Singapore.
Travelers from across Asia, including
from Indonesia, are making a beeline for Singapore — not to holiday here, but
to seek medical treatment.
Health-care
providers say they are handling more patients from India and China, on top of
traditional sources such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
Two
years ago, Russia and the Middle East were identified as growing markets. Now,
patients from less developed nations such as Cambodia and Mongolia are turning
up on the Republic’s shores in greater numbers as well, according to
health-care providers.
This
trend is in line with one identified by the Singapore Tourism Board in 2010,
where Asia was expected to be a key player in driving the industry’s growth as
it recovered from the global recession. Even back then, there were signs that
more patients from India and other parts of South Asia would head here, said
the agency.
Among
them was Indian national Timir Patel, 48. Two years ago, with both his kidneys
failing, the jeweler took a leap of faith and came here for a transplant.
“For
me, it was a fresh experience because I had never traveled for medical
reasons,” said the Mumbai native, who had his surgery at Mount Elizabeth
Hospital. His 29-year-old cousin was the donor.
“The
approach to medicine here is very modern. In India, there is, for example, a
tendency to over-medicate.”
Many of
his countrymen are also making their way here. Parkway saw a 38 per cent spike
in patients from India last year compared with 2010.
Treatment
for blood disorders, and kidney and liver transplants rank among the top three
areas where patients seek help.
Last
year, Parkway carried out about 20 such transplants on patients from India.
“Privacy
and Singapore’s reputation as a safe country are among the reasons Bollywood
stars and wealthy businessmen choose to fly to Singapore for treatment,” said
Dr Lim Suet Wun, executive vice-president of Parkway’s Singapore operations.
“They
can relax and recover in peace, away from public attention.”
He
added that Parkway had seen strong growth in medical travelers from Vietnam and
Myanmar as well in the past three years or so.
Meanwhile,
Raffles Hospital - the other major private hospital here - received more
foreign patients last year, especially from Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and even
Papua New Guinea.
The
number from each of these countries grew 20 to 50 per cent last year compared
with 2010. Most sought costly treatments for ailments such as cancer and heart
disease.
Over at
the Singapore Medical Group, which has 19 clinics, patients from China and
India are a fast-growing group.
Chief
executive Cheryl Baumann said medical tourists formed 25 per cent of its
patient base. A substantial number of Indian nationals make use of the group’s
obstetrics and gynecology expertise - for example, the women sometimes fly here
to give birth.
All in
all, the group has served people from more than 50 countries in the past three
years. Dr Baumann said the trend was not as obvious before.
Commenting
on the growth in the number of patients from China and India, she said: “People
in these markets have more spending power now, and they also love to travel. In
addition, many feel more comfortable with the language, culture and food here,
which are similar to their own.”
Meanwhile,
at the Asian Center For Liver Diseases and Transplantation, more patients are
now arriving from Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Cambodia and Mongolia.
It said
the increase was due to the “opening up” of smaller Asian nations.
The
private liver transplant center, which has performed more than 60 such
procedures in the past three years, said more than 90 per cent of its
transplant patients came from abroad.
Some
foreigners choose Singapore for more personal reasons. For Patel, the
post-operative care he received and the clean hospital environment were plus
points.
‘“ was
having transplant surgery - which would normally scare the hell out of you in
India - but I felt that everything was as simple and easy as removing an
appendix.”
Poon
Chian Hui
Straits
Times
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