{"id":25842,"date":"2011-08-11T14:27:46","date_gmt":"2011-08-11T14:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/blog\/healthy-travel-ttg-mena\/"},"modified":"2020-05-15T17:08:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T11:38:40","slug":"healthy-travel-ttg-mena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/globalhealthcare\/healthy-travel-ttg-mena","title":{"rendered":"Healthy Travel : TTG Mena"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<![CDATA[<\/p>\n

TRUE DEFINITION<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Driven by the increased integration of global<\/p>\n

economies, tourism opportunities, ease of<\/p>\n

travel, cultural understanding, availability<\/p>\n

of quality affordable healthcare and implementation<\/p>\n

of international standards of<\/p>\n

services; the healthcare and tourism industries<\/p>\n

have expanded their horizons to benefit from<\/p>\n

a growing niche segment which is labelled<\/p>\n

medical tourism.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The term itself is widely interchangeable with<\/p>\n

global healthcare, medical travel, healthcare<\/p>\n

travel and health tourism. However, each of<\/p>\n

these terms can be used to define specific segments<\/p>\n

of the global healthcare industry.<\/p>\n

Medical tourism itself fills a valuable niche<\/p>\n

that is desperately needed in countries with<\/p>\n

bureaucratically flawed or unaffordable<\/p>\n

healthcare. This industry looks set to expand<\/p>\n

developed official or unofficial medical tourism<\/p>\n

structures to promote their country, state or<\/p>\n

city as the true destination of choice for such<\/p>\n

a purpose.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To support this, there is a growing trend<\/p>\n

of medical tourism facilitator businesses, or<\/p>\n

groups which provide comprehensive support<\/p>\n

services including travel, tourism, concierge,<\/p>\n

travel insurance, medical assistance and relevant<\/p>\n

medical and non-medical support services<\/p>\n

to the patient.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CHALLENGING TIMES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Factors which are proving to be the industry’s<\/p>\n

major challenges have been identified in a<\/p>\n

recent research study which was conducted by<\/p>\n

myself, where I found out that 94 per cent of<\/p>\n

industry experts agreed that medical tourism is<\/p>\n

yet to truly reach its full potential.<\/p>\n

The research also observed that the confusion,<\/p>\n

or a lack of information and fear<\/p>\n

about complications following surgery, is the<\/p>\n

main reason for patient reluctance to cross<\/p>\n

international borders for health services.<\/p>\n

The top four challenges to the medical<\/p>\n

tourism industry were identified as being;<\/p>\n

‘accessing reliable information’ at 59 per<\/p>\n

cent; ‘too many newcomers jumping on the<\/p>\n

medical tourism bandwagon who do not have<\/p>\n

sufficient experience or understanding of<\/p>\n

the industry’ at 54 per cent; ‘lack of pre- and<\/p>\n

post-operative care arrangements’ at 52 per<\/p>\n

cent; and ‘complicated intra-country laws and<\/p>\n

legal procedures’ at 49 per cent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

REGIONAL SHARE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Catering to the industry with ease, the Middle<\/p>\n

East has a unique dual position in the medical<\/p>\n

and wellness tourism industries. On one<\/p>\n

hand, the region’s well-developed healthcare<\/p>\n

providers are preparing to capture the international<\/p>\n

market while on the other hand,<\/p>\n

international healthcare organisations are<\/p>\n

tapping into the GCC’s affluent society in<\/p>\n

search of highly sophisticated and advanced<\/p>\n

healthcare services unavailable within the<\/p>\n

region itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The growth of medical tourism, especially in<\/p>\n

Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE and Saudi Arabia has<\/p>\n

