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ON TAIWAN Business & Tourism Guide to Taiwan was released in the Middle East markets on the eve of the Arabian Travel Market and the commencement of direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Taipei by China Airlines... Full Story...
Travellers from the Middle East are on the lookout for destinations that can provide quality healthcare facilities making the Middle East an attractive outbound market for health tourism...
By Pravin Kohli
An increasing number of tourists from the Middle east are now travelling in search of quality healthcare services provided by many Asian countries at extremely competitive prices. In fact, many Asian governments are now making concerted efforts to promote their 'health tourism' sector to woo visitors from the Middle East countries. As a result, Asia's burgeoning medical tourism industry is expected to net at least US$4 billion by 2012, thereby providing a new dimension for the travel and hospitality sector.
An increasing number of visitors from the Middle East are seeking quality healthcare services in Asian countries
"The lure of low-cost, high quality healthcare in Asia is estimated to be attracting more than 1.3 million tourists a year to countries like Thailand, Singapore, India, South Korea and Malaysia," said Dr. Surapong Aumpanwong, President of Thai Private Hospitals during an exclusive interview with Business & Tourism Guide Series. "Health tourists are a new breed of travellers. They have specific needs, they travel to specific locations for a specific reason, and their daily expense is more than double that of other tourists," he said.
Research on the rapidly-growing health tourism business shows a medical tourist spends an average of US$362 a day, compared with the average traveller's spend of US$144. To tap into this luucrative market there has been a drastic increase in the number of service providers in the industry specialising in meeting the needs of this market with tailor-made packages and services.
The health tourism industry in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and India is estimated to be worth around half a billion dollars a year and is projected to generate more than US$4.4 billion by 2012.
The Middle East is one of the most sought-after markets as travellers from the region are known as high-spending customers with specific healthcare requirements. The Middle East is therefore considered a big and growing pie, which everyone is wanting a share of. Consequently, travel and hospitality providers are making concerted efforts to claim a slice of the lucrative Middle East health tourist market.
India is among the popular destinations for the Middle East health tourists. India's medical tourism business is growing at 30 per cent per year and is forecast to generate at least US$2.2 billion a year by 2012. Singapore is targeting to attract one million foreign patients annually and push the GDP contribution from this sector above US$1.6 billion, while Malaysia expects medical tourism revenues to be in the region of US$590 million in five years' time.
A suite at the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Kuala lumpur, Malaysia: Posh offerings
Unlike many of its competitors in medical tourism, India has the technological expertise and infrastructure to maintain its market niche. Additionally, India’s quality of care is of international standards, and some Indian medical centres even provide services that are uncommon elsewhere. For example, hip surgery patients in India can opt for a hip-resurfacing procedure, in which damaged bone is scraped away and replaced with chrome alloy - an operation that costs less and causes less post-operative trauma than the traditional replacement procedure performed in the U.S.
India has top-notch centres for open-heart surgery, pediatric heart surgery, hip and knee replacement, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, bone marrow transplants and cancer therapy, and virtually all of India’s clinics are equipped with the latest electronic and medical diagnostic equipment. The Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in New Delhi boasts a death rate for coronary bypass patients of 0.8% compared with 2.35% in New York.
HEALTH TOURISM IN ASIA Much of the health tourism business is generated from Asian countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Middle East and Greater China. More than 1 million tourists receive healthcare in Thailand, at facilities such as Bumrungrad International Hospital, which offers a full bouquet of services from executive health tests to cardiac packages, cancer therapy, eye surgery, liposuction and other cosmetic options.
Bumrungrad has more than 700 internationally-trained and board-certified doctors, and a complete range of healthcare services and facilities. In 2004 alone, it treated 355,000 foreign patients accounting for a third of its total patients and almost 50% of the hospital's revenue.
Malaysia on the other is known for performing complex neurosurgical procedures and delivering cutting-edge medical treatment by some of the region's leading specialists. The country's reputation for high quality medical facilities and experienced doctors brought in more than 150,000 visitors last year.
