Category Archives: Medical Tourism/Health Tourism

Dubai: Thumbay Group, SNTTA sign MoU to boost medical tourism

Posted on July 6, 2015 | Comments Off on Dubai: Thumbay Group, SNTTA sign MoU to boost medical tourism

Dubai :

“Dubai has a well-deserved reputation for excellence and professional practice and we want to contribute our mite to the vision, mission and goals of the UAE health authorities,” says Akbar Moideen Thumbay, director healthcare and retail, Thumbay group UAE.

ThumbayCT06jul2015

“There are so many issues relating to medical tourism and because the area is developing so quickly it’s becoming essential that hospitals, insurers and policy makers, to name a few work together closely to streamline processes to cater to this market. UAE has tremendous potential to come up as the most important medical-tourism destination for the people of this region,” he added.

Founder president of Thumbay Group UAE, Thumbay Moideen and T L S Iyer, general manager of SNTTA signed a memorandum of understanding to offer advanced services for medical and health tourists. Akbar Moideen Thumbay, director healthcare and retail, Thumbay Group UAE, Dr Benazir Ameer Ali, director Thumbay International Medical and Health Tourism Department, Valsala Kumar, group general manager (finance and administration) and Vishal Sood, general manager SNTTA were present on the occasion.

Thumbay Hospitals and SNTTA have strategically partnered to assist and offer world-class services at affordable prices to international patients and guests and to look after all their needs whilst in the UAE. We understand the changing dynamics medical tourism and we are learning to adapt, says Dr Benazir Ameer Ali, director Thumbay medical and health tourism department.

The partnership will help Thumbay Hospital to extend its reach and market worldwide to prospective patients. This partnership will leave Thumbay Hospital to concentrate on its commitment of providing world class healthcare at affordable prices. SNTTA will look after the travel, accommodation and other logistics for Thumbay Hospital’s international patients and increase their client base which is a win-win situation for both and create an all-inclusive package for international patients including air flights, hotel accommodation, visa and excursion facilities.

SNTTA will be venturing in medical tourism for the first time and will be able to offer healthcare services to its ever growing number of tourists said T L S Iyer, general manager of SNTTA. SNTTA tourists will now have a preferred healthcare provider in Thumbay Hospitals to take care of their tourists 24X7 in the UAE.

“As part of the strategic plans, Thumbay Group is planning to open representative offices in 20 countries to educate people about medical facilities and services at all Thumbay Hospitals in UAE. We expect to have about 1000 patients as medical tourists per day in the next 5 – 6 years. It is ambitious but achievable,” says an optimistic Akbar Moideen Thumbay.

Medical tourism is now perceived as one of the fastest growing segments in healthcare. The recent trend is for patients to travel from developed countries to third world countries for medical treatment because of cost consideration, waiting time, privacy, and confidentiality, though the traditional pattern still continues. Technology will lead the way in future medical tourism. Along with that we can expect extremely personalized services, niche specialist centers, wider network of partnerships, increased number of accreditation, certifications and industry specific associations said Dr Benazir. To offer our personalized services, we are the first medical tourism provider to have opened a counter in Sharjah International Airport and we are planning to open one in Dubai International Airport soon, she added.

“Thumbay Hospitals have been at the forefront of developing the necessary infrastructure to attract medical tourists. We have a department here establishing this,” Akbar Moideen said. The international medical tourism department of Thumbay Hospitals aims to cater to an extensive number of patients and be known as the preferred hospital for medical tourism in UAE. Currently, Thumbay Hospitals receive inquiries from a wide range of clientele including hospitals, medical practitioners, partnered agents, and various inquiry forwarding websites from across the globe.

Thumbay Hospitals is aligning itself with Dubai’s Vision 2020 for medical tourism. Along with Dubai, the other Emirates of UAE are gearing up to attract more medical tourists in the near future. This would mean increasing patient requirements, higher demand for facilities and larger calls for personalization.

Looking at the current and future trends in medical tourism, Thumbay Hospital has developed enhanced facilities, maintaining highest standards of quality and offering packages with a wide range of personalization options. The medical tourism industry is going through an exciting phase where international and intra-regional activities are taking place within this sector of the health market.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld / Home> Gulf / Media Release / Dubai – July 06th, 2015

Comments Off on Dubai: Thumbay Group, SNTTA sign MoU to boost medical tourism

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

HUMAN: Medical Tourism: Your Hospital Away from Home

Posted on July 4, 2015 | Comments Off on HUMAN: Medical Tourism: Your Hospital Away from Home

Operation Getaway

CDC

CDC

Where will you be going for your summer vacation? With schools out and businesses humming along with less than full rosters, most Americans are taking to the beach, visiting theme parks, attending destination weddings or planning trips to see relatives this summer.