provided an opportunity for the Middle East,<\/p>\n

which so far has made few inroads in the sector.<\/p>\n

For many years already, a top priority for<\/p>\n

medical providers around the world has been to<\/p>\n

attract medical tourists from the Middle East,<\/p>\n

however, now the trend is gradually reversing<\/p>\n

as the Middle East is seeking to attract medical<\/p>\n

tourists where the cost of healthcare and delays<\/p>\n

in getting treatment have risen sharply.<\/p>\n

The outbound medical tourism industry is<\/p>\n

so far limited to the GCC countries while Jordan<\/p>\n

leads with regards to inbound tourism<\/p>\n

activities, and Lebanon has developed a niche<\/p>\n

segment within the cosmetic surgery field.<\/p>\n

The greatest challenge for the Middle<\/p>\n

East is to improve the perception of the<\/p>\n

destinations which is currently surrounding it,<\/p>\n

as traditionally not all Middle Eastern countries<\/p>\n

are known for their world-class quality<\/p>\n

healthcare facilities which can cater with ease<\/p>\n

to international patients. Moreover, recent political<\/p>\n

and social changes within the region have<\/p>\n

brought with them new challenges for the Middle<\/p>\n

Eastern countries to face within the medical<\/p>\n

tourism industry.<\/p>\n

Many countries are continuing to target<\/p>\n

the GCC market as, for instance, a recently<\/p>\n

held event entitled, International Medical<\/p>\n

Tourism Destination, organised by the FICCC<\/p>\n

and supported by the Indian government is<\/p>\n

setting up a platform in Kuwait to provide<\/p>\n

quality healthcare services at affordable prices<\/p>\n

for the regional population. Similarly, many<\/p>\n

other industry relevant road shows are being<\/p>\n

organised by regional governments, in an attempt<\/p>\n

to further promote medical tourism to<\/p>\n

tap into the affluent Middle Eastern patients.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, GCC countries have<\/p>\n

shown a tremendous interest in promoting<\/p>\n

medical tourism but I believe that these<\/p>\n

countries will have to go through a very<\/p>\n

tough process to develop medical tourism as<\/p>\n

the key challenge for them, in my opinion,<\/p>\n

remains the lack of trust in their own healthcare<\/p>\n

system.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another recent survey revealed that around<\/p>\n

70 per cent of the UAE population would<\/p>\n

prefer to travel to a different country if they<\/p>\n

encounter a serious illness, and the GCC<\/p>\n

market is willing to travel, in fact they travel<\/p>\n

abroad just for common health checkups.<\/p>\n

The medical tourism market also has affordability<\/p>\n

for many levels, and most importantly<\/p>\n

regional governments can sponsor patients<\/p>\n

with their medical costs in most cases.<\/p>\n

In any case, should the GCC wish to<\/p>\n

continuously develop the medical tourism<\/p>\n

industry there is most definitely a great<\/p>\n

need for co-ordinated efforts from the<\/p>\n

GCC governments and the private sector to<\/p>\n

reverse the trend, but until then international<\/p>

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n

healthcare providers will continue to<\/p>\n

penetrate the market.<\/p>\n

at an escalating pace over the next decade<\/p>\n

as more and more people begin to trust the<\/p>\n

quality, and see the advantages of having their<\/p>\n

surgery performed in developing countries<\/p>\n

that provide quality healthcare. At the same<\/p>\n

time the patient also gets an opportunity to<\/p>\n

directly or indirectly engage with the tourism<\/p>\n

activities of the destination.<\/p>\n

TRAVEL BENEFITS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Getting to any given destination for medical<\/p>\n

tourism purposes obviously involves travelling,<\/p>\n

which is an essential component, while tourism<\/p>\n

is an optional component however, it has<\/p>\n

been observed that either the patients themselves<\/p>\n

or their companions also certainly enjoy<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

the tourism attractions of any respective<\/p>\n

medical tourism destination.<\/p>\n

Hence, more than 50 countries have<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

