Medical Tourism

Reasons for Medical Tourism 5

2007-10-11T06:30:00.000Z

UK media is reporting on a new report which suggest that a "superbug" outbreak in hospitals in kent in the UK may have killed as many as 331 patients in one year as a result of poor hygeine an lax standards of care and management. It reports that althought managers knew of the issues, they did nothing or little to resolve them.

The report makes grim reading for the government as it suggests that management focus on hitting targets resulted in them failing to set aside resource to manage the infection problems.

The statistics for infections within the NHS make for very grim reading:

55,634 people over the age of 65 were infected with Clostridium diffiile last year in England.

1,170 patients were infected at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Hospital Trust between April 2004 and September 2006.

331 the number of patients who died where c.diff was the main cause or at least a likely contributing factor in their death.

50 million pounds of extra funding to fight hospital infections was announced in July this year by ministers.

45 per cent of hospital trusts reported that Government targets got in the way of implementing infection control.

3 per cent of adults carrying clostridium difficile harmlessly in their gut.

1 billion pounds is the estimated cost of healthcare associated infections each year to the NHS.

For increasing numbers of UK patients, the fear of these super bug infections is enough to get them to consider surgery in the private sector or abroad. Many enquiries for european countries and orthopaedic hospitals include references to infections and fear relating to the quality of the NHS.

Two parallel events are taking place here: fear of superbug infections is also leading UK citizens to question the overall quality and effectiveness of the nationalised health system. An increasingly common exclamation is that the system is broken.

Unhappiness & Heart Disease

2007-10-09T12:13:00.000Z

Interesting piece of research from the Archives of Internal Medicine which analysed theassociation between negative aspects of close relationshipsand whether this had an impact statistically on increased risk for coronary heart disease as well as examiningwhether the association is strongersamong women and people oflower social position. In layman's terms - does unhappiness cause heart disease.

To cut to the chase: the answer is yes.

After making adjustments for sociodemographic characteristics,biological factors, and other dimensions of social support, the "individuals who experienced negative aspects of close relationshipshad a higher risk of incident coronary events (hazard ratio,1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.63)."

The association wasattenuated but remained statistically significant after additionaladjustment for conditions of negative affectivity and depression. Although women andmen in a lower employment grade were more likely to be exposedto negative aspects of close relationships, sex and social positionhad no statistically significant interaction effects. Confiding/emotionaland practical support were not associated with incident coronaryevents.

This is pretty interesting as it is a 12 year study rather than a short snapshot and lends more weight to the hypothesis of positive psychology that happiness is also a health issue.

more is available here

A leading Hospital in Chennai-India performs Pinhole Surgery

2007-10-08T16:09:00.000Z

With the advancement in science and technology, a leading hospital in Chennai,India is treating strokes,tumours, and fibroids through Pinhole surgeries. Through a puncture of size of a pinhole and with the help of a catheter as thin as a hair,the pinhole surgeon gains access to the different body parts through the arteries and delivers the treatment directly at the site.
The greatest advantage of this is that there is no bleeding,no cuts,very less pain,no surgical scars,speedy recovery and most imporatantly the infection rate is very less as the internal body parts are not exposed to the environment.

We at Globe Health Tours help people gain the best service at the best hospitals and make sure they are treated with the latest techniques in the industry.

Michael Owen, England Footballer, Medical Tourist

2007-10-08T11:26:00.000Z

while the press reminds us all of the risks, Michael Owen's choice to travel to Germany for treatment is another example of how medical tourism is driven by a wide range of reasons, not always associated with cost and price.

Simply, Owen thought that treatment at a specialist clinic in Germany was better than anything offered in the UK! I wonder whether his doctors in the UK will still continue to treat him!! Treatment Abroad has a good article on it.

Celebrating 20's - Globe Health Tours

2007-10-02T15:43:00.001Z

Being in your 20s means being full of energy and vigour. You are at the peak of your life and your priorities are looking good and feeling great. Remember to visit your dentist or doctor for regular checkups. Understand your body better and get ready for an exciting life ahead.

We at Globe Health Tours, give special packages for exciting age groups of 20's., from giving a beautiful smile and to stay beautiful inside and out, and for total relaxation with a comprehensive range of face, body and skin treatments.

Contact us and celebrate life !

Making a difference !

2007-10-02T15:43:00.000Z

When your loved one falls sick, you would certainly want to ensure that he or she receives the very best care and treatments, and that whatever else needed for recovery is done quickly and smoothly, without having to wait months between appointments with the doctors or for tests to be scheduled.

This is where WE make a difference.

Immediate access to specialists for best clinical outcomes.

Personalised care from the time of the enquiry till you reach the hospital and back home to lead a healthy life.

Conference calls between the patients and the specialists.

Guidance through the complete process from flights, Visa, receiving medical records and giving them a treatment plan and arranging airport transfer, and accomodations, and also tourism package.

