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Health Tourism in Asia

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HEALTH TOURISM IN ASIA

1. Introduction: Medical tourism can be broadly defined as provision of 'cost effective' private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment. Medical or Health tourism has become a common form of vacationing, and covers a broad spectrum of medical services. It mixes leisure, fun and relaxation together with wellness and healthcare. The global health care industry is valued at $ 2.8 tn. The market for health tourism is estimated to be $67 bn, growing at a rate 20% per annum. It can be divided into three broad segments: 1. Surgeries like orthopedic surgery, heart by-pass surgery, cancer therapy, eye surgery, organ transplantation. 2. Plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery. 3. Health spas, weight loss exercise centers, hot springs and holistic treatment including wellness therapies. Different countries have become preferred destination in each of these segments for medical tourist. India is a preferred destination for heart, orthopedic, eye and neurosurgeries. Eye surgery kidney dialysis and organ transplantation are among the most common treatments sought by medical tourist in Thailand and according to the Health Ministry, in 2004 the country attracted 600,000 medical tourists, who generated 20 billion baht in revenue. As a result, Asia’s medical tourism industry could generate over US$4.4 billion a year by 2012, with India, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea the top destinations. Tourist arrivals from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Malaysia alone totalled 29,606 in 2005, an increase of almost 40 per cent from the figure in 2004.Tourists from the UAE, did not require visas to enter Malaysia and were permitted to stay in the country up to three months.
2. Factors influencing Medical Tourism: a. Exorbitant costs of

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