Category Archives: Others

Malaysia to attract more medical tourists from Myanmar

Posted on June 22, 2016 | Comments Off on Malaysia to attract more medical tourists from Myanmar

A unit of the health ministry has partnered with a Myanmar tour agency to bring in tourists to enjoy the world-class healthcare services in Malaysia.

MalaysiaCT22jun2016

Yangon :

Malaysia has linked up with a tour agency in Myanmar to boost the number of Myanmar nationals visiting the country for medical purposes, or medical tourism.

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), an organisation set up by the Malaysian Ministry of Health to promote Malaysia as a unique destination for world-class healthcare services, has launched a year-long partnership with a local tourism agency.

The council also held its first Myanmar Sales Mission and Exhibition in Myanmar Plaza on June 17 and 18, according to a report in Myanmar Times.

The report quoted Vincent Gool, the regional director for market development of MHTC as saying that the number of Myanmar medical tourists to Malaysia was slowly increasing.

According to MHTC figures, 12,000 Myanmar patients visited Malaysia in 2015, compared with 10,000 in 2014.

“The biggest challenge we have is awareness. People do not know about Malaysia. I think everybody knows about [medical tourism in] Thailand, Singapore and India, but not Malaysia since we started late. In 2012 we were where Thailand and Singapore were 20 years ago,” Gooi was quoted as saying.

The Myanmar Times report said although the number of Myanmar patients travelling to Malaysia was increasing, the total still lagged far behind those travelling to Thailand and Singapore,

It said this was because Thailand had already implemented a visa exemption memorandum of understanding with the Myanmar Government and this made it easier for Myanmar nationals to travel there.

Singapore, too, had signed a similar MOU which is expected to be implemented in December.

The report said Malaysia was the only Asean country that had yet to sign a visa exemption agreement with Myanmar.

It quoted Malaysian Ambassador to Myanmar Mohd Haniff Abd Rahman as saying Putrajaya was still reviewing visa requirements for Myanmar citizens.

Dr Mei Mei Ko, the chief editor of the medical magazine Ziwaka, was quoted as saying that medical tourism in other nations had increasingly attracted Myanmar patients over the last 15 years.

The report said this was partly due to the fact that Myanmar’s healthcare system had been neglected under the former military government.

source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com / FMT News / Home / FMT Reporter / June 21st, 2016

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Posted in Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Others

Khader bats for visa on arrival for med tourists

Posted on August 24, 2015 | Comments Off on Khader bats for visa on arrival for med tourists

Mangaluru :

The department of health and family welfare will press for visa on arrival for tourists at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) with the Union ministries of external affairs and civil aviation in a bid to boost tourism in Dakshina Kannada, and Udupi.

This facility will draw tourists to various areas in Karnataka and medical tourism could benefit a lot, minister for health and family welfare UT Khader said here on Saturday. “We can leverage our strength in medicine – modern and ancient – to draw tourists and their numbers can be increased by having visa on arrival,” he said.

Inaugurating the Yenepoya Ayush Centre, Khader said health tourism has a major potential to draw tourists. Citing his recent visit to Kaup in neighbouring Udupi, Khader said an ayurvedic treatment centre there had attracted Russians.

Khader said he’ll have discussions with heads of various medical institutions in the two districts. “While drawing tourists to health facilities in the two districts is one issue, it’s also important for hospitals to give them the necessary infrastructure,” he said. Hospitals should provide rooms and other facilities that meet the expectations of tourists.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangaluru / TNN / August 23rd, 2015

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Posted in Associations/Organisations/Government/NonGovernment, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Others, Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas

Gallery

Why has Oklahoma City become a ‘medical tourism’ destination?

Posted on July 25, 2015

This gallery contains 1 photos.

Oklahoma City has become a medical tourist destination, according to an industry expert, leading the charge for a different method of healthcare delivery, specifically one that embraces the principles and fundamentals of the free market. Dr. Keith Smith is a … Continue reading →

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Medical tourism module in new ITS prospectus

Posted on July 12, 2015 | Comments Off on Medical tourism module in new ITS prospectus

Medical tourism is a new module in the 2015-2016 prospectus of the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS).

The module will be offered as part of the diploma in travel and tourism operations.

It will provide course participants with a general understanding of the medical tourism industry, and prepares and trains them in different aspects of medical tourism with respect to travel and tourism operations.

Institute executive director Pierre Fenech said: “This falls in line with the strategy of ITS to embark on new areas of study to diversify the hospitality industry and to prepare students for challenges that the industry will face in the near future.”

www.its.edu.mt

source: http://www.timesofmalta.com / TimesOfMalta.com / Home> National / Sunday – July 12th, 2015

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Posted in Associations/Organisations/Government/NonGovernment, Others, Reports,Features, Statistics, Uncategorized

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

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