developed official or unofficial medical tourism<\/p>\n

structures to promote their country, state or<\/p>\n

city as the true destination of choice for such<\/p>\n

a purpose.<\/p>\n

To support this, there is a growing trend<\/p>\n

of medical tourism facilitator businesses, or<\/p>\n

groups which provide comprehensive support<\/p>\n

services including travel, tourism, concierge,<\/p>\n

travel insurance, medical assistance and relevant<\/p>\n

medical and non-medical support services<\/p>\n

to the patient.<\/p>\n

CHALLENGING TIMES<\/p>\n

Factors which are proving to be the industry’s<\/p>\n

major challenges have been identified in a<\/p>\n

recent research study which was conducted by<\/p>\n

myself, where I found out that 94 per cent of<\/p>\n

industry experts agreed that medical tourism is<\/p>\n

yet to truly reach its full potential.<\/p>\n

The research also observed that the confusion,<\/p>\n

or a lack of information and fear<\/p>\n

about complications following surgery, is the<\/p>\n

main reason for patient reluctance to cross<\/p>\n

international borders for health services.<\/p>\n

The top four challenges to the medical<\/p>\n

tourism industry were identified as being;<\/p>\n

‘accessing reliable information’ at 59 per<\/p>\n

cent; ‘too many newcomers jumping on the<\/p>\n

medical tourism bandwagon who do not have<\/p>\n

sufficient experience or understanding of<\/p>\n

the industry’ at 54 per cent; ‘lack of pre- and<\/p>\n

post-operative care arrangements’ at 52 per<\/p>\n

cent; and ‘complicated intra-country laws and<\/p>\n

legal procedures’ at 49 per cent.<\/p>\n

REGIONAL SHARE<\/p>\n

Catering to the industry with ease, the Middle<\/p>\n

East has a unique dual position in the medical<\/p>\n

and wellness tourism industries. On one<\/p>\n

hand, the region’s well-developed healthcare<\/p>\n

providers are preparing to capture the international<\/p>\n

market while on the other hand,<\/p>\n

international healthcare organisations are<\/p>\n

tapping into the GCC’s affluent society in<\/p>\n

search of highly sophisticated and advanced<\/p>\n

healthcare services unavailable within the<\/p>\n

region itself.<\/p>\n

The growth of medical tourism, especially in<\/p>\n

Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE and Saudi Arabia has<\/p>\n

provided an opportunity for the Middle East,<\/p>\n

which so far has made few inroads in the sector.<\/p>\n

For many years already, a top priority for<\/p>\n

medical providers around the world has been to<\/p>\n

attract medical tourists from the Middle East,<\/p>\n

however, now the trend is gradually reversing<\/p>\n

as the Middle East is seeking to attract medical<\/p>\n

tourists where the cost of healthcare and delays<\/p>\n

in getting treatment have risen sharply.<\/p>\n

The outbound medical tourism industry is<\/p>\n

so far limited to the GCC countries while Jordan<\/p>\n

leads with regards to inbound tourism<\/p>\n

activities, and Lebanon has developed a niche<\/p>\n

segment within the cosmetic surgery field.<\/p>\n

The greatest challenge for the Middle<\/p>\n

East is to improve the perception of the<\/p>\n

destinations which is currently surrounding it,<\/p>\n

as traditionally not all Middle Eastern countries<\/p>\n

are known for their world-class quality<\/p>\n

healthcare facilities which can cater with ease<\/p>\n

to international patients. Moreover, recent political<\/p>\n

and social changes within the region have<\/p>\n

brought with them new challenges for the Middle<\/p>\n

Eastern countries to face within the medical<\/p>\n

tourism industry.<\/p>\n

Many countries are continuing to target<\/p>\n

the GCC market as, for instance, a recently<\/p>\n

held event entitled, International Medical<\/p>\n

Tourism Destination, organised by the FICCC<\/p>\n

and supported by the Indian government is<\/p>\n

setting up a platform in Kuwait to provide<\/p>\n

quality healthcare services at affordable prices<\/p>\n

for the regional population. Similarly, many<\/p>\n

other industry relevant road shows are being<\/p>\n

organised by regional governments, in an attempt<\/p>\n

to further promote medical tourism to<\/p>\n

tap into the affluent Middle Eastern patients.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, GCC countries have<\/p>\n

shown a tremendous interest in promoting<\/p>\n

medical tourism but I believe that these<\/p>\n

countries will have to go through a very<\/p>\n

tough process to develop medical tourism as<\/p>\n

the key challenge for them, in my opinion,<\/p>\n

remains the lack of trust in their own healthcare<\/p>\n

system.<\/p>\n

Another recent survey revealed that around<\/p>\n

70 per cent of the UAE population would<\/p>\n

prefer to travel to a different country if they<\/p>\n

encounter a serious illness, and the GCC<\/p>\n

market is willing to travel, in fact they travel<\/p>\n

abroad just for common health checkups.<\/p>\n

The medical tourism market also has affordability<\/p>\n

for many levels, and most importantly<\/p>\n

regional governments can sponsor patients<\/p>\n

with their medical costs in most cases.<\/p>\n

In any case, should the GCC wish to<\/p>\n

continuously develop the medical tourism<\/p>\n

industry there is most definitely a great<\/p>\n

need for co-ordinated efforts from the<\/p>\n

GCC governments and the private sector to<\/p>\n

reverse the trend, but until then international<\/p>\n

healthcare providers will continue to penetrate the market.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

]]> \t<\/p>\n

\n

\r\n <\/a><\/p>\r\n