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For medical tourism to be successful in T&T there is need for a change of attitude by the people who interact with tourists, when they enter T&T, beginning with immigration officers, Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan said yesterday. Khan, who … Continue reading
A combination of ventures that are either in the pipeline or at the planning stage suggests the government is attempting to incubate a new economic niche: medical tourism. If the idea takes shape, it will be an important development in the effort to diversify further the economy. Besides, it will also help to solve the chronic bed shortage problem.
The plan announced by the government involves not only the creation of what it is describing as new medical hubs in Malta and Gozo but also the opening of a medical school by Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Coinciding with the announcement of this plan, there has also been news that Maltese-Italian investors plan to build a 200-bed hospital at Smart City. In addition, it has also been announced that an American company is buying Saint James Hospital whose former owner now plans to open a new hospital in Bulebel to replace the one which he has in Żabbar.
The government plans to involve private investors and the health minister has already announced that at least four international companies have expressed an interest in running private hospitals. The plans for the creation of new hubs are in addition to the building of a new block at Mater Dei Hospital.
As is usually the case in projects of this scale, various matters have yet to be clarified. But the way the government has been talking of its plan gives the impression that it may have already struck an informal deal with parties interested in the project, or parts of it. For the government to quantify the investment needed (€200 million), it must have already worked out detailed plans of the new hospital facilities and services needed. Who made the estimate? The chosen bidder will have to fork out the capital expenditure needed to set up the medical hubs and to run them. The government will pay for the beds it will use as part of its general health service but it is not clear whether it plans to make any direct investment of its own, besides, of course, that involved in the building of the new block at Mater Dei.
According to Queen Mary University of London, the Barts wing that will open on the campus in Gozo, the government “will be investing heavily in new facilities in Gozo in the coming year, including new student accommodation”. Since the government has not said anything about this so far, it is proper to ask what, exactly, is going to be the government’s share.
Describing the school that is opening the Gozo campus as the “Barcelona football club” of healthcare, the Prime Minister said the healthcare sector had a number of problems when his party took office but the government had a plan to address these.
In reality, it did not have any reliable plans at all and the only problem it appears to have solved is the shortage of State-funded medicine.
This is not to minimise the importance of the plans now in hand to promote medical tourism. However, the development of hubs and the creation of a medical environment that will contribute to the provision of medical services of such a standard that will draw people from abroad to seek medical care in Malta may take years to establish.
It would therefore be wise on the government’s part to exercise caution so as to avoid making more mistakes than it has already made in its two years in office.
source: http://www.timesofmalta.com / Times Of Malta.com / Home> Comment / Wednesday – April 01st, 2015
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Posted in Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics
Thiruvananthapuram : (IANS)
Ayurveda has been a big hit in Russian capital Moscow, with many women who were looking at alternate health care practices asking about it during the country’s largest tourism fair.
The public and industry representatives streamed into the Kerala Tourism stall during the four-day 22nd Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT) that ended on Saturday.
The theme of Kerala Tourism’s stall was ayurveda and the state’s sun-and-sand destinations.
A major part of the enquiries on ayurveda came from Russian women, who were looking at alternate health care practices.
“Kerala Tourism’s participation in MITT has helped our trade partners build strong relations with the travel and tourism industry of Russia,” said Kerala Tourism Minister A.P. Anilkumar.
MITT, the largest tourism fair in Russia, attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year, nearly three-fourth of them from the travel industry.
Over 2,000 exhibitors from 203 countries are taking part in the four-day event.
India’s Ambassador to Russia P.S. Raghavan said ayurveda was becoming increasingly popular in key markets like Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg (the fourth largest city in Russia), especially among health-conscious women.
“Kerala’s efforts to promote tourism in the Russian market has the full support of our embassy,” said Raghavan.
Kerala Tourism director P.I. Sheik Pareeth said the “evolving” Russian travellers were “looking at more than beach holidays”.
“Several leading Russian tour operators, including many medium-sized operators, visited our stand and expressed their willingness to enter into agreements on ayurveda package with our resorts,” he said.
IANS
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Z News / Home> News> Ayurveda> Health News / IANS /Saturday – March 21st, 2015
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Posted in Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics
The Four Points Hotel has teamed up with Cisco Unified Communications and Cancun’s Galenia Hospital to become the first medically interconnected hotel.
