Medical Tourism Shows Resilience amid COVID-19

 

While the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak might have caused significant disruptions, the medical tourism market is set to grow at 12% CAGR in 2021.

Health & Medical Tourism at ITB Berlin NOW 2021

 The virtual edition of ITB Berlin NOW from 9 to 12 March 2021 is again examining the Medical Tourism segment which has high growth potential as the coronavirus pandemic becomes particularly apparent how important mental and physical health is.

Indonesia's medical tourism potential may be silver lining of pandemic – Jakarta Post

Indonesia’s healthcare reimbursement system is divided into the government-subsidized universal healthcare program through the Healthcare and Social Security Agency and private health insurance or self-paid schemes. Improving BPJS Kesehatan will require a comprehensive financial and political strategy.

With the current reimbursement rate, most hospitals are trying to adapt by adjusting their costs. Obviously, they have limited options when compared to the globally competitive, high-quality services and rapidly evolving medical technologies of the healthcare services and facilities of our neighboring countries.

Our regional competitors have acknowledged and have been exploiting the stigma of poor quality on Indonesia’s medical services for some time now. Oliver Wyman in 2018 estimated that Indonesia lost about US$48 billion in annual revenue from outbound medical tourism, due to a lack of trust in the local health system and infrastructure. This figure is extremely ironic, given that  the BPJS is still running up a major deficit at present.

Over 1,800 private hospitals that are mostly dependent on the BPJS scheme will not be able to withstand the pressure of cost savings, which will eventually put their medical service quality at risk. Most of these private hospitals lack good quality human resources and medical staff due to a supply shortage.

However, we are seeing many changes toward improvement that are allowing better positioning for local hospitals in providing competitive healthcare products. More domestic clients are staying in Indonesia to obtain their medical treatment, and this trend shows increasing confidence in local services. More and more clients these days are choosing Indonesian institutions for many specialty health services such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and heart, minimal invasive and robotic surgery.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed both the domestic and regional landscape of healthcare services. The movement of people has been restricted and the priority activities are health and economic survival.

Many Indonesian hospitals are struggling to cope with a shortage of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), hospital beds and ventilators. They are therefore obliged to prioritize COVID-19 mitigation by generally limiting the provision of non-COVID facilities and services. This is also happening in neighbouring countries.

And given that arranging travel is extremely difficult, nonemergency and elective procedures are not prioritized and mostly deferred. Agencies that provide medical evacuation services are in the same position as other travel agencies, which have been left with no choice between stranded markets and closed healthcare destinations.

The Asia-Pacific IVF market was valued at $8.1 billion in 2018, and is projected to grow 11.6 percent annually in 2019-2028 according to a report by Allied Market Research. The Chinese market spent over $1 billion on outbound medical tourism since the recent relaxation of the one child policy.

This has created a new industry to accommodate the demand for medical travel. Medical agencies play a very important role in co-promoting borderless health care in exchange for significant commission fees.

It is unsurprising, however, that IVF businesses in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have been affected during the pandemic, as their major income derives from medical travellers, while medical agencies are struggling to sustain the economy.

Indonesia has a big healthcare market and as stated above, outbound medical tourism has resulted in a great loss of revenue. It has quality medical services that are quite competitive in the region.

However, all stakeholders must contribute equally to achieve the objective of empowering Indonesian medical services to serve our own community. The pricing policy is largely driven by high taxes and inefficient logistics. Good quality medical and nursing staff is essential in this industry, and we need to evaluate how they can be recognized internationally.

Government policy will play an important role in providing a vibrant environment that is conducive to domestic medical tourism. The agenda must therefore be clear that our priority is to promote Indonesia’s medical services to retain our own citizens from traveling abroad for outbound medical tourism, and to attract inbound medical travelers from overseas in the longer term.

The pandemic has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove the quality of our medical services. All stakeholders have a common interest in achieving this objective, and despite our present focus on the healthcare burdens of COVID-19, collective and coordinated efforts are needed for Indonesia to win in the medical tourism industry.

