Middle East Healthcare News » medical tourism

Medical Tourism Continues to Drop in Jordan

ICTFH — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:11:28 +0000

25% fall in patient numbers in Jordan has been noticed as a direct consequence of regional instability, as members of Jordan’s Private Hospital Association (PHA) announced. BMI analysts said “However, high costs may force private patients to look at Asian destinations like Thailand for more affordable treatment. That said, Jordan’s recent pro-democracy concessions will help alleviate fears of further unrest and could start to restore confidence”.

BMI added “For patients willing to pay higher prices, the healthcare cities in Dubai, Doha and Saudi Arabia could gain market share”. The PHA showed that in 2010 medical tourism in Jordan generated revenue of $1 billion that represents around 4% of the entire country’s GDP. “As such, a loss of 25% of this revenue is a big economic problem as the country’s fiscal deficit is already stretched to appease domestic pro-democracy protesters” BMI revealed.

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Efforts to Avoid the Drop in Medical Tourism in Jordan

ICTFH — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:11:12 +0000

A sector representative in Amman announced on Tuesday that at the end of this year, Jordan is expected to witness a 25% drop in patients and revenue coming from medical tourism. “The sector is being affected by the current situation in some Arab countries that are considered major markets for the Kingdom’s medical tourism. We are receiving very few patients from both Libya and Yemen, which are major markets for the sector” Awni Bashir, president of the Private Hospitals Association told The Jordan Times.

The Kingdom’s private hospitals treat about 242,000 patients every year, and revenues reaching some $1 billion. On Tuesday, a committee has discussed the possibility of appointing medical attachés in the country’s embassies. This step would promote the Kingdom as a medical tourism destination and improve this sector. The Jordan Times received a statement from the committee saying that in order to promote tourism in the Kingdom information about the sector will be inserted on the website of the Jordan Tourism Board.

Patients coming to the Kingdom can receive treatment and be provided with the information they need about hospitals and health services in general through a liaison office at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport built by the committee. Furthermore, foreign patients will have their database and their levels of satisfaction with medical services in Jordan will also be evaluated.

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Jordan’s Medical Tourism Section Is Among The global top five

ICTFH — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 14:54:08 +0000

According to a World Bank report, the Kingdom’s medical tourism section has been ranked among the top five in the world. Awni Bashir, the president of Private Hospitals Association, mentioned that Jordan ranked first in the area and fifth globally as a medical tourism destination according to a 2009/2010 World Bank report.

Bashir noted that the ranking system took into account flight routes to the destination, standard of living, availability and quality of medical equipment, and availability of qualified medical staff. He also reported in a recent interview with The Jordan Times that despite patients from 102 countries came to Jordan for treatment in 2010; the medical tourism industry’s potential for growth is limited by the number of hospitals in the country.

Bashir said that there are currently 61 private hospitals in the country with two still under construction. He added “Available hospitals cannot cope with the rising number of patients seeking treatment in the country, and there is a need for more investment in the sector”.

Moreover, the lack of a “medical accountability” law has impacted the section, because it prevents US health insurance companies from referring patients to Jordanian hospitals. Bashir reported that “We treated patients from the US last year, but they came personally without being referred by insurance companies”.

The legislation and Opinion Bureau in early 2010 was the reason around the formation of the draft medical accountability law. Bashir mentioned that Jordanian physicians, who left the country seeking better salaries, are “willing to come back” but they should fulfill certain conditions.

In addition, Bashir predicted that “If we worked more on marketing medical tourism and increasing the number of hospitals, some of the doctors will definitely come back”. PHA figures referred that 1,200 of the 20,000 physicians registered at the Jordan Medical Association live and work abroad, 250 in the US.

According to the latest report issued by PHA, the number of Arab and foreign patients who received treatment in Jordan raised by 10 % compared to 2009 last year. Medical procedures on Arab and foreign patients involved organ transplants, open heart surgeries, infertility treatment, laser vision corrections, bone operations and cancer treatment.

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DHA Signs a MoU to promote Medical Tourism in Dubai.

admin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 15:02:11 +0000

Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced that it has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Medical Tourism Association. The MoU was signed during the World Medical Tourism and Global Health Congress which was held recently in Los Angeles, California. The MoU aims to promote the position of Dubai as a city for medical tourism.

