DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES–(Marketwire – July 28, 2010) – A survey published today by a prominent Medical Tourism consultant has revealed that 94% of medical tourism industry insiders believe their sector of the industry has yet to reach its full potential. The report, which can be viewed on-line at www.DrPrem.com, shows that confusion, a lack of information and fear about complications following surgery are the main reasons for patient reluctance to cross international borders for health services.
“The medical tourism industry is going through an exciting phase where international and intra-regional activities are taking places within this sector of the health market,” said Dr. Prem Jagyasi, architect of the survey and an experienced consultant in the healthcare travel sector. “The responses received clearly revealed that there is an overwhelming perception among industry leaders that there is so much more that can be achieved,” he added.
The findings are particularly interesting as more than 35 countries were identified as important medical tourism destinations. Of the 35 countries, India was ranked as the number one popular destination, with Thailand and Singapore positioned at second and third places respectively. The United States had a surprise ranking at number four.
“The Asian and Far Eastern countries are well-established medical tourism destinations, so the top three placing were expected,” said Dr. Jagyasi. “The United States came in at number four, which clearly indicate Medical Tourism is not all about low price affairs. The quality of healthcare services at a destination is deemed to be of utmost importance. Latin American and European countries were in the top ten, indicating that medical tourism is not dominated by one continent or geography – it’s a truly global industry” added Dr Prem Jagyasi who is also Honorary Chief Strategy Officer of Medical Tourism Association, world’s biggest non-profit organization of this particular industry, based in Florida US with representative office across the world.
The purpose of the health tourism survey, according to Dr. Jagyasi, was to gain valuable insights into aspects of medical tourism from professionals who are closely involved with the industry. Ninety-five per cent of the survey’s participants identified themselves as being either directly or indirectly involved with healthcare travel in the scope of their work and the resulting information supplied by these insiders revealed many important facts concerning this specialised sector; including its terms, trends, status, opportunities and challenges. The knowledge gleaned from the survey will be used to promote this sector of the healthcare industry and will provide important content for a soon-to-be published guidebook for consumers who are considering undertaking treatment abroad.
“One of the survey questions enquired why the respondents thought that there may be a reluctance in some consumers to participate in healthcare tourism and the main responses we received were that they may have concerns about complications, experience confusion over aspects of available services, be uninformed and find the option complicated,” said Dr. Jagyasi. “This is important information, as it clearly shows that education is a vital component in allowing us to facilitate medical tourism to reach its greatest potential. If we can allay people’s fears about foreign treatments and guide potential health tourists with information on what to expect and important advice on visa and travel issues, then we will be providing a vital service and as well as giving a welcome boost to the region’s health sector,” he added.
Hence, Dr Prem Jagyasi has taken initiative to publish a guidebook. He has high hopes that it will become a handy reference tool for those wanting to know more about the intricacies of travelling across borders for healthcare services. The book is the latest achievement in his specialist interest in medical tourism and he has visited more than 20 countries and spoken at 30 international congresses relating to this sector of the healthcare industry. “Medical tourism can offer huge benefits in terms of quality of service and its affordability, in fact, the survey revealed that industry leaders view these as being its key drivers,” he said. “The industry is set to grow enormously over the next two decades as more and more destinations open up to patients from overseas,” he added.
The medical tourism survey was conducted on-line and contained questions that had been developed over a six month period and based on intensive research. The qualitative assessment was sent to medical tourism professionals in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Gulf regions, Asia and the Far East. It found that medical tourism facilitators are in a prime position to capitalise on the promising opportunities offered by this sector of the health market; with 88% of respondents agreeing that role of facilitator – those agencies providing health-related travel services – are either important or very important in this segment.
Selected Observations from Survey Results (Download complete report from www.DrPrem.com )
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The preferred term from respondents for this particular sector of the healthcare industry is ‘Medical Tourism’, with 35% selecting this option. ‘Global Healthcare’ was the next most popular term at 22%, with ‘Health Tourism’ running a close third at 21%. “Medical Travel’ was identified by 10% of respondents as their preferred description, with ‘Healthcare Travel’ and ‘Value Medical Travel’ both at 6%.