***

The writer is an Australia-trained gynecologist and in vitro fertilization (IVF) specialist in Indonesia. He chairs the Bundamedik healthcare group, is secretary-general of the Indonesian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology-Indonesian IVF Association (Perfitri-POGI) and founded the Indonesian Medical Tourism Board.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.

Tags: Indonesia’s healthcare,Indonesia, medical tourism

In India, medical inbound tourism already on the rise

On behalf of FAITH, we would like to express our gratitude towards the Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman for the enhanced allocation of Rs. 2,500 crore to India’s Ministry of Tourism. The allotment was made to expand 100 airports by 2024 and soon-to-be-introduced Tejas Express trains for all the famous destinations in the country. These attempts are advancements in modern infrastructure that promises glorious period for Indian tourism.

Brand “Made in India” shines in this Budget and gets strengthened even more with the improvement of five iconic archaeological heritage sites in India and displaying India through a tribal and maritime museum. At the same time, four existing museums will be raised and developed to world standards to boost cultural tourism.

Medical inbound tourism, by now is already on the rise, will get an additional boost with the addition of Tier-II and -III hospitals. The declaration of setting up a national-deemed university for heritage tourism will intensify heritage tourism in India. This is bound to have a multiplier impact in terms of employment as well as economy aiding wealth creation for the country.

Tags: India, Medical tourism

India Announces Increase in Medical Tourist Arrivals

Medical Tourism holds immense potential for India. The Indian systems of medicines, viz. Ayurveda, Yoga, Panchakarma, Rejuvenation Therapy, etc., are among the most ancient systems of medical treatment in the world.

India's Ministry of Tourism announced that The Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in India on medical visa during 2016 and 2017 were estimated at 4,027,014 and 4,095,056 respectively, registering a positive growth of 15.9%.

India can provide medical and health care of international standards at low costs. India excels in the state of the art medical facilities, reputed health care professionals, quality nursing facilities and traditional healthcare therapies.

The Ministry of Tourism has taken various steps to promote Medical Tourism which inter-alia includes:

• Launch of campaigns in the international markets including for medical tourism under the Incredible India brand-line; conducting Road Shows, Know India Seminars;
• Ministry produces brochures, CDs, films and other publicity material for promotion of Medical & Health Tourism. The film on Medical Tourism film was aired in the Middle East and North African Market. On social media Medical Tourism is being promoted across various platforms.
• In order to provide dedicated institutional framework to take forward the cause of promotion of Medical Tourism, a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted.
• Department of Commerce and Services Export Promotion Council have launched a Healthcare Portal www.indiahealthcaretourism.com, as a single source platform providing comprehensive information to medical travellers on the top healthcare institutions in the country in various languages.
• The e-tourist visa regime has been expanded to include medical visits as well. Medical and Medical attendant visa has been introduced to ease the travel process of Medical Tourists. The maximum duration of stay in India under the e-Medical visa is a longer duration of six months.

Tags:India's Ministry of Tourism ,Medical Tourism

European Interbalkan Medical Center Achieves Global Healthcare Accreditation

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., June 5, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- European Interbalkan Medical Center (http://www.iatrikodiavalkaniko.gr/en) in Thessaloniki, Greece, a part of Athens Medical Group has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation by the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program (http://globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/) for its Medical Travel Services Program. European Interbalkan Medical Center is the first hospital in Greece and the second hospital in Europe accredited by the GHA program. The European Interbalkan Medical Center of Thessaloniki is one of the largest and technologically sophisticated private hospitals in northern Greece and has been included in the "Best hospitals worldwide 2014 & 2015" and "Preferred Partner Hospital 2016, 2017, 2018" lists by the Diplomatic Council (DC), United Nations. It is a member of Athens Medical Group, one of the premier healthcare service providers in Greece.

