cancer Air pollution

What are the types of lung cancer? NSCLC are the most common lung cancers, accounting for about 80% of all lung cancers. NSCLC can be divided into three main types that are named based upon the type of cells found in the tumor:

*Adenocarcinomas are the most commonly seen type of NSCLC in the U.S. and comprise up to 50% of NSCLC. While adenocarcinomas are associated with smoking like other lung cancers, this type is observed as well in nonsmokers who develop lung cancer. Most adenocarcinomas arise in the outer, or peripheral, areas of the lungs. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is a subtype of adenocarcinoma that frequently develops at multiple sites in the lungs and spreads along the preexisting alveolar walls.

*Squamous cell carcinomas were formerly more common than adenocarcinomas; at present, they account for about 30% of NSCLC. Also known as epidermoid carcinomas, squamous cell cancers arise most frequently in the central chest area in the bronchi.

*Large cell carcinomas, sometimes referred to as undifferentiated carcinomas, are the least common type of NSCLC.

*Mixtures of different types of NSCLC are also seen.

When should one consult a doctor?

One should consult a health-care provider if he or she develops the symptoms associated with lung cancer, in particular, if they have

# a new persistent cough or worsening of an existing chronic cough # blood in the sputum, # persistent bronchitis or repeated respiratory infections # chest pain # unexplained weight loss and/or fatigue and/or # breathing difficulties such as shortness of breath or wheezing.

How is lung cancer treated?

Treatment for lung cancer can involve surgical removal of the cancer, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, as well as combinations of these treatments. The decision about which treatments will be appropriate for a given individual must take into account the localization and extent of the tumor as well as the overall health status of the patient.

As with other cancers, therapy may be prescribed that is intended to be curative (removal or eradication of a cancer) or palliative (measures that are unable to cure a cancer but can reduce pain and suffering). More than one type of therapy may be prescribed. In such cases, the therapy that is added to enhance the effects of the primary therapy is referred to as adjuvant therapy. An example of adjuvant therapy is chemotherapy or radiotherapy administered after surgical removal of a tumor in order to be certain that all tumor cells are killed.

Surgery: Surgical removal of the tumor is generally performed for limited-stage (stage I or sometimes stage II) NSCLC and is the treatment of choice for cancer that has not spread beyond the lung. About 10%-35% of lung cancers can be removed surgically, but removal does not always result in a cure, since the tumors may already have spread and can recur at a later time. Among people who have an isolated, slow-growing lung cancer removed, 25%-40% are still alive five years after diagnosis. Surgery may not be possible if the cancer is too close to the trachea or if the person has other serious conditions (such as severe heart or lung disease) that would limit their ability to tolerate an operation. Surgery is less often performed with SCLC because these tumors are less likely to be localized to one area that can be removed.

The surgical procedure chosen depends upon the size and location of the tumor. Surgeons must open the chest wall and may perform a wedge resection of the lung (removal of a portion of one lobe), a lobectomy (removal of one lobe), or a pneumonectomy (removal of an entire lung). Sometimes lymph nodes in the region of the lungs are also removed (lymphadenectomy). Surgery for lung cancer is a major surgical procedure that requires general anesthesia, hospitalization, and follow-up care for weeks to months. Following the surgical procedure, patients may experience difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, pain, and weakness. The risks of surgery include complications due to bleeding, infection, and complications of general anesthesia.

What is the prognosis (outcome) of lung cancer?

The prognosis of lung cancer refers to the chance for cure or prolongation of life (survival) and is dependent upon where the cancer is localized the size of the cancer, the presence of symptoms, the type of lung cancer, and the overall health status of the patient.

SCLC has the most aggressive growth of all lung cancers, with a median survival time of only two to four months after diagnosis when untreated. (That is, by two to four months, half of all patients have died.) However, SCLC is also the type of lung cancer most responsive to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Because SCLC spreads rapidly and is usually disseminated at the time of diagnosis, methods such as surgical removal or localized radiation therapy are less effective in treating this tumor type. However, when chemotherapy is used alone or in combination with other methods, survival time can be prolonged four- to fivefold; however, of all patients with SCLC, only 5%-10% are still alive five years after diagnosis. Most of those who survive have limited-stage SCLC.

In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), results of standard treatment are generally poor in all but the most localized cancers that can be surgically removed. However, in stage I cancers that can be completely removed five-year survival approaches 75%. Radiation therapy can produce a cure in a small minority of patients with NSCLC and leads to relief of symptoms in most patients. In advanced-stage disease, chemotherapy offers modest improvements in survival time, although overall survival rates are poor.

The overall prognosis for lung cancer is poor when compared with some other cancers. Survival rates for lung cancer are generally lower than those for most cancers, with an overall five-year survival rate for lung cancer of about 16% compared to 65% for colon cancer, 89% for breast cancer, and over 99% for prostate cancer.

How can lung cancer be prevented?

