Asian Medical Tourism

Asian medical tourism to become multi-billion-dollar industry: report
By Manager Online
7 April 2006 17:24
April 7, 2006 SINGAPORE (AFP) - Asia's medical tourism industry is expected to generate over 4.4 billion dollars a year by 2012, with India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea the top destinations, a leading travel firm said Friday. Low-cost, high-quality healthcare in Asia is already attracting more than 1.6 million tourists each year, mostly from within the region, according to a report issued by Singapore-based air ticketing firm Abacus International. "Asia is a preferred healthcare destination and is set to grow further, fuelled by the relatively low-priced healthcare services available," Abacus president Don Birch said. According to the report, medical tourism -- which refers to trips combining treatment and check-ups with leisure -- is growing by 20 to 30 percent each year with the industry now worth around half a billion dollars a year in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and India. "Asia is an ideal growth environment ... with competitively-priced quality healthcare service in major tourist cities," Birch said. Thailand welcomes more than one million medical tourists each year because of the variety of procedures available, Abacus said. Bumrungrad International Hospital for example offers a full spectrum of surgical services performed by certified doctors all under one roof. Singapore, on the other hand, is known for delivering cutting-edge medical treatment and attracts medical tourists with its competitively priced services. For example, hip-replacement surgery costs two-thirds less in Singapore than in the United States, the report said. The city-state attracts 370,000 medical tourists each year and is targeting one million medical visitors and 1.6 billion dollars in revenue by 2012. India, whose medical tourism business is growing at 30 percent per year, currently draws about 150,000 visitors each year. It is forecast to generate at least 2.2 billion dollars by 2012. "India (is) providing first-class service at a third-world price", the report said. It cited the low death rate for coronary bypass operations as evidence of quality healthcare. Malaysia, which drew 100,000 patients in the first half of 2005, expects its medical tourism receipts to reach 590 million dollars in five years' time. Although most of these tourists are from Asia, Birch said that some come from the United States and Europe as well. "The long haul market is important and growing (but) much of the business is intra-Asia," Birch said. The key sources of patients are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Middle East and China, he added.