European Interbalkan Medical Center's accreditation by GHA was announced at the recent European Medical Tourism Congress in Athens, Greece, where Dr. Christina Doubali, Director of the International Patient Center at European Interbalkan Medical Center, participated in a session titled "Accreditation in Medical Travel Driving Patient Excellence," moderated by Karen Timmons, GHA's Chief Executive Officer. In 2016, the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program was established with the goal of enhancing the patient experience for medical travelers across the entire Medical Travel Care Continuum. GHA provides concrete and measurable value to patients by ensuring that the hospital or clinic has instituted processes that are customized to the medical travelers' unique needs and expectations and are constantly monitored for improvement. Additionally, GHA provides healthcare organizations with a unique opportunity to not only acquire skills and competencies designed to strengthen their medical travel services, but also impact business performance. GHA has accredited recognized healthcare providers in Croatia, Mexico, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, The United States, and now Greece. According to Dr. Cristina Doubali, "European Interbalkan Medical Center, one of the eight hospitals belonging to the Athens Medical Group, is one of the leading hospitals in Europe and a top destination for medical travelers seeking high quality healthcare services. Through our International Patient Center we offer traveling patients and their relatives a wide-range of services including personalized assistance, language services and financial coordination throughout the entire patient journey. Our patient-centered approach is combined with cutting-edge medical procedures, which adhere to the strictest international quality criteria, and is provided by highly-qualified doctors, with training and experience gained from medical institutions in Europe and the US. We chose Global Healthcare Accreditation as it focuses on enhancing the entire medical travel care continuum, and ensures we have the right processes in place to consistently deliver a high-quality patient experience." Karen Timmons, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Healthcare Accreditation Program stated, "The assurance of quality and transparency in medical travel goes beyond the care delivered in the actual healthcare facility – it starts from the point of inquiry for the service and destination through arrival to the destination, and admission, discharge from the organization and stay at a hospitality site prior to travel back to the home base and through to ongoing communication after follow up service has been provided. The GHA Program, with its independent board and Regional Advisory Committees comprised of broad representation of key experts and stakeholders, seeks to bring clarity, and consensus around important issues facing medical travel, improving the patient experience and excellence of care. We congratulate European Interbalkan Medical Center and Athens Medical Group for achieving GHA Accreditation and for its commitment to supporting the needs of medical travel patients." About European Interbalkan Medical Center: The European Interbalkan Medical Center has 383 hospital beds and offers a full range of healthcare services. Apart from the facilities of the General Hospital, patients have access to the Paediatrics Clinic, the Maternity-Gynaecological Clinic and the IVF and Infertility Center. A Rehabilitation Center also operates within the Hospital. The Hospital is located next to Thessaloniki International Airport "Macedonia", which is the second largest airport in Greece. About the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program: The Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program is an independent accrediting body that seeks to improve the patient experience and excellence of care received by patients who travel for their medical care and treatment, whether within their own country or internationally. The GHA program complements existing national and international clinical accreditation programs. While these programs traditionally focus on the clinical aspects of care for the entire organization, GHA conducts a deep review of the International or Global Patient Services program, or the entity within an organization that serves the medical travel patient. GHA also provides advisory and custom education services for organizations interested in improving their medical travel program and/or business performance. Organizations interested in The Global Healthcare Accreditation Program can make a request at info@ghaccreditation.com |Tel US 001.561.327.9557 |www.GlobalHealthcareAccreditation.com SOURCE Global Healthcare Accreditation Tags: European Interbalkan Medical Center

Scents of antiquity revived for exhibition at Athens museum

 The perfume Aphrodite’s Rose is a highlight of the new exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

When the National Archaeological Museum of Athens decided to mark its 150th anniversary, it seemed a no-brainer that it should celebrate the ancients’ love of beauty.

“After all, beauty is a word that exists in every one of the 6,000 languages spoken on this planet,” said Maria Lagogianni, director of Greece’s premier museum. “It is a word understood by all.”

The catch, however, was that Lagogianni wanted to go further – exploring beauty in all its senses, “not just visually, or acoustically, or to the touch”.

In a global first it was decided that the scents of antiquity should be especially revived.


It was thus that Ivan Deiuri and Sonja Mik found themselves with nose in decantersniffing Aphrodite’s Rose – the highlight of the museum’s Countless Aspects of Beauty exhibition, which opened at the weekend. 

