Will You Join us for IMWell Summit?

One of the main events for international healthcare travel in Asia is getting closer. I am of course talking about the IMWell Summit, held October 12-15 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel in Manila, Philippines.

Through the International Summit on Medical Travel, Wellness and Retirement (IMWell Summit), prominent healthcare travel decision-makers in the world will meet with leaders and players from the region’s public and private sectors to help chart a unified direction and push for concerted actions to accelerate the growth of these industries over the next decade.

Dr. Zadok Lempert

Some of these experts who will also help promote multilateral cooperation and dialogue among Asian and global healthcare providers, policy-makers and business leaders include Dr. Zadok Lempert, chairman of Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA) Healthcare Travel Task Force and president of Bangkok-based MEDICO Services International and David Boucher, president of Companion Global Healthcare, Inc. of Blue Cross & Blue Shield, a major U.S. health insurance company based in South Carolina.

As Thai government tourism advisor and sustainable tourism professor, Lempert has helped position Thailand as a leading medical destination, while Boucher engages with 260 American and Canadian employers in search of lower healthcare costs through international medical travel.

David Boucher

Other medical tourism experts taking part in the summit are Dr. Raul Rodriguez, Dr. David Vequist IV, Mr. Kemar Canlar and Morgan Pile.

The four-day IMWell Summit will serve as a platform for an open exchange of insights and best practices, addressing various policy and infrastructural concerns and forging unity and synergy among leaders from healthcare, wellness, hospitality, travel, trade and retirement sectors and heads of government agencies.

Organized by HIM Communications, with knowledge partners HealthCORE and Asian Academy for Healthcare Executives, the Summit will bring together key policy-makers from the different regions which is supported locally by the Department of Tourism (DoT), Department of Health (DoH), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA); and frontline healthcare, wellness and retirement organizations Retirement and Healthcare Coalition International (RHC), Health and Wellness Alliance of the Philippines (HEAL Philippines), Philippine Wellness and Spa Association (PhilWell).

Expected to attend the event are trade attachés from various embassies, chief executive or operating officers and managing directors of companies, officials of healthcare organizations, medical directors, investors and entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals and educators.

Other attendees include owners, marketing and business development heads and other stakeholders of hospitals and clinics, spas and wellness centers, health and travel insurance companies, travel agencies and tour operators, hotels, airlines and other tourism providers, property developers, business process outsourcing centers, pharmaceutical companies and information technology firms.

Novasans is a very proud media partner to the IMWell Summit, and will do its best to keep you updated on the issues discussed during the eventful days!

For more information on the summit, visit the IMWell Summit Website.

Medical Tourism in Thailand at a perspective

This week, Novasans attended the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) product seminar named “Thailand: Today’s Trends, Tomorrow’s Tourism”. One of the addressed topics was Thailand’s important role as an attractive country for medical tourism, or global healthcare as it is also named.

Dr. Zadok Lempert

Thailand is one of the top players in the medical tourism industry, with Singapore, Malaysia and India being its main competitors. Thai services have international standards, but are cheaper than other countries (with exeption from India). “The good exchange rates between the Thai baht and the US Dollar or Euro make medical treatment an outstanding value-for-money service for foreign patients,” said the speaker Dr. Zadok Lempert, president of Medico Management & Travel Services International Co. He continued “Average treatment costs in Singapore are 5-20% higher than in Thailand. Cheaper medical costs mean family members and friends will have more money to accompany the patient. They can find accomodations near the hospital. At the same time, they can afford to visit many tourist attractions while staying here.”

Dr. Lempert mentioned a number of benefits with the Thai healthcare catering to international patients, a few of these following below:

• world class international standards
• reputable doctors
• advanced leading-edge technology, paired with leading-edge hospitality facilities
• much lower costs than other countries, paired with immediate admission possibilities
• the wellknown Thai hospitality service, politedness and attention
• breathtaking scenic beauty, ancient culture, exotic cuisine and good recreational opportunities

However, there has been a slight recline in medical tourists coming to Thailand recently. Dr Lempert says that Thai medical tourism still lacks good marketing and promotion as co-operation with tour agents is still limited, and commissions for agents have not yet been wholly settled. Today, the number of Thai hospitals that are serious about medical tourism is below ten. However, this is expected to increase in the future. Last year, about 1.2 million foreigners visited Thailand for treatment. This is forecased to increase to about 1.4 million this year. Language skills of hospital staff are seen as another potential obstacle.

According to research from Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, 648,000 Americans went abroad for healthcare in 2009. In 2012, the numbers are forecasted to increase to 1.6 million American outbound patients. In 2002 the Thai goverment reconized a long-term strategy to make Thailand a hub for medical tourism in Asia. With its increased focus , the country will make sure to get a fair share of the medical tourism cake.

Do you agree with the above mentioned values and benefits with Thai healthcare, or would you rather visit another country for medical procedures or wellness treatments? Feel free to comment here or on our Facebook page. Don’t forget to register on our website for more information on medical tourism!