Medical tourism industry has grown as an important industry worldwide. Since then, there have been a number of changes in the working environment of this industry. It has evolved but it has some flaws, just like any other industry. In 2015, it should be a prime aim to avoid all those practices that are considered mistakes in the realm of the medical tourism industry.
Mistakes that should not be repeated in practicing medical tourism in 2015
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Problems in defining the strategy
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Understand what your customer needs ?
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How to Increasing the market investments?
For the growth process of the industry in 2015, focus should be on learning from the mistakes of the past years and implementing necessary changes in 2015. It is now the time to change the dimensions of this industry. Few quick changes that need to be brought about are:
- Do not eye the medical tourists as mere prospects to increase the revenue. Medical tourism destinations need to offer actual return on investments to the patients who come to avail the medical treatment.
- Increasing efforts for understanding the market properly, also understanding about the lack of investments and business acumen, this is driven by excessive dependence on medical tourism facilitators and agencies.
- Understanding the reasons behind failure of medical tourism initiatives, majorly invested in by the regional and national governments and some other organizational bodies.
The best way to make a difference in 2015 is to learn from the mistakes of the past. Following is the list to identifying the most common mistakes of the medical tourism industry, of the recent past:
Problems in defining the strategy:
The problem with most of the medical tourism destinations comes with the defining the strategy. Instead of stating it as a road map in order to lure the international patients, it is voiced as an ambition. Everybody is focusing on earning the JCI accreditation instead of making effective changes in the working of the hospital.
Strategy means designing an action plan and not stating what you wish to achieve. So, if as a medical tourism destination, you are aiming to attract 2 million international patients, this is not the strategy. The strategy is the action plan to be undertaken to attract 2 million patients.
Do not try to please all
Another major mistake that most of the medical tourism destinations make is to try to provide medical treatments to everybody and for every medical ailment. Remember, the Jack of all trades is a master of none. In 2015, focus on creating a niche.
Identify your target medical tourists and the area of specialization for providing top-notch services. You have to become masters in providing medical facilities for few particular medical ailments and not all. This attracts medical tourists from all around the globe.
Understand what your customer needs ?
This year, make a difference by understanding your customer needs in a better way, which was not done in the past. The problem with understanding comes with extensive focus on what we do and what we offer. Medical tourism destinations and the service providers have just focused on this in the recent past. It is time focus is now shifted to what the customer needs.
How to Increasing the market investments?
This year, extensive focus should be on a greater allocation of budget on the medical travel on international grounds. It addition to this focus also has to be made on using this budget in correct ways for the developing the international medical tourism industry. In the past years, the major problem regarding marketing investments has been that of less budget allocation towards the industry in general and spending this budget in all wrong ways.
Summary
In 2015 efforts need be put in learning, from the mistakes made in the past and not repeating them this year and establishing improved working protocols for the global medical tourism industry.