“It’s a bit like a rose, but more like an orchid,” said Deiuri, a Croatian sommelier, as he pressed his nose to the glass. “I’d say it’s more earthy, muddy, stony,” his girlfriend said. Her T-shirt was emblazoned with the words Believe in Love. “It smells a bit like grass after the rain, old grass, hay.”

The scent’s power of seduction notwithstanding, the show appears almost overnight to have taken audiences by storm. 

Three fragrances – rose, coriander and sage – were created for what museum officials are calling a first sensory experience of antiquity based on scent.

The archaeological experiment required 18 months of research, both in and outside the laboratory, said Korres, the Greek natural cosmetic firm tasked with reviving the “primordial, one-dimensional” perfumes.


To remain loyal to the ingredients and methods of their ancient forebears, chemists followed ancient scripts. Linear B tablets used to document palace transactions during the Mycenaean Period – inscriptions known as the earliest preserved form of written Greek – were decoded for guidelines.

The Greek countryside was scoured for plants; one vital ingredient, described as a “wild green”, was found on the remote Cycladic isle of Amorgos. And the works of Theophrastus, the father of botany, were studied closely for techniques of aromatic oil production.

“We were also helped by Dioskourides, the pharmacist of ancient times who described how ingredients were used and processed,” said Lena Korres, co-founder of the company that led the research.

“There were modern scientists, too, who revealed some of the secrets of ancient [perfumes]. But basically, going by ancient sources, and trying to mimic them step-by-step, we got here. As Greek scientists it was a magic journey to create the fragrances of our ancestors.”

 The exhibition features 340 antiquities from the collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.


 The exhibition features 340 antiquities from the collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images
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The scents are among 340 artefacts the museum has put on display for an exhibition that has Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and desire, as its centrepiece. Works of art range from jewellery to gold ear-picks and quotidian pots and pans. Many are miniature masterpieces.


Lagogianni said her idea to revive the scents was born of the significant role fragrances had in antiquity. As symbol of eternal love and beauty, Aphrodite was bathed in sweet-smelling oils when she emerged from the sea.

“She taught us beauty’s secrets and one of them was the importance of sweet-smelling fragrances,” she said.

Curators are hoping the exhibition, which is expected to run until the end of 2019, will survive the test of time.

“It’s clear the ancients had really good taste,” said Deiuri, sitting on the museum’s steps after taking in the display. “And if something is beautiful, it is beautiful. It isn’t subject to time.”
Source: www.theguardian.com

India to boost medical tourism

The Indian Ministry of Tourism has recognized Medical and Wellness Tourism as Niche Tourism Products and offers various facilities as given below to promote India as a preferred destination as well as facilitate the visit of medical tourists to the country.

The Ministry offers financial support as Marketing Development Assistance for Publicity and for organising Wellness and Medical Tourism Promotion shows as well as workshops/events/seminars to accredited Medical and Wellness Tourism Service Providers and Chambers of Commerce, etc. (ii) A film on Medical Tourism has been produced in association with BBC and is used at various fora for promotional purposes.

Medical and Medical attendant visa has been introduced to streamline and ease the travel process of Medical Tourists. The e-tourist visa regime has also been expanded to include medical visits as well.

It has been decided to set up facilitation counters at the major airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru for tourists arriving on Medical Visas.

Apart from the above, the Department of Commerce and Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) has launched a Healthcare Portal www.indiahealthcaretourism.com in English, Arabic, Russian and French languages as a single source platform providing comprehensive information to medical travellers on the top healthcare institutions in the country.

Tags:Medical and Wellness  Indian Ministry of Tourism

Malaysia tourism expects boom after China introduced its one-child policy

By 2020, Malaysia is quite sure of doubling its revenue related to medical tourism; aiming an estimated 90 million couples in China who are preparing to give birth to their second child.

 

In October 2015, after China introduced its one-child policy, more and more couples are trying to have more children. However, not all of them are able to conceive naturally.

Malaysia at this point expects to provide its knowledge and proficiency to boost the industry of medical tourism at the same time.

