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Malaysia A Preferred Choice

With accredited hospi­tals, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and India are aggres­sively promoting medical tourism, using various strategies, including the media and by word-of-mouth advertising.Like the others, Singapore has developed a website specifically for medical tourism. It is fast positioning itself as a global medical tourism hub. The island republic has already carved a name for itself by carrying out complex surgical procedures such as stem cell transplants, liver trans­plants and advanced robotic surgery. People flock to Singapore for health screenings, medical treatment and aesthetic and anti-ageing  programmes.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Singapore's health system ranks the best in Asia and is among the best in the world ahead of Japan and the US. About 200,000 overseas patients visit Singapore every year. They are most­ly from neighbouring countries such as Indonesia. Malaysia and Burma, but patient numbers from India, China, the Middle East and Africa is growing fast. In recent years, patients from developed countries like the United States and Europe also have chosen Singapore as their medical travel destination.

Singapore attracted 370,000 medical tourists in 2007. And a Singaporean news agency reported that Medical Tourism Singapore aims to attract one million medical visitors  and foreign patients to generate US$3 billion in revenue and to create at least create at least 13,000 jobs in the industry by 2012.Thailand Medical Tourism is promoting health care vacations in their country where one can find first world medical and surgical proce­dures at third world prices.Thailand has Multitude of world ­class hospitals that have been attract­ing foreign patients for years. These hospitals offer services such as dental implants, face lifts, nose jobs, ear surgery, eyelid surgery, liposuction, tummy tucks and breast surgery in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui.

One such hospital is Bangkok Bumrungrad Hospital, described as a luxurious medical facility that claims to treat more medical tourists than any other hospital in the world. Reputed for cosmetics surgery, this hospitals is well-covered in the local English press (in Bangkok), on US television stations and also in international magazines. It is he first hospital in Southeast Asia to be awarded in prestigious Joint Commission  International (JCI) certification. JCI is a US-based organization.Other that those from neighboring countries, patients from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East are going to Thailand for cosmetic, dental and elective surgeries performed by expe­rienced. US and European-trained doctors. It's only a fraction of the price they would expect to pay in their own country.

Thailand's health industry is reported to enjoy an annual growth rate of 20% to 30%. Contributory facts include international accredita­tion of Thai hospitals, internationally trained, English-speaking doctors and the country's reputation as the "Land of Smiles" with friendly people everywhere.

A research centre disclosed that Thailand has the highest income from medical tourism. In 2006, some 1.35 million expatriates visited Thai hospi­tals, generating revenue to the tune of about US$900 million.India is, a favorable destination by virtue of its infrastructure and technology said to be on par with those in USA, UK and Europe.The country has some of the best hospitals and treatment centers in the world with the best facilities. India is considered the leaden-^, country in efforts to promote medical tourism, which is said to be arrow in at a rate of 30 per cant annually.

The Indian health Cure industry employs four million people and attracts about 200.000 visitors each year. Indian private medical centers  excel in all medical treatments and a large number of foreign patients are visiting India for orthopedic surgery, heart surgery, knee transplant, obesity surgery, cosmetics surgery, neuron-surgery IVF (in vitro fertilization) and a host of other treatments.India went as far as to organize the India Medical tourism Expo in London two years ago.Now India is even moving into a new area of "medical outsourcing" where sub-contractors provide ser­vices to the overburdened medical care systems western countries.Government  Studies in India esti­mate that medical tourism could bring between US$1 billion and US$2 billion into the country by 2012.

All the four countries have introduced the medical or health tourism visa for the convenience of health tourists. In fact, in Thailand, foreigners can even renew their visa at several hospitals.Like India the Malaysian Government has also embraced  a national goal of becoming the future hub for treating international patients from around the world. Low-coast from medical treatment and the favourable exchange rate of the US dollar to the Ringgit (RM) bring great value to medical tourists.Malaysia is reputed to be one of the preferred locations for medical tourism and health care tours, according “Recover discover” a medical tourism provider which facilities travel and health care, including patient treatment.

This is because medical expertise in the country is at par with western countries. According to Tourism Malaysia, our medical expertise ranks among the best in the world and most of the 35 private hospitals in the country are of international standards.Notably, Malaysia offers at least five advantages as a ‘medical tourism or health care tourism destination.

• Medical facilities at a very competitive price (compared to countries like UK and US).