The new connection allows medical tourism patients staying at the Four Points to have an interconnected network with the hospital, offering a higher standard of medical care.
Cancun’s Four Points Hotel has 108 rooms and four suits designated for the service. The rooms are fully equipped with enterprise-class IP telephone call processing, data and voice services, WiFi, advanced mobility capabilities and rich conferencing services.
Ramon Guevara, General Director Factor Integracion, says that working alongside Cisco has allowed them to support the Galenia Hospital in becoming the first hospital with a Medical Grade Network in which they can cement their position in the medical tourism market.
The Four Points is the first hotel to be interconnected with a hospital. This connection will help physicians offer high tech communication to their patients.
Rogelio Velasco, vice president Cisco Mexico , explains, “Cisco Medical-Grade Network solutions gives medical personnel anytime, anywhere access to patient information under a tailor made reliable and highly secure network.
Having the Four Points Hotel connected to Hospital Galenia by way of Cisco technology, will give health care practitioners the confidence to maintain communication in all premises that can support them in their daily patient care work.
source: http://www.riviera-maya-news.com / Riviera Maya News / by Anne Perez / March 13th, 2015
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Posted in Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Reports,Features, Statistics, Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas
Khaled Al Said (center) poses with his brother Mubarak (left) and plastic surgeon Dr Anastasios Vekris. Khaled had his first hair transplant operation in Athens two years ago and recently returned to Athens accompanied by his sibling.
By Lina Giannarou
Kuwaiti national Khaled Al Said had his first hair transplant in Athens two years ago, following exhaustive research carried out over a period of four years. Satisfied with the operation’s results, Al Said recently returned to Athens for a supplementary procedure accompanied by his wife and 33-year-old brother Mubarak, who also wanted to undergo the same hair transplant operation.
Describing the story of the two siblings, which illustrates the development of medical tourism in Greece, was Dr Anastasios Vekris, a plastic surgeon specializing in hair transplants. According to Vekris, 24 percent of the patients who visit his clinic are foreign nationals, mainly from the Middle East and Western Europe, who travel to Greece precisely for this reason.
“Foreigners come to Greece because they find high-quality medical services at lower prices, compared to countries like Britain or the United States,” he noted. “For example, the FUE (follicular unit extraction) hair transplant method, which has been gaining ground recently as it less traumatizing and does not leave scars, is successfully used in Greece. Anyone who does their own good research will end up visiting a good doctor who can perform this procedure.”
For Mubarak Al Said, a dentist, lower prices were not the key factor for choosing Greece. “I didn’t come to the country because it’s cheaper, but because I saw the natural result on my brother. Many people opt for Turkey as services are even cheaper there, but when it comes to health matters, cost is not the first thing you look at.”
In all cases an increasing number of people are picking Greece when it comes to medical services. Besides hair transplant procedures, the country is also an international destination for treating infertility as well as plastic surgery. A recent medical conference was told that 360 Romanian couples had traveled to Greece to visit a particular fertility center in the space of one year. Participants at the conference also heard that visits to the country for eye operations, dental care and treatment for kidney problems are also on the up.
The rapid rise of medical tourism around the world is primarily due to the high cost of medical procedures, especially surgery, in a many countries. According to research carried out by Athens University professor Yannis Tountas, Greece’s revenues from medical tourism could reach up to 2 million euros through 400,000 patients in the next decade, if the country makes the right moves.
The country’s private medical sector is already rising to the challenge. Following the Metropolitan Hospital in Neo Faliro, southern Athens, the Athens Medical Group (which includes the Athens Medical Center) has also earned certification from Temos International, an organization specializing in the demands and requirements of patients traveling overseas for treatment. Both the Metropolitan Hospital and the Athens Medical Group have now become members of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE).
In the meantime, medical tourism has not been affected by the European financial crisis. Over the last two years, for instance, hair transplant operations across the continent have risen 39 percent. The case of an economic migrant who currently resides in Greece and recently visited Vekris’s clinic makes the point. “Isfak Ahmed comes from Pakistan. He is 33 years old,” noted the surgeon.
“He wanted to undergo a hair transplant operation, not out of vanity, but out of necessity. He wanted to look good in order to succeed in getting married.”
source: http://www.ekathimerini.com / ekathimerini.com / Home> Community / by Lina Giannarou / Sunday – March 15th, 2015
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Posted in 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