The city has proved its capabilities as an interesting city for tourists. DHA aims to promote the city’s position as a medical tourism destination. Dubai is going to hold the regional Medical Tourism Congress, which will be organized during February 2011. The Congress will take place for the first time in the Middle East. Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General of the DHA, said “In recent years, Dubai has seen a phenomenal growth in the health sector. Medical tourism is an integral aspect of healthcare, especially in the context of today’s globalised world,”

A marked increase in the number of patients who visit Dubai for treatment was reported. Therefore, DHA aims to improve the medical tourism section in the city. “The medical tourism industry generates over $30 billion worth of revenue annually. It is a huge industry globally and Dubai already has many factors that work to its benefit. At the DHA, we are strengthening our policies, regulations and further developing our healthcare capabilities to strengthen the medical tourism sector,” said Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of the Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA. She added “At the DHA we consider the private sector to be a key stakeholder and thus both the public and the private health sector in Dubai will be a part of the medical tourism conference which takes place in 2011.”

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Indian Healthcare Among the Top Places in Medical Tourism

ICTFH — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:55:13 +0000

India provides a complete balance of mental and emotional health. Because, when it comes to a blending of healtcare with spiritual well-being, India has no rivals.

Thus, T.W. Sudhakar, Regional Director of India tourism for West Asia and Africa said in a statement on Tuesday, “With latest equipment and highly-skilled medical personnel, India is the obvious choice for any treatment. These services are available at competitive prices; attracting patients not only form developing countries but also from developed countries for specialised medical treatments.”

Sudhakar said the tourism sector in the country has witnessed great buoyancy in the last few years. Foreign Tourist Arrivals during the year 2008 were 5.37 million as compared to 5.08 million during 2007. Therefore, in spite of global financial meltdown, the number of tourists has increased by 5.6 per cent in 2008, compared to 2007 whereas UNWTO growth rate is 1.8 per cent for international tourist arrivals during 2008.

Now, scenario of economic meltdown, India as a health and wellness destination has great potential because of world class doctors and hospitals offer treatment at competitive cost; diverse tourism products such as rural tourism; and ancient system of healing with the expertise of modern medical facilities.

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Saudi Arabia Witnesses Growth in Medical Tourism

ICTFH — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:12:43 +0000

The Private Hospitals Association (PHA) announced on Sunday that the Kingdom’s medical tourism sector witnessed a rise in patients last year.

Private hospitals across Saudi Arabia witnessed a 10 per cent increase in foreign patients in 2009, PHA President Fawzi Hammouri declared in a press conference yesterday.

In addition, 220,000 patients from across the world received treatment in the Kingdom’s private hospitals last year, up from 200,000 in 2008 and 190,000 in 2007.

On the other hand, Iraqis represented the largest number of foreign patients seeking treatment in the Kingdom, accounting for 19 per cent, followed by Palestinians (16 per cent) and Saudi Arabians (15 per cent).

“The quality and competitiveness of healthcare in Jordan have made the country an attractive destination for foreigners seeking advanced treatments that are unavailable or unaffordable in their home countries,” Hammouri noted.

Considered one of the main contributors to the national economy, medical tourism brings in revenues that reach $1 billion annually.

Hammouri added that initial figures for 2010 received from the 48 private hospitals affiliated with the association are “promising” and indicate that the number of medical tourists will continue to increase this year.

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USAID Supports the Attendance at the Moscow Fair For Medical Tourism

ICTFH — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:41:47 +0000

USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ) supported the attendance of six private hospitals at the Moscow Fair for Medical Tourism held in Moscow from 17 to 20 March 2010. The Jordanian booth at the Fair received a good number of visitors and the delegation met with a number of Russian companies interested in cooperating with Jordanian hospitals.

The Jordanian delegation ran a series of activities that aimed to inform interested public in medical tourism in Jordan. The Chairman of Private Hospitals Association (PHA) made a presentation on Jordan as a centre for medical tourism explaining the benefits and attractions that Jordan has to offer to Russian patients.

Another presentation was made by Mrs Zahira Haram from the Istishari Hospital, which highlighted modern medical facilities and capacities at the Hospital and the exceptional services it provides to local and foreign patients.

The Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) extended an invitation to a number of Russian companies to visit Jordan. A Russian delegation was formed to be accompanied by Russian television companies who will enable Russian patients have a real feel of the country. The visit will also enable the Russian companies to contract Jordanian companies and start sending patients from the region for medical treatment and recreation. The Russian delegation will be visiting Jordan in May this year.

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Fayez defends ‘blood fees’

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:02:45 +0000

Health Minister Nayef Fayez on Wednesday defended a decision imposing fees on blood units, saying that the measure aims to cut ministry funds spent on foreign patients.