Quality healthcare at afforable prices is attracting many health tourists from the Middle East to Asia
The cost of treatments in Malaysia, such as a hip replacement, can be less than a third of the price in the United States. In some cases, the cost is less than a tenth of what people would pay in America or Europe. For many medical tourists, though, the real attraction is price. The cost of surgery in India, Thailand or Malaysia can be one-tenth of what it is in the United States or Western Europe, and sometimes even less. A heart-valve replacement that would cost $200,000 or more in the U.S., for example, goes for $10,000 in India - and that includes round-trip airfare and a brief vacation package. Similarly, a metal-free dental bridge worth $5,500 in the U.S. costs $500 in India, a knee replacement in Thailand with six days of physical therapy costs about one-fifth of what it would in the States, and Lasik eye surgery worth $3,700 in the U.S. is available in many other countries for only $730. Cosmetic surgery savings are even greater: A full facelift that would cost $20,000 in the U.S. runs about $1,250 in Malaysia.
Malaysia also draws many cosmetic surgery patients from the Middle East and many clinics in Malaysia offer packages that include personal assistants, visits with trained therapists, trips to top beauty salons, post-operative care in luxury hotels and sightseeing tours or other vacation incentives.
While low cost is a major attraction for some patients, the assurance of a good quality healthcare system also plays an equally important role.
Travel and hospitality providers have been quick to recognise the enormous potential of medical tourism and have been quick to tap the benefits of this growing industry. Many travel agencies have developed specialised packages, including a broad choice of rehabilitation and leisure activities, which can be integrated with the healthcare options. In fact, many hospitals are offering customised medical packages to travellers and their families.
THE MIDDLE EAST ANGLE
Patients from countries in the Middle East are not just travelling alone for their operations. A typical length of stay for patients from the Middle East is five to 20 days and often patients bring three to six family members with them. They need hotel accommodation as well as assistance in knowing what are the best local tours, places to eat out and areas to shop when they're not visiting their loved ones in hospital.
Dr. Surapong Aumpanwong: Promoting Thailand's health tourism sector in the Middle East
A new and emerging trend in the health tourism industry is the bundling of five-star healthcare services with unconventional post-operation treatment. India is offering traditional recuperation methods such as yoga and naturopathy, while Thailand is promoting its ancient Thai herbal remedies to its Middle East patients.
"Business & Tourism Guide Series has played an important role in increasing public awareness of the medical tourism options available for travellers in the GCC countries," said Dr. Surapong Aumpangwong, Surapong of Thai Private Hospitals. By generating greater confidence in foreign hospitals and introducing the various services available in different countries, the Business & Tourism Guide Series has acted as a catalyst for future growth of outbound health tourism from the Middle East," he said.
QUALITY COUNTS
The Middle East patients are very particular about the quality of healthcare they want and need to be assured that the doctors are adequately qualified and experienced. This is why many Asian countries have been able to attract medical tourists from the Middle East - by providing quality healthcare services. Bangkok’s Bumrundgrad hospital, for example, has more than 200 surgeons who are board-certified in the United States. In a field where experience is as important as technology, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in India performs nearly 15,000 heart operations every year, and the death rate during surgery is only 0.8 percent - which is less than half that of most major hospitals in the USA.
In many clinics, the doctors are supported by more registered nurses per patient than in any Western facility. An increasing number of clinics provide single-patient rooms that resemble guestrooms in five-star hotels, with a nurse dedicated to each patient 24 hours a day. Some clinics also assign patients a personal assistant for the post-hospital recovery period.
"The Business & Tourism Guide Series is an excellently produced series of magazines that has helped us immensely not only to know more about many countries but also identify potential business partners for the future. I commend the efforts of the publishers in promoting direct business-to-business contacts between Taiwan and the international markets"
Saleh Nasser Lootah CEO, Asian Air Travel & Tours Co. (Dubai)
MIDDLE EAST 
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