 

The Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council or MHTC calculates that around 90 million Chinese couples are interested to have their second child of whom at least 40 million are over 40 years of age.

 

MHTC CEO Sherene Azli explained that the market size shows opportunities in terms of assisted reproductive technology where Malaysia has a competitive edge.

 

“For example, our in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment success rate is actually among the highest in the world at about 66% compared with the world average of 50%,” Azli told The Edge Financial Daily in a recent interview.

 

“Because of that, we feel that Malaysia is in a very good place to position itself as the fertility hub for the region.”

 

Chinese healthcare tourists were already the second-fastest growing market in Malaysia in 2016, as per MHTC. In 2016, Chinese arrivals grew 20% annually, behind Vietnam at 83%.

 

The rising Chinese healthcare tourists are gradually decreasing Malaysia’s dependence on Indonesian medical travelers who comprised 60% of the volume in the past, the Edge report said.

Tags: Malaysia tourism

Assessment and rating index system for health tourism destinations in the offing

The Global Healthcare Travel Council will expand and build an assessment and rating index system followed by recognizing award health tourism destinations, as mentioned by an official recently.

 

Dr Laila Al Marzouqi, director of Medical Tourism Council and president of the Global Healthcare Travel Council, explained that the assessment and rating index system will entirely be developed in aid with a working group headed by herself as the president of the council.

 

She stated that the award would be managed by the council. Every year, the awards will be handed out, starting in 2019 at the time of the Dubai International Health Tourism Forum.

 

On the last day of the forum on Wednesday, she disclosed simultaneously that the Health Bank in collaboration with Dubai Health Experience (DXH) introduced DXH SmartCare to offer health tourists with single point of contact to receive flawless health care coordination, second medical opinion along with flight bookings, visas, accommodation, airport transfers, leisure activities and post-treatment support.

 

DXH SmartCare can be availed on www.dxh.ae, provides three tiers of membership, Blue being the vital package provides research and referrals in terms of treatment options for Dh1,100; Silver, at a cost of Dh2,599, and the Gold membership, at a cost of 5,455 respectively. Both offer journey planning services with dedicated account manager, concierge and comprehensive care coordination respectively.

 

The Global Healthcare Travel Council or the GHTC is a forum of national councils related to the health care travel industry. It comprised senior executives of the leading health care travel councils and associations of the world. They have an exclusive mandate and overview on matters related to health care travel.

Tags: dubai, Global Healthcare Travel Council, health tourism destinations

Health-oriented and medical tourism: Germany leading globally

Reducing everyday stress and taking time off is an important aspect in today’s fast changing world. Hence, an increasing number of people is becoming more and more aware of the importance of staying healthy and energetic and therefore go in increasing numbers on health-oriented and medical trips.

In 2016, the world population undertook some 11.4 million international health-oriented and medical trips, resulting in a market share of 1.4 per cent on all outbound trips worldwide. According to findings of the World Travel Monitor, conducted by IPK International and commissioned by ITB Berlin, nearly 70 per cent of all international health & medical outbound trips have been made mainly for health-oriented reasons such as wellness and spa holidays. The share of trips for medical purposes (including cure, hospital rehab and stays in medical clinics) was around 30 per cent.

Germany biggest source market followed by USA
With more than 1 million foreign health & medical trips, Germany strengthened its position as the world’s leading source market for health-oriented and medical tourism. In Europe, Russia follows second before third-placed France and Italy. The most important source market in this niche-segment outside of Europe are the USA. On second, third and fourth place follow Asian source markets, namely South Korea, China and Japan.

Destination ranking also led by Germany
Germany is not only the most important source market but also the number one destination in the overall segment of health-oriented and medical tourism, closely followed in Europe by Hungary, Austria and fourth-ranked Spain. Outside of Europe, the USA are the most popular destination for health & medical tourism, followed by Mexico and Japan. While Austria is the third most important European destination with respect to the whole segment, it is the leading destination in Europe with regard to wellness / spa holidays only.