In a joint press conference with the ministers of finance and state for media affairs and communications yesterday, Fayez said over 700,000 non-Jordanians live in the country and enjoy several health benefits that should be restricted to Jordanians.

“We are only concerned with providing healthcare at subsidised prices for Jordanians. Foreigners who live in the Kingdom should pay for these services,” the minister said, stressing that each unit of blood that is tested and screened costs the ministry JD60.

He pointed out that 87% of Jordanians have medical insurance either from the public or the private sector, adding that citizens without insurance can obtain medical exemptions from the Royal makruma.

The minister underlined that blood tests cost the ministry around JD6 million annually, adding that 50 per cent of all donated blood is unused and destroyed after expiring.

The Cabinet last week endorsed a decision imposing a JD15 fee on each blood unit for Jordanians not covered by health insurance and receiving treatment in public hospitals, and JD30 for those treated in private hospitals. Non-Jordanians will have to pay JD40 instead of JD20 for each unit of blood.

Earlier this week, the private medical sector and activists called on the government to reconsider its decision, saying that it might affect the competitiveness of the medical tourism sector in the Kingdom.

Some experts warned that the number of people who voluntarily donate blood might drop, as some people may not like the idea of their blood being sold.

According to a copy of a document made available to The Jordan Times, the price of a plasma unit will be JD4 for Jordanians in public hospitals and JD8 in private hospitals, while it will cost foreign patients JD10. Blood filtering will cost Jordanians JD20 in public hospitals and JD40 in private hospitals, while foreigners must pay JD50.

The document also stated that the fees cover one-third of the related costs in public hospitals and 50 per cent of those in private health facilities.

It added that increasing fees on blood units in private hospitals aims to regulate the use of blood units in private hospitals as a large number of these units are tainted before being used.

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USAID Holds a Focus Group Session to Promote Medical Tourism

ICTFH — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:34:09 +0000

The USAID Economic Development Program (SABEQ) invited Private Hospital Association (PHA) members and medical insurance companies to attend a focus group meeting at SABEQ premises, in a bid to protect patients’ rights in cases of a mal practice. Attending the session were PHA member hospitals and leading insurance companies’ representatives.

Promoting medical tourism in Jordan necessitates responding to requirements of certain markets that demand medical insurance policies that guarantee the rights of patients. As Jordan continues to lack the issuance of a mal-practice medical law such health insurance requirements becomes highly important for certain markets, while others insist on them even when the law is enforced.

Valuable discussion between both parties yielded useful results. SABEQ Program was asked to provide technical assistance to create a new insurance product for hospitals and to ensure the correct application of international standards in Jordan, which would cater for the interests of bnoth hospitals and insurance companies.

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Progress in Tunisian Medical Tourism Attraction

ICTFH — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:38:32 +0000

In a survey published in the French edition of the January-February issue, “African Business” reports that 250, 000 foreign patients came to Tunisia in 2009 for treatment, including from Libya, Algeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

The survey writes that 70% (about 4 million people each year) of Libyans came for medical care.
Patients from sub-Saharan Africa, who represent 12% of medical tourists in Tunisia come from Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Mali and Burundi.

Westerners, who represent 18%, come to Tunisia for cosmetic surgeries, including plastic surgery. 3, 000 European patients visited Tunisia in 2008.

Tunisia ‘s attraction as a medical tourism destination is explained by “the positioning of Tunisia which is close to the West, the high level of Tunisian plastic surgeons and the cost of surgery, which remain cheaper than in Europe”. For example “breast augmentation or liposuction account for 40 to 50% cheaper than in Europe” said the spokesman of the Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies to “African Business”.

The survey adds that medical tourism, “a source of significant currency for Tunisia”, holds 5% of the country’s exports of services. It represents 24% of turnover of private clinics, amounting to 175 million Euros.

Patients spend on average 4000 Euros, whereas the standard tourist only spends 300 Euros.

Tunisia attracts an increasing number of British, Germans, Italians, French, Belgians, Swiss, Portuguese, and Spaniards. The number of foreign patients having been treated in private Tunisian clinics has witnessed an expotential growth in the last five years.

According to the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ), “Medical tourism in Tunisia has become the country’s second highest foreign currency earner, and the second largest employer. Most of the 8000 doctors were trained in Europe or America, so they meet Western standards. Prices are 40% to 60% less expensive than those in Western Europe, even allowing for a stay of one week. Its proximity to Europe makes Tunisia an attractive alternative to India and Thailand, for those who want to avoid long-haul flights”.

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