Category Archives: Medical Treatment/Health Treatment Subject By Speciality

More than 10,000 medical tourists flew into Australia last year for procedures, pumping more than $26 million into the national economy, new figures show.

Sydney :

While an increasing number of Australians are travelling to Asian countries such as Thailand and Singapore for cheap care, Australian doctors and hospital chiefs say a small but increasing number of wealthy people from the Asia-Pacific region are coming to Australia for treatments such as orthopaedic and heart surgery, cancer services and IVF, according to Sydney Herald Tribune.

Data from Tourism Research Australia, the federal government’s agency in charge of tracking trends, shows 10,739 people came to Australia for medical reasons in the year to September 2013 – double the number in 2006. The data, which models information from surveys of 40,000 people in Australian airports each year, found medical tourists spent about $26 million in 2013, up from $12.7 million in 2006. This figure did not include their airfares and packages they had already purchased.

It comes as the Victorian government works on a strategy to increase health and medical exports including medical tourism. Opportunities are being discussed particularly in the context of Melbourne’s increasingly prestigious Parkville Precinct which includes the new $1 billion Comprehensive Cancer Centre, which is hoped to deliver cutting edge care when it opens in late 2015.
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While there is no precise data on who is coming to Australia and why, Epworth Group chief executive Alan Kinkade said his hospitals cared for about 600 international patients a year from 31 countries, including the Pacific Rim, US, New Zealand, Singapore and Indonesia. Some of those patients had family connections in Australia or had heard about specialist care that they wanted here, he said, while others fell unexpectedly ill while visiting Australia.

CEO of Monash IVF James Thiedeman said about 50 medical tourists a year paid a premium rate for treatments at Monash IVF, possibly because of its reputation for new technology such as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and the fact that prices in Australia were about 20 per cent less than the US.

Economists say rising wealth in countries such as China and Indonesia could be driving people to seek high-quality care in Australia, particularly in niche areas such as weight-loss surgery, robotic surgery, orthopaedic surgery and IVF. A Deloitte report on medical tourism opportunities for the Australian government in 2011 said surveys in China had found 8 per cent travelled to other countries for medical care, with only 13 per cent believing that the quality of care available in China was comparable to the best in the world. Only a quarter said their physicians had access to the latest technology.

A 2010 Victorian government report on export opportunities also suggested Victorian hospitals set up ”assistance centres” in Indonesian cities to guide people wanting to travel to Australia for medical treatment.

”In general, the service would include transportation, medical referrals and appointments, hotel accommodations, assistance before, during and after hospitalisation, and customer service assistance for billing and financial inquiries,” the report said.

Dr Simon Woods, executive director of medical services at Cabrini Health, said although Australia had excellent potential for medical tourism, one risk was that people may bring new antibiotic resistant bacteria or ”superbugs” into local hospitals.

”If you were deliberately targeting people from some areas, you would certainly have a risk of introducing more of those patients into the system and more of those organisms into our healthcare system,” he said.

source: http://www.traveldailynews.asia / TravelDailyNews Asia-Pacific / Home> News > Special Interest Travel> Spa & Health / by Theodore Koumelis / January 20th, 2014

A new breed of tourist is taking the post-holiday glow to a new level and booking in for cosmetic surgery abroad.

No official statistics are available on the number of Australians leaving the country for surgery, but Patients Beyond Borders, which publishes guides for such tourists, estimates that globally about 8 million patients go overseas for medical care – and that figure is growing about 15 to 25 per cent a year.

The announcement by private health insurer NIB to provide overseas surgical packages has reignited the debate which pits cut-priced procedures against the concern of many Australian medical professionals who warn against the practice.

Medical tourism operators co-ordinate travel, accommodation and medical care for clients. For those travelling alone, escorted groups can be organised.

The director of Medi Makeovers, Daniela Pratico, says the company works with a team of GPs and surgeons in Australia to eliminate some of the most common complications.

“There are only three factors that affect medical tourists – cost, availability and quality,” Pratico says. “Price is very obvious. There are no waiting lists in Thailand for patients, and the quality of the procedures and service are very high.”

She adds that patients can save 70 per cent on some procedures.

But reconstructive and cosmetic surgeon Mark Edinburg of the Eden Institute says that while the cost may appear lower, this isn’t always the case.

“We are frequently required to rectify cosmetic tourism surgery, which means that the initial planned costs are considerably higher to rectify the issue and can sometimes increase up to three or fourfold.”

Melissa Dever is unhappy with the results of her overseas surgery. After losing 55 kilograms, she wanted surgery to remove excess skin. So she travelled to Malaysia for a tummy tuck, breast lift and liposuction on her arms and thighs.

She says the facilities and medical care were on par with those in Australia but a “dog-ear” flap of skin on her breast has been left uncorrected, despite a “satisfaction guarantee” she assumed she was eligible for.

“I’m still happy with the overall look and would still recommend people investigate foreign options for surgery.

“Anyone considering it should ask lots of questions and also certainly research any guarantee policy,” she says.

While Ms Dever’s complications were minor, some aren’t so lucky. Dr Edinburg says: “I’ve seen patients who have returned from overseas with breast implants placed at different levels, asymmetries, poor face lifting results and wound ruptures.”

“We are then left to improve the result which, at times, is not possible because of poor planning, poor placement of incision lines, the wrong implant type or position of insertion of the implants.”