But for an estimated 750,000 Americans this year, the next getaway won’t be used to spend time relaxing, but rather to save money on health care, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the latest Milliman Medical Index, which analyzes Americans’ health-care spending, the typical family of four covered by an average employer-sponsored preferred provider organization (PPO) spends $24,671 on health care. The CDC pegs the total cost of health-care spending annually at $2.9 trillion. In order to save money on their health-care costs, Americans are looking abroad for cheaper, but no less effective, treatment options.

Medical tourism certainly comes with potential risks, but many patients would not otherwise be able to afford critical or even elective procedures. Medical tourists are traveling for everything from the most basic outpatient procedures to much more complicated surgeries requiring weeks of recovery.

source: http://www.news.discovery.com / Home> D News> Human / by Talal Al-Khatib / June 30th, 2015

Comments Off on HUMAN: Medical Tourism: Your Hospital Away from Home

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

Security key to increasing medical tourism: ministers

Posted on July 2, 2015 | Comments Off on Security key to increasing medical tourism: ministers
Faour and Pharaon attend a conference in Beirut, Tuesday, June 30, 2015. (The Daily Star/Khalil Hassan)

Faour and Pharaon attend a conference in Beirut, Tuesday, June 30, 2015. (The Daily Star/Khalil Hassan)

Beirut :

Despite Lebanon’s prominence in health care, the country’s security situation has kept many potential tourists away, ministers said Tuesday.

Health Minister Wael Abu Faour and Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon were speaking at a news conference on medical tourism at Downtown Beirut’s Le Gray hotel.

“We are in need of an organized plan to facilitate medical tourism in Lebanon. This starts with a security plan for foreigners who come for tourism,” Abu Faour said.

“It is not impossible for the Lebanese to do [this].”

The medical tourism sector has exploded in recent years, with worldwide revenues forecast to reach $500 billion a year.

The term refers to when governments, insurance companies, corporations, or private individuals look abroad for medical treatment options, driven by a search for greater availability of services, lower costs or shorter waiting times.

The news conference comes ahead of the 10th World Health Tourism Congress, which will take place in Dubai on Sept. 5-7.

Experts on health tourism and corporate buyers will give lectures at the event, which promotes dialogue on medical tourism and provides networking opportunities and possible partnerships for those who offer such services.

Pharaon lamented that “Lebanon used to have the best hospitals in the East,” and said that by maintaining stability and avoiding further problems, the country will able to address the security issues that have prevented medical tourism from taking off.

“Hopefully, in 2016, we will be able to host an event with the WHTC to demonstrate how we can improve medical tourism inLebanon by showing packages for checkups and many other [services], reminding people of the choices they have,” Abu Faour said.

The WHTC aims to offer health care providers the chance to create business relationships with corporate health care buyers around the world, matching services with demand.

“I hope that we can have an organized plan that we can all agree on, in order to show our strength in medical tourism,” Pharaon added.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on July 01, 2015, on page 4.
source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb / The Daily Star, Lebanon / Home> Lebanon News / by Jude Massaad, The Daily Star / July 01st, 2015

Comments Off on Security key to increasing medical tourism: ministers

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

Our medical expertise better than in some western countries — Najib

Posted on July 1, 2015 | Comments Off on Our medical expertise better than in some western countries — Najib
Najib launching the ‘Malaysan Medical Association Fifty Five Years 1959-2014’ book. Also seen are Subramaniam (left) and Dr Ashok Zachariah. — Bernama photo

Najib launching the ‘Malaysan Medical Association Fifty Five Years 1959-2014’ book. Also seen are Subramaniam (left) and Dr Ashok Zachariah. — Bernama photo

Putrajaya :

The medical expertise in Malaysia is comparable and sometimes better than in most Western countries, said prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday.

He pointed out that earlier this year, the country’s healthcare system received the top score out of 25 countries surveyed by an American publication, ahead of Spain, France, Ireland and New Zealand.

“We should all be proud of such recognition and I congratulate members of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) for the hard work they have put into making Malaysia as one of the best healthcare system in the world. “That is no small achievement,” he said at the launching of the Book, Malaysan Medical Association Fifty Five Years 1959-2014, here yesterday.

