Asia needs better informed medical travel facilitators

Seven of the top 10 hospitals on the 2013 World's Best Hospitals for Medical Tourists list are in Asia, offering opportunities for the travel trade to work more closely with healthcare providers. 

Issued by the Medical Travel Quality Alliance, on the list are:

1. Prince Court Medical Centre (Malaysia)

2. Asklepios Klinik Barmbek (Germany)

3. Clemenceau Medical Center (Lebanon)

4. Fortis Hospital Bangalore (India)

5. Wooridul Spine Hospital (South Korea)

6. Bumrungrad International (Thailand)

7. Anadolu Medical Center (Turkey)

8. Bangkok Hospital Medical Center (Thailand)

9. Gleneagles Hospital (Singapore)

10. Asia Heart Institute (India)

Only five Asian hospitals made the cut last year.

Julie Munro, president of the Medical Tourism Quality Alliance, said: “Most hospitals do not understand the value a medical travel facilitator can bring. Medical travel facilitators have pretty much brought this on themselves because many of them don't understand the full complement of services and needs a patient has.

“It is easy enough to talk about providing airport pickups and a cell phone, but the real value a medical travel facilitator can bring is understanding and knowing the local healthcare system. They need to act as a patient advocate to make sure care is conducted in the proper way.”

Facilitators must understand everything from how nurses handle medication to the specific treatments surgical staff provide, she explained.

At the same time hospitals also need to ensure staff have relevant language skills, foreign patients are charged the same as locals and that hospital security meets international standards.

Providing aftercare services and follow-ups once a patient has left the country where treatment was provided is another essential requirement, added Munro.

-TTG Asia.

www.mhtc.org.my