Wealthy
people increasingly opting to travel for quality and greater privacy
BEIJING - Healthcare services overseas are
attracting increasing numbers of Chinese customers who are willing to pay top
dollar for quality and privacy, according to industry insiders.
The trend, however, is different in China than
in the United States.
Chinese customers who seek medical services
abroad tend to be very wealthy and demand quality service and care, Renee Marie
Stephano, president of the US-based Medical Tourism Association, said.
As China's healthcare is among the cheapest in
the world, medical tourists from China generally value quality and privacy
most, she said.
"China's booming economy has churned out
huge numbers of wealthy people who can help further drive the business,"
she said.
The most popular destinations for Chinese
medical tourists are countries and regions like Japan, South Korea, Singapore,
the US and Hong Kong, all of them prime destinations in their own right, said
Xu Shuo, secretary-general of the Beijing Medical Doctor Association.
Nearly 60,000 Chinese people go abroad annually
for healthcare services, especially for anti-aging therapy, cancer screening,
to give birth and to get treatment for chronic diseases, said Yang Jian, CEO of
the Shanghai Medical Tourism Products and Promotion Platform.
The figure was just several thousand five
years ago, he said.
Recognizing the market potential, a number of
practitioners abroad are moving to attract more patients from the mainland.
"Given the sheer population size and
evident aging trend, China's definitely of great market value for the medical
business," said Dr Tan See Leng, chief executive officer of Parkway Pantai
Limited, a private healthcare provider in Singapore, at the topping-up ceremony
of the Parkway Novena hospital last month.
Located in Singapore, the luxurious hospital
will specialize in cardiac, neurosciences and general surgery. It is set to
open next year and will cater for both Singaporeans and foreigners.
VIP suites in some privately run Singapore
hospitals can cost, on average, 20,000 yuan ($3,150) per night.
Many of these hospitals have staff members who
speak Chinese and can help patients with visa applications and travel
arrangements, Tan said. They also have global assistance centers, including two
in Shanghai and Shenzhen, to help potential patients.
Hu Bo, chairman of the Ciming Checkup Group,
told China Daily that more than 1,000 customers, mainly from Beijing, Shanghai
and Guangzhou, went abroad annually for healthcare through their organization.
The figure was just over 100 in 2008.
"And demand keeps rising particularly
among the wealthy and those who value privacy," he said.
Ciming has developed more than 50 medical
institutions in countries and regions like Japan, Switzerland, Singapore, the
US, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as partners for medical tourism.
The most popular procedures include sheep
placenta anti-aging therapy, high-end medical checkups, chronic disease care
and treatment, according to Hu. More and more expectant mothers are availing of
their services.
"It's mainly health preservation programs
coupled with sightseeing for Chinese customers," he said.
In the future, outbound medical tourism would
be more focused on medical treatment, he expected.
Language barriers and a lack of private
insurance programs remain major obstacles for nouveau riche Chinese to go
abroad for purely medical procedures, like surgery, he said.
Cost can also be a concern, he said.
Usually a 7-day package, including health
services, hotel and food, air tickets, and sightseeing, costs, on average,
600,000 yuan for the most popular Swiss anti-aging therapy, which attracts half
of their customers, according to Hu.
Realizing the huge market potential, some like
South Korea and the US have set up special Chinese-speaking medical units to
receive Chinese patients exclusively, he said.
Shan Juan
China Daily
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