Najib added that excellence was also reflected in the number of foreigners who were coming to Malaysia to have medical procedures.

He noted that Malaysia’s share of the medical tourism market had nearly doubled in the last four years.

In 2014, it reached 770,000 patients bringing in revenue of around RM700 million, and this year, the figures were expected to rise further to 930,000 patients and a revenue of RM1 billion, he said. “(The fact) that people from around the world have such confidence in the quality of our doctors and hospitals is visible proof that Malaysia is on course to achieving our goal of becoming a high income status nation by 2020,” he said.

Najib said he also intended to make Malaysia’s healthcare system as the priority to enhance competitiveness in the medical tourism market.

“If we are to compare with our neighbouring countries, we have a long way to go and I hope MMA would cooperate with us to help us achieve this challenge,” he said. Through its history, Najib noted the MMA had maintained a close working relationship with the government specially the Ministry of Health, sharing responsibility for the health of the nation.

Stressing that the government viewed the challenges faced by the medical field seriously, Najib pointed out that in the 2015 Budget, the government set out to priortise the well-being of the rakyat and allocated RM23.3 billion for healthcare and facilities. Also present at the event were Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, and MMA president Dr Ashok Zachariah Philip. — Bernama

source: http://www.theborneopost.com / Borneo Post Online / Home> News> Nation / Wednesday – July 01st, 2015

Comments Off on Our medical expertise better than in some western countries — Najib

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

Move to ensure medical tourism quality

Posted on June 20, 2015 | Comments Off on Move to ensure medical tourism quality

– Hospitals, travel operators welcome plan for a dedicated board for unregulated sector

by Sumi Sukanya

New Delhi :

The tourism ministry plans to establish a medical tourism board tasked with devising strategies to draw more foreign patients to India and setting standards for an industry that many believe has burgeoned unchecked.

Hospitals welcomed the proposal saying it would help draw Western tourists to India’s health care institutions, whose foreign clients now come mostly from other South Asian countries, West Asia and Africa.

The board will have representatives from the tourism and health ministries, hospitals and the travel industry.

“This sector has grown on its own over the past decade but is largely unorganised,” tourism minister Mahesh Sharma told The Telegraph.

“We want the board to help interlink all the key players in this sector to provide seamless service to patients.”

The proposal will soon be sent to the cabinet as part of the national tourism policy 2015, said Suman Billa, a joint secretary in the tourism ministry.

“We need standardised procedures in place to organise the industry. One of the focuses would be to put in place guidelines to ensure the quality of the services,” Billa said.

India is among Asia’s top three medical tourism destinations (after Thailand and Singapore), drawing patients mainly because of the lower treatment costs compared with the West, and the country’s quality health care infrastructure and highly skilled doctors, says a 2014 report by industry chamber Ficci.

About 2.3 lakh foreign patients sought treatment in India last year. The country’s medical tourism industry is expected to touch $6 billion (around Rs 38,000 crore) by 2018, the Confederation of Indian Industry estimates.

“It’s not just big hospitals but wellness centres, particularly in south India, that are drawing tourists from western countries,” Billa said.

Delhi is one of India’s top medical tourism destinations for those seeking advanced surgical procedures. Karnataka and Kerala have been attracting patients mainly through their naturopathy and Ayurveda centres.

Nishant Jain, associate vice president with Fortis Healthcare, lauded the government’s initiative.

“The Union government has been taking several positive steps to help the sector, like a medical visa regime, but a board set up specifically for the purpose will give a value advantage to the industry,” he said.

The hospital chain received 14,000 foreign patients last year, most of them at its centres in the National Capital Region.

“Such a board has been a longstanding demand from the industry,” said Karan Thakur, a senior doctor at Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, some 12 to 14 per cent of whose 750 beds are occupied by foreign patients at any given time.

“The medical and wellness tourism industry in India has been doing well for itself but a handheld approach from the government would mean we can tap the market even in developed countries, as opposed to developing countries, from where we get the maximum patients now,” Thakur said.

Sandeep Bafna of India Travels, a Bangalore-based tour operator that organises wellness trips for foreigners, said the Centre should focus on advertising what Indian health care institutions can offer tourists.

“The government’s Incredible India campaign has helped build goodwill about the country. If the government is really serious about health tourism, its focus should be on advertising,” he said.

“It will particularly help tour operators and health centres that lack the financial resources to campaign on their own.”

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta, India / Front Page> Story / by Suki Sukanya / New Delhi – June 19th, 2015

Comments Off on Move to ensure medical tourism quality

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