Leaders in healthcare exchange views on medical tourism at Healthcare Travel

Key factors driving the globalisation of healthcare is the cost factor with exorbitant healthcare costs in industrialised nations, long waiting lists for surgery and the aging population in countries such as America and Europe.

During the opening session of the Healthcare Travel Congress, an IIR Middle East crafted event being held from 10am to 6pm at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel Dubai from 15 to 17 November 2009, world-renowned healthcare leaders from across the globe discussed the past, present and future of healthcare supply and demand.

Vishal Bali, CEO of Wockhardt Hospitals Group, India, highlighted the impact that globalisation has had on the healthcare industry and how medical tourism is growing as a result of this trend.

"Globalisation is the optimisation of competencies in various parts of the world to create value for the healthcare consumer and the healthcare provider alike," said Mr Bali. "The healthcare sector is decentralising itself from the individual hubs and moving towards a more global approach to healthcare, working within a framework of transparency and truly creating a choice for the consumer."

"The world can now fully understand the proposition of a merger between two industries - healthcare and tourism - and although the clinical side of healthcare travel is increasingly being elevated and the element or tourism is often secondary, the driver and catalyst for change in this industry has come from accessibility of services, the migration of the healthcare workforce and the need for quality healthcare service providers across the globe," he said.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has recently gone through a reform process where the total healthcare strategic direction has been revised to incorporate the globalisation of healthcare and the potential to benefit from the movement of patients within the region and from abroad. Ms Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of the Clinical Support Services Sector of the DHA, spoke about how globalisation of healthcare has allowed the UAE to look outside its boundaries to learn from medical best-practices adopted abroad.

"This region, namely the GCC, is working towards creating a profitable medical tourism industry but we recognise that we have some way to go before this industry is mature," said Ms Jassmi. "We need to increase the demand and supply of our healthcare sector and this can only be done by restructuring and enhancing our in-house healthcare strategy. In order to boost this country into medical tourism we need to ensure everyone, both UAE nationals and residents, have equal access to healthcare first. The government recognises that our patients still require the expertise from medical professionals abroad which is why we have increased the number of visiting physicians by 10% per year."

Dr Mamdouh Ayad, strategic affairs director for Johnson & Johnson, UAE, discussed his company's role as a worldwide leader in healthcare on a global level as well as some of the regional initiatives Johnson & Johnson have taken towards advancement of the healthcare sector in the UAE.

Dr Mamdouh explained, "Johnson & Johnson Medical Middle East has a continuing commitment to research and development and we are focussing on professional education and developing the skill-gaps of local medical professionals in the region. So far over 20,000 doctors from countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon have taken part in an exchange programme where local doctors acquire knowledge and skills from Europe and America and then implement these skills when back in the region. By developing centres-of-excellence, such as Dubai Healthcare City, the infrastructure for healthcare in the UAE can be developed so that we are able to deliver locally the same standard of health as in the west."

With patients becoming more and more educated on issues related to their health, patient safety and medical liability is becoming an important issue. Through the globalisation of information technology, patients are able to surf the internet for viable treatment options and make their own choices with regards to their health. "Medical tourism should be seen as a choice, not a necessity," remarked Dr Prem Jagyasi, CEO of ExHealth in Dubai Healthcare City and Chairman of the Healthcare Travel Congress.

The Healthcare Travel Exhibition and Congress is open to all and will continue on the 16 and 17 November 2009 at the Al Bustan Hotel, Dubai.