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35 countries in total were identified as being medical tourism destinations; which were (in alphabetical order: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Caribbean, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.
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India, Thailand and Singapore were ranked first, second and third as the most popular medical tourism destinations respectively. The United States was placed at number four.
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94% of respondents agreed with a statement that medical tourism was yet to reach its full potential.
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The four most popular reasons given for why patients travel abroad to receive medical treatment were ‘Affordability (costly in home country)’ at 88%, ‘Accessibility (waiting period is high)’ at 66% ‘Better quality (care and support services are better quality than the home country) at 38% and ‘Availability (not available in home country) at 46%.
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The four most popular reasons given for patients being unwilling to avail themselves of treatment abroad were ‘Concern about complications’ at 50%, ‘Confusion’ at 46%, patients being ‘Uninformed’ at 44% and finding the option ‘Complicated’ at 39%
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The top four challenges to the medical tourism industry were identified as being ‘Accessing reliable information’ at 59%, ‘Too many newcomers jumping on the medical tourism bandwagon, not experienced or understanding of the industry’ at 54%, ‘Lack of pre and post operative care arrangements at 52% and ‘Complicated intra-country laws and legal procedures’ at 49%.
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The top three reasons identified that are essential components of a good medical tourism destination were ‘Quality standards of healthcare and wellness services’ which was marked by 51% of respondents, followed by ‘Accessibility of the destination’ at 30% and ‘Technology, facilities & specialisations available’ at 27%.
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The survey takers were asked why they thought Medical tourism was a new ‘buzzword’ (or more accurately a ‘buzz phrase’). Fifty-six per cent (56%) agreed that it was ‘Because increasing numbers are travelling for healthcare’, with almost the same percentage (55%) also agreeing that it was ‘Because medical tourism benefits a cross section, including governments insurance companies, travel/tourism, healthcare and facilitators’. Fifty-seven per cent (57%) agreed that it was ‘Because it offers value for money’ and 46% said that it was ‘Because big hospitals are promoting it’.
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The role of facilitators in the industry was deemed by the respondents to be significant (an explanation of facilitators being that they arrange medical tourism either in part or in whole for health tourists). Sixty-one per cent (61%) said that facilitators were ‘Very important’, 27% said that they were ‘Important’, 10% regarded them as ‘Optional’ and 2% said that they were ‘Not important’.
About ExHealth:
Motivated by a creative vision and committed to an innovative mission, ExHealth offers a comprehensive array of tailor-made, media-related healthcare services, encompassing Marketing, Public Relations, Conference and Event Management, Design & Publication, Healthcare Tourism Consulting and Medical Management Consulting, all of which are located under one roof at Dubai HealthCare City. ExHealth’s key concern is to perform and execute incomparable solutions for healthcare organisations across all sectors of the industry. Aiming to achieve and surpass its customers’ stated goals, ExHealth is focused on ensuring that its clients’ business has the edge in today’s competitive market place.
About Dr Prem Jagyasi
Dr Prem Jagyasi is a successful entrepreneur and experienced strategic professional. He is a renowned chartered management, healthcare marketing and medical tourism consultant responsible for providing high-profile consultancy services to both government authorities and private healthcare organisations. Dr. Prem Jagyasi’s commitment to developing medical tourism has seen him become a leading figure in the international healthcare tourism world.
Currently, Dr Prem Jagyasi is MD & CEO of ExHealth; a Dubai Health Care City-based firm engaged in offering multi-dimensional healthcare solutions across the international domain. He also serves the Medical Tourism Association — a non-profit organization based in USA – as Honorary Chief Strategy Officer. He is also the Chief Editor of UAE’s leading health magazine, HealthFirst, which is published in association with one of the region’s leading English language daily newspapers.
Direct Download Link
http://www.drprem.com/Medical_Tourism_Research_and_Survey_Report_by_Dr_Prem_Jagyasi.pdf