It’s not all bad news though. When Erin Williams’ quote for plastic surgery came in at more than $50,000, she researched overseas options before on the Philippines for the tummy tuck, arm lift, butt lift, thigh lift and corrective breast surgery. Despite the pain from surgery, for her the experience was treated as a holiday. “After a week of tolerable yet unpleasant pain, I was up to going out and doing a little bit of shopping. By the end of my fourth week in Manila, I was still impressively swollen but feeling fit, healthy and great.

“My time in Manila was absolutely magnificent. I had a brilliant holiday and will look back on this experience with fondness for the rest of my life.”

The Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons advises Australians contemplating going overseas for surgery to research their surgeon and qualifications thoroughly, suggesting a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery is best suited.

The society also encourages patients to research the person promoting the surgery to see if they are medically trained and accept liability – or will provide help if problems arise.

Travel agents or brokers are considered high risk and extra questions should be asked on who will do the surgery.

source: http://www.smh.com.au / The Sydney Morning Herald / Home> LifeStyle> Beauty / by Cassy Small / January 13th, 2014

Many Alzheimer’s patients are being moved to other countries for the climate and the overall ambiance. (Shutterstock)

The United States boasts some of the world’s top medical professionals and some of the best disease research facilities, but despite the technological advancements in this country designed to improve treatment, the nation’s Alzheimer’s patients are looking elsewhere for care.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Alzheimer sufferers from industrialized nations around the world are traveling abroad for treatment, not only in search of lower costs but a better quality of care.

This process of leaving one’s home country for care elsewhere is known as “medical tourism “, and according to the group Patients Beyond Borders, some 8 million people throughout the world seek care abroad annually. The reasons for these pilgrimages can be many; patients may be looking for more cost-effective treatment, stronger spiritual support, or a different climate.

But for many Alzheimer’s patients and their families, medical tourism is about quality of care. In the United States, a melting pot of cultures and belief systems has created a variable atmosphere in nursing home facilities where Alzheimer’s patients often spend their final days.

Families see their loved ones shuffled away into a group of other similarly-afflicted individuals with little one-on-one care given due to staff shortages and wage cuts.

Thailand and the Philippines are seeing an Alzheimer’s patient-surge

In places like Thailand and the Philippines, where the Alzheimer’s patient-surge is booming, families find solace in the fact their loved one is in the care of traditionally family-centric cultures–and at a much less expensive cost compared to what can be found in the United States. AP indicates the Philippines is offering Americans care for $1,500 to $3,500 a month, compared to an $6,900  for a private room in a quality facility in the United States.

Similarly, Facilities in Thailand are gearing up to build luxury-style retirement and elder care facilities with the sole intent to attract Alzheimer’s patients and other seniors  from around the world.

British businessman Peter Brown, told AP, “In Europe they tend to follow a lock-up system. They know what should be done but they just don’t have the staff to do it — to take patients to visit gardens, to give them some freedom.

And the carers tend to come from the lower end of the nursing system. They often don’t have the desire to work with Alzheimer’s patients or an affinity with them.”

Brown turned a bankrupt resort into the Care Resort Chiang Mai where residents will live in five-room units, and benefit from 24-hour care. Those at the facility will have access to extensive, landscaped grounds at the base of a mountain, with a thousand trees and a lake.

“Sometimes I am jealous. My wife won’t take my hand but when her Thai carer takes it, she is calm. She seems to be happy,” said Ulrich Kuratli who moved his wife from their homeland of Sweden to a facility in Thailand. “When she sees me she starts to cry. Maybe she remembers how we were and understands, but can no longer find the words.”

Alzheimer’s patients benefit from access to the outside world, making medical tourism popular. (Shutterstock)

Not everyone is sold on the benefits of medical tourism

While there seems to be some alluring aspects of medical tourism, especially for Alzheimer’s patients, not all experts are sold on the idea. According to some, removing an Alzheimer’s patient from their familiar surroundings may only add to their sense of confusion.

“People with dementia should stay in their familiar environment as long as possible. They are better oriented in their own living places and communities,” stated Sabine Jansen, head of Germany’s Alzheimer Society. “Friends, family members, neighbors can visit them. Also because of language and cultural reasons, it is best for most to stay in their home country.”

That being said, supporters of medical tourism argue that an Alzheimer’s patient who is disoriented enough to not know where they are would likely be that way regardless of where the facility they are in is located.

For Alzheimer’s patients, it is often distant memories, not current situations, that occupy their thoughts

Other concerns about medical tourism center on the standards of care facilities are held to. In many nations there are no regulatory bodies, and while care may seem more personable, it can still vary widely.

There is also limited global information from non-biased organizations regarding treatment around the world.

“What data does exist is generally provided by stakeholders with a vested interest rather than by independent research institutions,” said Dr. Neil Lunt, from the University of York, to  Medical News Today .

“What is clear is that there exists no credible authoritative data at the global level, which is why we are urging caution to governments and other decision-makers who see medical tourism as a lucrative source of additional revenue.”

Until there is a far-reaching method of monitoring the ethical standards associated with medical tourism, experts are wary of labeling it as “good” or “bad.” For now, families must rely on their own research to make the best-informed decisions they can regarding elder care.

source: http://www.voxxi.com / Home> Health> Mental Health / by Health Gillette / January 10th, 2014