Reducing stress and relaxing most important motives
When on a health-oriented trip, travelers especially want to “reduce stress” combined with “relaxing” and “switching off”. These are the most important factors while being on a health-oriented trip, followed by spa / wellness treatments. The treatment of diseases, pains and other health problems is for about 40 per cent of all health-oriented and medical tourists of high relevance.

Every second health-oriented / medical tourism traveler between 35 and 54 years
When looking at socio-demographics there is nearly an equal distribution between male and female health-oriented and medical travelers. However, there are differences regarding age distribution. The percentage of travelers between 35 and 54 years is by far the biggest group with a share of around 50 per cent, followed by travelers up to 34 years and the age segment 55+.

For the second time ITB Berlin will be fully devoting a platform to medical tourism, which has become an important fast-growing market. Medical service providers, hotels and destinations will be able to exhibit their products and services In the Medical Tourism Pavilion in Hall 3.2.

Iran to develop health tourism to generate revenue

Iran is getting a new dimension in health tourism and contributing in social and economic developments.

According to World Tourism Organization, the tourism business volume of Iran is equal and sometimes surpasses that of crude oil exports. For this reason, the government of Iran is expanding its infrastructure to develop the hospitals with world class facilities.

Iran possesses numerous tourism attractions, which is including the UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites.

Heath tourism has prompted Iran to step up efforts to increase its tourism industry, particularly under President Hassan Rouhani.

To achieve this aim, the administration of President Hassan Rouhani has taken measures that mainly center on creating better conditions to attract foreign tourists in addition to showcasing Iran’s historic and natural attractions.

In this respect, the development of medical and health tourism has been put on the agenda on the grounds.

Iran enjoys the diverse climate conditions, natural resources such as hot and cold mineral springs, and different types of medicinal herbs.

The geographical proximity of Iran along with high-quality medical services at low cost in comparison with developed and regional countries has also contributed to reasons behind the government’s decision to bolster medical and health tourism.

In this vein, the inclusive measures of Iran such as holding medical tourism exhibitions in other countries and signing memorandums of understanding with 32 countries to host representatives from Iran’s leading company (HEGTA) in charge of health tourism to help facilitate travel of foreigners to Iran for medical purposes — have been taken.

The holding company, affiliated with Iran’s Social Security Organization, is also conducting a major medical tourism plan that in its first phase involves the participation of 22 hospitals — five of which are private.

In terms of infrastructure of tourism of Iran, measures taken so far are divided into two sections: those in major cities, and the others in border areas such as free economic zones.

The projects in major cities include a hotel hospital in the capital city of Tehran, which is the largest in the Middle East.

The hospitality complex is now operational, which has 100 beds and 100 suites to accommodate patients’ companions.

To the south of Tehran, a health care complex dubbed Healthcare City is underway in the historic city of Isfahan.

The project consists of four phases and is estimated to cost $260 million. The first phase became operational in late October, offering services such as beauty treatments and traditional medicine.

In the northwest, the private sector is constructing a hospital in the city of Urmiya in which nearly $260 million has been invested so far, and almost the same amount is still needed to complete the project, which will become Iran’s first smart hospital capable of being connected with similar hospitals in the world.

This is while infrastructure projects in border areas mainly involve the construction of medical centers. In this regard, free zones have been paid special attention as they enjoy competitive factors such as sharing borders with neighboring countries, easier transit and lack of visa-related issues.

The Persian Gulf island of Kish has made progress in medical tourism by offering visa-free medical services and possessing well-equipped medical centers and proper accommodations.

The free economic zones such as Aras in the northwest and Arvand in the southwest are not as advanced as Kish, measures have been taken in these regions as well.

According to Zamani, there are more than $230 million which has been invested to expand infrastructure in Arvand Free Zone over the past three years, while foreign and Iranian private sectors have also made a $1.3 billion investment in the same period.

There are around 105,000 inbound tourists visited Iran for medical purposes during the last Iranian year (which ended March 2017), bringing $588 million in revenue to the country — up from $350 million in 2012.