Smoking cessation is the most important measure that can prevent lung cancer. Many products, such as nicotine gum, nicotine sprays, or nicotine inhalers, may be helpful to people trying to quit smoking. Minimizing exposure to passive smoking is also an effective preventive measure. Using a home radon test kit can identify and allow correction of increased radon

Panama, the Land of Butterflies, Offers New Medical Tourism Options

Medical tourism is on the rise. Many people from industrialized countries, where the cost of health care is almost prohibitive, are opting to visit other countries for medical attention. These nations offer excellent medical services, at a fraction of the cost. More and more, the Republic of Panama is the country that “medical tourists” are choosing to visit.

Many of doctors in Panama not only speak English, but were trained in the United States or European countries. Panama’s doctors are very experienced and hospitals and clinics here follow American standards when it comes to medical procedures. In fact, the Punta Pacífica Hospital located in Panama City–is affiliated with the world-renowned John Hopkins Medicine International and has state-of-the-art medical equipment and facilities. At the same time, the cost of medical care in Panama is very affordable.

Receiving world-class medical services while enjoying vacation in a luxury setting is affordable in Panama. You will find a wide range of health services and experienced specialist physicians in all areas and specialties, such as dental implants, cosmetic or plastic surgery, assisted reproduction, cardiology, cosmetic dentistry, orthopedics, and many, many more. You can even have an “extreme makeover” done and return home not only feeling great but looking like a new person. After your surgery or procedure, you can recuperate in beautiful hotel-spas on the beach, in the rainforest, or in the mountains. You can have everything arranged for you in advance.

Panama, at its best, is a beautiful cultural blend of the “old Spain”, the “modern America” and curiously the “bazaar effect” of the east. As a major commercial point, Panama is strategically placed as a crossing point between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Panama offers eco-tourism, adventure and health tourism and is also home to one of the friendliest people you will ever meet.

Panama has something for everyone. This is a land of carnivals and bird watching to adventure sports and exciting night life. There are very few contenders to the quality of Panama’s tourist attractions. Accessible rain forests are filled with flora and fauna unique to this region. Panama boasts beautiful mountain sides and contains some of the most interesting culturally rich historical sites in the world. Panama is all that it promises and much more.

Panama is a very safe place to travel. It has the highest rating of tourist safety from the prestigious Pinkerton Intelligence Agency. As well, Panama is close to the US and is just a short plane-ride away. Eight major US cities offer direct daily flights to Panama City: Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando.

Panama has a first-world infrastructure including a US style capital city with high speed Internet, the second largest Free Trade Zone in the world, a banking sector with 100 banks, first rate hotels, restaurants and shopping almost on par with the United States or European countries. The highway infrastructure, medical care, and business services are excellent. Even the tap water is safe to drink, a rarity in Latin and Central America.

If you are interested in what Panama has to offer log onto Placidway.com today. One of the featured Panama health services offered at PlacidWay is South Seas Pharmaceuticals. Their services include: cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, dental care, various surgical procedures, eye care, and spa treatments among others.

Don’t hesitate to log on today to book your trip to Panama to create a new you that is sexier, more confidence, and full of energy and vitality.

Medical Tourism-heal your Pain

Health is wealth. A healthy mind can think and work effectively. Today, people are suffering from various types of unheard and unseen diseases. Costs of treatment of some diseases are also very high. Some people can afford it, whereas, some people cannot afford it. The cost of treating the same disease varies from country to country. People who cannot afford treatment in his own country moves to some other country for treatment. Once, they are treated by an experienced doctor, their disease gets vanished. Medical tourism is flourishing day by day in various parts of the world. It is a blessing for the patients.

While trying to describe the rapid growth in traveling to places for getting oneself treated, travel agents and mass media coined the term medical tourism. Global healthcare is more likely to replace the term medical tourism. There are two reasons why people travel to other countries for treatment. Firstly, when the cost of treatment is very high in his own country and secondly, when the disease is incurable in his native place. People who need to undergo complex surgeries like joint replacement, cardiac surgery, dental surgery or cosmetic surgeries generally move to other countries. Cuba, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Jordan, Colombia, New Zealand, Singapore and India attract more and more patients. It is rapidly increasing day by day.

The governments of the respective countries also invest funds to develop the hospitals as well as work towards improved infrastructure. The government has also developed medical tourism to generate income for the country. Traveling to another country for treatment is not only cost effective but can successfully cure any sorts of diseases. Countries that provide medical treatment gives excellent health treatments to their patients and also have world class doctors. Patients that travel to some other countries get a good treatment from the doctors as well as from the medical staff. Doctors and medical staff work hard to make their patients happy and try to cure any major health problems that they are facing. They try to give full comfort to their patients. The different international healthcare accreditation schemes vary in quality, size and cost. They also vary in terms of cost according to the hospitals and healthcare institutions using them. They all have web sites.

Medical tourism provides various services to the patients. Private transportation is provided to the patients and his attendant. The vehicle will take them to any place. The hospitals will also provide interpretation assistance if needed by the patients to understand all the procedures of the hospitals. The hospitals will also provide cell phone or a 24-hour contact number. Accommodation is also arranged for the patients. The patients also get to know about the local customs of the place. The hospitals also provide many other facilities to the patient. The patients can very easily afford the expenditure of the treatment. Another advantage of this type of travel is that the patients will get to explore a new place which will refresh his body and mind.