No waiting lists, no high costs, no risks, and treated by world renowned surgeons, with world class facilities.

Visit us, and feel the difference !

Welcome to Healthy Living !

Infertility

2007-10-01T16:39:00.001Z

Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a man or a woman to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term. There are many biological causes of infertility, some which may be bypassed with medical intervention.

We at Globe Health Tours, provide treatment options in some of the best hospitals and specialised clinics in Singapore and UK.

We deal with different kinds of fertility problems, and provide personalised treatment and counselling for our patients.

Anyone who needs Infertility treatment, have to just send an enquiry to info@globehealthtours.com

Clinical Trials not on trial enough in the USA

2007-10-01T12:35:00.001Z

The US FDA has decided that clinical trials are not subject to the sort of oversight that patients and doctor think that they are. The F.D.A. has only 200 inspectors, some of whom audit clinical trials on a part time basis. These 200 police an estimated 350,000 testing sites!! Even when these inspectors did find issues, management downgraded their results on 68% of the time.

Much of the US doctors criticism of medical tourism is that there is no proper oversight. What this report makes clear is that even in the US, oversight is lax, poor or non-existent.

The full report

Lap Band Surgery is a Good Tool for Weight Loss

2007-10-01T11:18:00.001Z

Useful way to see Lap-Band surgery is to see it as a tool for reducing weight. I particularly like the comment that "surgery does about one-third of the work and the patient does about two-thirds of the work," which reminds patients that this is an aid to help them change their behaviours rather than a solution which allows the patient to continue as before.

This is a key requirement that patients need to address before they plan to undergo weight-loss surgery.

Britons go east for dentistry

2007-10-01T07:46:00.000Z

As if it was news to anybody, the UK Guardian newspaper reports on the growing number of UK citizens fleeing the crisis in publicly funded dentistry by travelling to the East for their dentistry.

People are travelling for necessary but expensive dentistry or in pursuit of cosmetic changes - the better smile. The key treatment is probably dental implants which are very expensive in the UK and at least 50-70 percent cheaper as you travel to central Europe. The most popular centre is Hungary where a single dental implant might cost around £520.

However, the numbers quoted are very small (20,000) against the overall population and one can only assume that growth is going to be huge in the next few years.

Caveat Emptor Medical Tourists

2007-10-01T05:01:00.000Z

Australia's Sunday Morning Herald has an article on australian patients who are victims of failed cosmetic procedures in Thailand and Malaysia.

The clear picture is that medical tourists need to look very carefully at doctors skills and think very carefully at what they have done.

However, the article fails to mention the number of complications arising out of local surgery and also does not make clear how many patients have been effected by such complications from travel abroad.

read the article

All Alcoholic Beverages Increase Breast Cancer Risk

2007-09-28T14:24:00.000Z

Breast cancer risk rises with increasing alcohol intake - regardless of beverage type - researchers reported 28th September 2007 at the European Cancer Conference.

Some 70,000 women provided information about their alcohol intake/consumption during health visits from 1978 through 1985.

Until the end of the data period in 2004, breast cancer was diagnosed in about 4% of them.

Women who drank 1 to 2 alcoholic beverages had a 10% increased risk of breast cancer compared to those who drank less than 1 unit per day
Women who drank three or more had a 30% increased risk of breast cancer.

The researchers conclude: "These data show the relation of alcohol intake to increased [breast cancer] risk is independent of beverage choice, indicating that ethyl alcohol is the likely culprit."

Abstract:

Citation: European Journal of Cancer Supplements, Vol 5 No 4, Page 161

Y. Li1, D. Baer1, G.D. Friedman2, N. Udaltsova 2, A.L. Klatsky 2

1Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, USA
2Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, Division of Research, Oakland, USA

Background: Drinking of alcoholic beverages has consistently been linked in population studies to increased risk of female breast cancer (BrCa), but data is relatively sparse about an independent role of choice of beverage type.

Materials and Methods: We did a cohort study of 70,033 women (59% white, 26% African-American, 10% Asian-American) who supplied information about demographics and habits at health examinations in 1978–85. Through 2004 BrCa was subsequently diagnosed in 2,829 women; the role of specific beverage types was studied among women taking more than one drink per month per month (n = 37,879 with 1,509 BrCa). We used Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, ethnicity, body mass index, education, and smoking, both with and without control for total alcohol. In one type of analysis women whose habits indicated a preponderant beverage choice were compared to women with no clear preference with these numbers: 10,570 wine (W), 3,783 liquor (L), 2,702 beer (B), and 20,824 no preference (N). In another type of analysis we examined the independent association of frequency (per day per week) of drinking each beverage type (W, L, B, and type of wine). Finally, we looked at the role of total alcohol (<1 drink/day referent) within beverage preference strata.