Tags: health tourism, iran, U.N. World Tourism Organization, UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites, World Tourism Organization

India holds high promise in medical tourism by 2020

A pioneer in the Indian healthcare industry, Apollo Hospitals opened its 66th hospital. Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman – Apollo Hospitals Groups said in an exclusive interview that the healthcare system in India is facing challenges for rapid urbanization, increasing population, increasing rates of emerging and re-emerging infections and non-communicable diseases.

 

Gaps in healthcare workforce, decreasing investments in education and workforce migration have added to the pressure in public health system. India needs almost 330,000 public health trainees to fill the staff gap in the community and primary health care centers. The medical industry in India has seen a wonderful growth of 12% per year in the last five years. The hospitals in India today provide advanced medical facilities and specialized treatments, qualified doctors at affordable costs. Proper marketing and promotion needs to be done for making it a global destination for high quality medical care at reasonable costs.

 

India needs simplified visa procedures, more value-added services, competitive pricing policies, enhancement of quality healthcare services and look into security measures. World-class hospitals along with skilled medical professionals make India a chosen destination for medical tourism and India’s earnings from medical tourism could exceed USD $8 billion by 2020. Mr. Reddy said that Apollo is committed to take high quality healthcare closer to every individual and make India a preferred place for advanced medical care at best optimized cost. Moreover, to stay ahead in the race, healthcare professionals need the best resources to help them shine in their professional career.

2017 Medical Tourism Trends

The Medical Tourism industry was valued at a staggering US$439 billion, with a projected growth rate of up to 25% year-over-year for the next 10 years as an estimated three to four percent of the world's population will travel internationally for healthcare and health-related treatment.

These findings are according to a report issued by VISA and Oxford Economics. For years the medical travel industry seemed undervalued, yet VISA's report accounts for growth factors - like some 340 new international airports over the next decade - and the medical travel market could soar to an astronomical US$3 trillion by 2025.

Medical Tourism Index™ (MTI), listed the top 41 destinations for those seeking value-added services and high quality of healthcare across the globe. In it, the similar pattern of global growth emerges: that the United States leads in terms of market share of healthcare travel spending, but Asia's Thailand, Singapore and South Korea continue to thrive. Both VISA's and MTI's™ findings expect China to overtake the US spot within the next 10 years due to the population's demand for higher quality of care.

The findings don't just span the global spectrum but also the age spectrum as well; VISA expects 13 percent of all international travel by 2025 to be older travelers. Meanwhile, a recent survey of 31,000 18-34 year olds from 134 countries by popular booking site TopDeck Travel found that some 88% of them travel internationally between 1 to 3 times annually and that the number only continues to grow.

The entire medical tourism and health tourism industry will descend upon Washington, D.C., September 25-28, 2016 for the 9th World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress. Over 3,000 attendees from 50+ countries brought USD 1 billion in new deals last year paving the way for leaders this year to catch the next wave in partnerships and medical tourism investment.

VISA said, "We believe that medical tourism is primed for accelerated growth as more of these travelers seek new treatments, as well as lower cost or higher-quality care not available in their home country."

 Tags:2017 Medical Tourism Trends

World medical tourism observed huge participation

The World Medical Tourism Congress, hosted by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the US based Medical Tourism Association ended Friday after discussing a variety of health care issues and flaunting Taiwan’s growth in medical services.

The global healthcare event that held in Taipei saw huge participation from industry experts. The event attracted global experts to discuss on innovative healthcare solutions. According to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), which co-organized the event with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the US-based Medical Tourism Association the two-day congress attracted nearly 900 participants from countries like Japan, China, India, Singapore, Thailand, Nigeria and Pakistan.
The Medical Tourism Association stated it has achieved its short-term goal at the Taipei event, while the Health Ministry was quoted as saying that the event “marked a milestone in Taiwan’s medical tourism, strengthening our position as a top medical tourism destination.”

The Taipei City government and TAITRA also arranged more than 200 one-to-one purchasing meetings between local companies and international buyers from 16 countries, generating US$20 million in business, the statement said.

