Travel Agent - August 18, 2008 - (Page 62)

COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 61 Arumdaun Nara Beauty Clinic to experience pioneer medical tourism programs for mainstream U.S. travelers. Interested agents can contact Goger at 323-634-0280, ext. 227 or j.goger@kntoamerica.com. “Medical travel is more than just normal tourism with a sprinkling of healthcare,” says Dr. Jason Yap, director of healthcare services for the Singapore Tourism Board. “The stakes are higher and unwary patients can get hurt.” Yap notes that it’s obvious that the choice of doctor or facility is important, but there are other factors to consider. “Agents should also think beyond the healthcare component, as there are cases of patients with excellent clinical results having memorable trips for the wrong reasons—their companion being mugged, or they’re shocked at the poverty and squalor of some countries.” Yap points to Singapore as a country that gets medical travel right. “Singapore’s clinical services are excellent, built up through decades of strong economic growth and careful health manpower and services development, with many international accolades, including being ranked the best healthcare system in Asia,” says Yap. “Singapore is open, convenient to get to, safe and secure, and a great leisure destination in its own right.” “Latin America and Mexico are extremely popular among U.S. tourists for this form of travel simply because these regions are so close to the U.S. border and therefore have many doctors that are U.S. certified,” says Willie Moreno, director of operations and registration for the Latin America division of Transmarx (www.transmarx.com). Transmarx is a company that helps organize medical tourism consumer and trade shows throughout the U.S. In Central and South America, Moreno points to Panama and Costa Rica as the two most popular medical tourism destinations among U.S. travelers, whereas Monterrey is among the most popular Mexico destinations for medical tourism, as it is home to the acclaimed Christus Muguerza Internacional Hospital. “Places throughout the world like Singapore, India and Latin America are not considered Third World anymore in regard to medical facilities,” Moreno says. “In fact, some of the hospitals in Mexico and the doctors there are even better than some in the U.S.” Pana-Health is a group of specialists that includes the best health professionals of Panama, 62 | TravelAgent August 18, 2008 A Patient’s Story WHEN KNEE-REPLACEMENT SURGERY proved to be too expensive at home in the U.S., 52-year-old Nancy Hoskins from Corpus Christi, Texas, made the 24hour journey to Singapore from her home. Hoskins’ knee never recovered after an accident that left her with torn cartilage. Doctors in Texas recommended a total knee replacement. But without any medical insurance, the cost of surgery and hospitalization would set her back more than she wanted to spend. She chose Singapore after reading about the destination’s medical capabilities, high level of expertise and low infection rates on U.S.-based medical tourism company Med Journeys’ (www.medjourneys.com) website. After receiving detailed pre-surgical instructions and information from her Singaporean physician, Dr. Ang, via Med Journeys, Hoskins was ready to make the long flight. Shortly after her arrival, new X-rays indicated a “knock knee” deformity, what was medically termed a valgus knee. But that was not the main problem. There was also a big hole in her proximal tibia that had developed as a result of long-standing arthritis. The surgery would therefore not be as straightforward as the doctors had hoped. To get her knee implant straight, Dr. Ang decided on computer-navigated surgery to improve accuracy and get it as perfectly aligned as possible. Three days after her two-and-a-half-hour surgery, under the close watch of a physiotherapist, Hoskins was out of bed walking. Hoskins was discharged after five days, and stayed in Singapore for two more weeks for follow-ups and to monitor for complications and infections. “Dollar for dollar, it was really affordable, [and] the quality of healthcare in Singapore is up to world-class standards,” says Hoskins. What makes the story all the more remarkable is the fact that Hoskins is a registered nurse. most of whom are also U.S. certified professionals. In Panama and Costa Rica, travelers will come for procedures ranging from heart to reconstructive knee surgeries, while Brazil remains one of Latin America’s most popular destinations for plastic surgeries. Moreno notes that soon-to-be emerging Latin America destinations in this field include El Salvador, Guatemala and Argentina. “In the Caribbean, the top medical tourism destination by far is Puerto Rico,” says Moreno. “This destination has a major advantage in this niche, because patients from the U.S. are obviously still considered U.S. citizens here, since Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the U.S. This is extremely important when it comes to a patient’s concerns of possible lawsuits or malpractice suits in the event of a botched surgery.” Moreno says his company is aggressively seeking the attendance of more travel agents at medical tourism events and is also looking to pursue partnerships with agents in arranging medical travel. Agents can reach Moreno at 804266-7422, ext. 7408 or willie@transmarx.com. Where the Agent Comes In “Booking travel for someone headed overseas for medical care is altogether different than booking vacation or business travel,” says Robin Elsham, managing director of U.S.-based Patients With Passports (www.patientswith passports.com), a medical care arranger that works to identify travel agents who are able to provide expert travel planning to the eight foreign countries where the company arranges medical and dental care. “All the established international medical care arrangers view themselves as medical services companies, not as niche-oriented travel agencies. Their focus is riveted on the medical aspect of the client journey, and arranging travel is incidental to that process.” Agents can contact Elsham at 651-554-0290 or robin.elsham@patientswith passports.com. In Elsham’s view, the international medical care arrangers are finally recognizing the importance of expert travel planning. “For example, in planning the U.S. return of a heart-bypass surgery patient CONTINUED ON PAGE 64 http://www.medjourneys.com http://www.patientswithpassports.com http://www.transmarx.com http://www.patientswithpassports.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 18, 2008

Travel Agent - April 18, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor Pacific/Asia: Visitors to Ubud will Discover the Essence of Balinese Art and Culture Special Supplement: Malaysia Travel Planner New Zealand: There is Plenty to See and Do Throughout the West Coast of the Southern Alps Europe: Beauty, History and Culture Combine in Valencia, Spain Caribbean: Scrub Island is the BVI’s First Development in 15 years The Wyndham Rio Mar’s $40 Million Makeover is Well Underway in Puerto Rico The Latest on Grenada, a Caribbean Up-and-Comer Mexico: Big Hotel Plans are in the Works for the Riviera Nayarit Florida: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel turns Orlando into Italy Las Vegas: Dinner at these Restaurants Can Get your Clients into Vegas’ Hottest Nightclubs Cover Story: Medical Tourism Special Supplement: Destination Weddings Specialist 3.0 Hotels: Everything Old is New Again at New York’s Algonquin Cruise: Short Cruises Keep your Clients on the Move for Less Group Travel: Disney makes Exotic Locales Friendly for Family Travel Car Rentals: How Much Insurance Does your Client Need for a Rental Car? Agency Profile: Corporate Travel Sales are Rising at MTravel.com, a Division of Montrose Luxury Travel Expo Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Hyatt comes to Curaçao New Hotels and Resorts in Asia CLIA Tightens Qualifications for ID Tripology Links Agents to Clients In the Spotlight Agent Access Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - August 18, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.