Results: Controlled for total alcohol, the RR's for comparison of preference groups to non-preferrers (N) were: W = 1.06 (0.94–1.20), L = 1.02 (0.87–1.21), and B = 1.02 (0.81–1.29). Also controlled for total alcohol, the RR's for frequency (per day per week) of the major types were: W = 1.02 (0.99–1.04), L = 1.01 (0.98–1.04), B = 1.01 (0.97–1.06). With wine type subsetted into red, white, etc., no disparities in BrCa risk were seen; e.g., for both red W and white W, RR per day per week = 1.01. For total alcohol (vs <1 drink per day) the RR of BrCa was 1.1 for women reporting 1–2 drinks/day and 1.3 for women reporting 3+ drinks/day (p for trend <0.001), with similar trends for total alcohol within the W, L, B, and N strata. All results were similar in subgroups stratified by age or ethnicity.

Conclusion: These data show the relation of alcohol intake to increased BrCa risk is independent of beverage choice, indicating that ethyl alcohol is the likely culprit.

Abstract

US Patients Visitn India for Liver Transplants

2007-09-26T17:19:00.000Z

With liver failure becoming an increasingly common all around the world, the pressures on Liver transplatn centres is growing as well. For many patients the wait and the costs are potentially life threatening....

We at Globe Health Tours offer Liver Transplants in Delhi and Singapore.

Liver Transplant Surgery in Delhi

Stem Cells from Male Testicles?

2007-09-23T08:21:00.000Z

It seems that stem cell therapy, which is recognised as a critical opportunity for medical treatments in the future is beginning to identify new sources for stem cells. The latest announcement according to Reuters is the male testicles. It has only been tested on mice at the moment, but how long before the procedure is working on humans. Reason #20 for fearing a visit to the doctor

Liver Transplant in India

2007-08-25T07:28:00.000Z

Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Condition

2007-08-20T10:04:00.000Z

interesting story of US doctor having two sets of stem therapy treatments in Bangkok for his heart condition. Globe Health Tours offers the same treatment in Singapore as well. In the USA some early trials are beginning to show the efficacy of this treatment but the confusions between embryonic and adult cells continues to bedevil discussions of the therapy.

A Stent in Place

2007-08-02T11:46:00.000Z

When Dubai gains the rest of the world loses.
The Dubai Healthcare City is certainly going to stem the flow of oil rich Arabs to medical tourist destinations elsewhere.

The Wells Dry Up

Mexican Holiday For Underinsured US Patients

2007-08-01T10:48:00.000Z

American hospitals in the US can expect an influx of underinsured hospitals from the US. Though not as cheap as Asian hospitals they are cheaper than Us hospitals.
Any measure to reduce medical costs.

Across the Border

Pune India for Medical Procedures

2007-08-01T10:35:00.000Z

One more Indian city is all set to become a medical tourism destination offering specialized medical treatment. Hospitals in Pune claim to be among the best with international standards.
Its proximity to Mumbai,India's commercial capital and the spas that are coming up in the city are added attractions

growing Competition

Medical Entrepreuners

2007-08-01T10:20:00.000Z

Medical Tourism is growing steadily and will continue to grow. The uninsured, under insured and those who want to avoid being on a long waiting list fro a surgical procedure are all heading abroad.
New business enterprises are coming up to cater to the needs of these travellers.
Helping Hands

And Now a Guide Book

2007-08-01T10:03:00.000Z

Everybody knows what a guide book is - A handbook of directions and other information, especially for travelers or tourists. It is a very handy book for a traveller who is going into unknown regions and all top travel destinations have one.

Medical tourism has grown globally, there are too many destinations and procedures and hospitals.It gets confusing

Singapore ranks as one of the top medical tourism destinations. To guide its medical tourists Singapore has released a guide book on medical tourism which it says is indispensable for the medical tourist.

Keeping Ahead

Long Live Medical Tourism

2007-08-01T09:54:00.000Z

Medical tourism is helping a lot of people make money. It is not only the doctors, concerned hospitals, medical tourism agents, hotels and all the others involved who are benefiting. A whole new genre of books has evolved based on medical tourism and its authors are laughing all the way to the banks.

Top of the Charts

Red Tapeism to the Fore

2007-07-31T11:24:00.000Z

Bureaucratic red tape in the US is actually promoting medical tourism abroad. Its exorbitant health care is unaffordable for the ordinary system and then red tapeisn does the rest.

Red Tapeism

The Trend of Medical Tourism

2007-07-30T07:00:00.000Z

Medical Tourism is not anew concept. It has been around for quite some time. But today it is emerging as a growing trend. What is giving the impetus for its growth? Rising cost of medical care and insurance costs is forcing people to go abroad for their health care.

Why its growing

Giving a Big Boost

2007-07-27T09:20:00.000Z

First it was a special medical visa, then an e-commerce platform which will provide information on any destination in India.
Now the Indian Tourism ministry has plans to increase the duration of the special medical visas by 3 years. A very wise move considering that the medical tourism industry is worth $333 million and is growing at the rate of 25 percent every year.

Ambitious move