Taiwan hosted more than 200,000 foreigners who came for health check-up or other treatments in 2013. The country is expected to generate NT$13 billion (US$434 million) in revenues this year in medical tourism.

Taiwan brings world medical tourism conference this June

The Asia segment of the annual World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress (WMTC) this year will be hosted by Taiwan for the first time. The Taiwan meeting will be held from June 26-27 at the Taipei International Convention Center.

According to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), one of the organizers, some 200 delegates from more than 25 countries are expected to attend the Asia Conference, which will focus on the quality of healthcare available in Asia.

TAITRA President and CEO Peter Huang at a press meet in Taipei said, “A total of 800 people from the medical and insurance industries will attend the event. The event will offer opportunities for networking among the presenters — 15 health care industry experts from eight countries — and stakeholders in the region’s medical tourism industry. He added, “This will mark a milestone in Taiwan’s medical tourism, strengthening our position as a top medical tourism destination.” He however declined to predict how much business the meeting will generate, saying only that he expects good results.

TAITRA stated that to help facilitate the networking process, about 200 one-on-one business meetings have been organized, while 40 exhibition booths will be set up onsite. According to TAITRA, Taiwan’s medical tourism industry is expected to pump NT$13 billion (US$436.8 million) into the national coffers in 2014.

U.S.-based Medical Tourism Association president, Renee-Marie at a press meet said that she sees great potential in Taiwan’s medical tourism. She said, “In 2013, over 200,000 foreign travelers sought medical treatment in Taiwan, and the number is expected to grow as Taiwan can provide high-quality healthcare and is dedicated to ensuring good patient experience. Medical tourism is one of the fastest growing and lucrative sectors in the travel industry, with the movement of medical travelers in Asia are increasing annually by 20-30 percent, way ahead of overall travel in the region.”

Vice Health Minister Hsiu Ming-neng at a press meet said, “the meeting will be a great opportunity for Taiwan’s medical industry to not only demonstrate its strengths but also enhance its competitiveness.”

 
The WMTC is the Medical Tourism Association’s annual international conference, which holds its membership meetings in the United States. The group’s first Asian meeting took place in South Korea in 2010. This year’s congress will be held in Washington D.C. in September.

Chinese health ministry to emphasise on medical tourism

BOAO, Hainan — The Chinese health industry may be a new driving force behind a rapidly aging society, experts said at an international forum Wednesday. Within the health sector, healthcare tourism is growing fastest, said Jia Xiaofang, vice-president of Global Healthcare Travel Council (GHTC).

The Chinese health sector is expected to grow to 800 million yuan ($129 million) by 2020 and will be a powerful growth factor in domestic consumption and employment because of its expansive service and long industrial chain, said Li Bin, head of the National Population and Family Planning Commission at the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) 2014 Annual
Conference.

The wellness tourism was a near half-trillion dollar market in 2013, representing 14 per cent of total global tourism revenues overall, according to a report by Global Wellness Tourism Congress last year. The category could grow 9.9 percent annually over the next five years, nearly twice the rate of overall global tourism, reaching $680 billion by 2017, or 16 per cent of total tourism revenues.

Chinese cities with ecological advantages or rich medical R&D investment are rolling out products to cater to growing global demand. Southern China’s Hainan Province has been a pioneer in the health sector, with the pace speeding up since the 2010 national strategy to turn Hainan into an international tourism island.

Meanwhile, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, the only national pilot program in medical tourism granted by the State Council, is now under construction and will set up a self-discipline body to regulate developers in the zone, according to a press conference held during the BFA on Wednesday.

Compared with neighboring countries like India, Thailand and Republic of Korea with rich experience and established brands in the global healthcare market, China is still in its infancy, Li said.

China has its unique advantages in developing the healthcare sector, such as low cost, rich tourism resources, advanced medical services, and most importantly, traditional Chinese medicine is a global attraction, she added.

“To catch up with other players with head starts, China should resort to specific national strategies and give more preferential policies to nurture the market,” said Wei Jianguo, deputy secretary-general of China International Economic and Exchange Center, a state think tank.