• State-of-the Art health care facilities (both diagnostic and therapeutic and well-staffed with  internationally trained medical profession­als.

• Highly qualified English-speak­ing^, medical professional', ill private hospitals and health care facilities, and equally by an efficient  group of  English-Speaking paramedic staff.  

• Affordable and easy accommo­dation offered by most private hospi­tals for patients and  their traveling companions. 

• Tourism - Malaysia is a haven for normal and medical tourists who get ample opportunity to enjoy the beaches or for sightseeing or par­ticipate in other tourist activities during their recuperation.  

• The Malaysian Government first started to promote medical tourism in 1998, and the industry is estimated to rake in about US$40 million a year.

• Tourism Malaysia wants to capitalize on the targeted 22.5 million tourist arrivals this year.

• Today many privates hospitals and medical centers in the country, which are approved and licensed by the Ministry of Health, offer CT Scan for foreigners coming in for the medical check-ups. This is one form of medical tourism.

• Many of the private hospitals are also applying for Joint Commission International  patients.   

In fact, Penang is an ideal destina­tion for special services like minimal­ly invasive slip disc surgery. Slip disc is the most common cause for back pain.Former Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said that health tourism is projected to contribute RM2.2 billion to the nation's coffers in 2010. In 2005, the projected. income from health tourism was RM400 million. It touched the RM54 million mark in 2003. According to him, 150,000 overseas patients received treatment in Malaysia in 2004 compared with 103,000 the previous year with over 72 per cent coming from Indonesia and the rest from Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Europe and the United States.

In January this year, the Government decided to extend the visa for health tourists to Malaysia from 30 days to six months with immediate effect.

Announcing this, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Cabinet Committee on Tourism arced with the Home Ministry's ~suggestion that health tourists be given a longer stay and multiple entries in their visas."This is to meet our aim to pro­mote health tourism in the country," he was quoted as saying by Berrornaa after chairing- the committee's meet­ing in Putrajaya.

Many tourists to these four coun­tries now take advantage of their trip to undergo health screening or a sur­gical procedure, depending on the nature of their ailment.Thermage  Director (Asia South), Wolfgang Kramer from Hayward, California , USA said foreigners from _the United State^,,. North America, Europe and Middle East are attracted to medical and health facilities in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and Singapore, for at least four rea­sons.

 These are lower costs, short or no waiting time, state-of-the-art facilities and high professional standards of doctors and specialists.“these standards are just as good  as those in European, American and Australian hospitals.”On how Thailand promotes medicals tourism the the outside world, Kramer said the hospitals collaborate with tour operators, offering medical packages to people in Europe and the United States, not just for cosmetics procedures but also for other elective surgeries.“So what visitors from Europe or the US does is take a trip to Thailand, get the Thermage procedure done and take another two-week vacation. The whole thing is cheaper than if it is done in the USA.

“Besides, the waiting time for treatment in the US and Europe is tremendously long. For hip or kidney replacement, for example, you may have to wait till half a year or even longer sometimes," he explained In comparison, Sin a small market for Thermage but is not very successful, according "In fact, 25 physician offer Thermage treatment”.

 The Singapore Tourism also been drumming u Singapore's health care Middle East market.Thermage is a le device' company (founded in 1996) that develops innovative; technologies. Its he located in Hayward, California, proximate to the San Franc and the Silicon Valley The US takes the leading of cosmetic devices. Seventy to 80 per cent of cosmetic lasers come from hi-tech the Silicon Valley, dub of technology. Thermage's ThermaCool System is installed in more plastic surgery and other cosmetics  surgery and dermatological throughout the world.Kramer said the ThermaCool device has been clear Food and Drug Administration  for non-invasive treatment of facial wrinkles and rhytids.It was Dr Edward knowlton, a plastic surgeon  based who discovered the system.

Actually, radiofrequency (RF) technology has been, in use medical world for a long time but  was never applied to non-intensive surgery.Kramer said the idea of Thermage   (using capacitive radiofrequency or CRF) was derived from carbon dioxide (C02) lasers for skin rejuvenation by getting rid of fine lines and wrinkles.^-However, it is ablative which means you have, a lot of downtime, wound scarring issues and it's with possible complications. In this case, the skin is resurfaced the new skin. whereby the body is I reproduce the flew skin.

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