Britons Go Abroad For Healthcare
Britons go abroad for healthcare.
While Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was out marching to protest against NHS plans to downgrade his local hospital in Chichester a few weekends ago aptly named St. Richards record numbers of Britons continue to fly abroad for medical treatment.
Last year Britons spent 60m on overseas treatments. Main reasons were lower prices, NHS waiting lists, a better choice of alternative medical treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics such as those in Marbella where many patients choose to combine procedures with a break in the sun to return home looking better on the outside and feeling better on the inside. With many increasingly concerned about the rise in hospital superbugs, more people are also choosing to recuperate overseas in a warmer climate following surgery.
Market researchers Mintel recently reported money spent by Britons going abroad for treatments will increase 150% by 2011. According to the survey a quarter of Britons would seriously consider recuperating abroad after an operation and one in eight would go overseas for surgery.
“This sector (medical tourism) is a thriving industry as a growing number of well-off baby boomers take their health needs into their own hands and pursue the elixir of eternal youth,” said Richard Cope, senior Mintel analyst.
But what happens when you fall ill abroad? One of the largest holiday resort companies on the Costa del Sol, Club La Costa, offers onsite medical care at its California Beach Resort near Mijas. Now, thanks to a new contract negotiated between the modern, high tech Xanit Hospital in Benalmadena which opened in 2006, and Club La Costa, the hospitals state-of-the-art facilities and highly trained medical staff are available to both CLC members and staff in Spain.
Richard Fletcher, Resort Director at Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels, said: Weve always made it a priority to have medical provision on site, but our new agreement with Xanit means that should any of our members need medical treatment while on holiday, not only do we have access to one of the top hospitals in southern Spain, its literally minutes away.
As for alternative therapies and keep-fit, Britons seem to be increasingly looking overseas for a better deal. Last year, Britons spent about 25m on going abroad for yoga holidays, holistic healing, health farms beauty treatments and spa visits, according to the Mintel report.
Spain is one of the most visited destinations in Europe for surgery, especially for patients who want to combine medical treatment with a wellness holiday; also popular are Hungary, Turkey, Germany and Poland.
[Top]Dubai Healthcare City (dhcc) A Complete New Medical Village
Dubai HealthCare City is unique, because it is a city within a city, where both the pharmaceutical industry and health care are under one roof.The developers and the owners are the Dubai Holding. This project will cost $1.8 billion.The following institutions will be housed here:
* research – and rehabilitation centres, * medically training institutes, * private hospitals and clinics, * pharmaceutical offices and spas.
This project has been devised for promoting health tourism. For this reason there are also some flats, residential villa’s and five star hotels, which are surrounded by an man-made lake.The HealthCare City in Dubai will be situated on the Old Metha road,beside the creek and nearby Al Wasl hospital and Wafi City.By early 2010 it will have its own Dubai Metro station on the Green Line. By the end of 2008, 17 hospitals are planned for DHCC with a total of 780 beds. The hospitals which are under construction can be categorised as follows:
* General Hospital I – Cardiology* General Hospital II – Obstetrics* General Hospital III (150 beds)* Long-Term Care Facility (100 beds)* Nursing Home (50 beds)* Orthopaedic Hospital (20 beds)* Plastic Surgery Hospital I (25 beds)* Plastic Surgery Hospital II (25 beds)* Rehabilitation Hospital (300 beds)* Sports Medicine Hospital (100 beds)* Long-Term Care Facility (100 beds)* Urology Hospital (30 beds)* University Hospital (400 beds)
By the end of 2008, the University Hospital is projected to be ready. At present, candidates for the postgraduate training course are sent to Boston (USA). But the Ultimate goal is to set up a training hospital and a postgraduate medical training centre, which will be associated with the Harvard Medical School. This academic centre promises the most exhaustive medical reference search in the country, by having a research centre of the sciences of living and the Al Maktoum Medical Library.The research centre of the sciences of living, is an auditorium with 300 seats.Therefore it is a large project with also a nursing school in the expectation, which will accommodate 200 students, offering basic and masters level training.
At present the HealthCare City of Dubai functions partially. There are approximately 760 staff members, of which 130 doctors. According to the expectations phase 1 & 2 will be fully operational by 2010.
Up till now the next list of private hospitals and offices has been announced:
* American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital* American University of Beirut Medical
Centre* Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Center* Eleva Women’s Hospital* London Great
Ormonde Street Hospital Dubai Office* Mayo Clinic Middle East* The City Hospital
(Welcare, Varkey Group)* The Creek Hospital Dubai (Welcare, Varkey Group)* University
Hospital* Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf The following pharmaceutical
companies are already operational with offices and laboratories in Dubai Health
Care City: * AstraZeneca* Johnson & Johnson* Novo Nordisk* Wyeth Pharmaceuticals