Pharmafile Logo

Article: The Patient Abroad

April 2, 2015 |  

Published in Medical Marketing & Media March 2015

Approximately 11 million people were medical tourists in 2013, generating a market worth over $50 billion. While obtaining accurate data is challenging, estimates suggest the global medical tourism market is expanding by 25% each year.

Having grown up in the UK, where high-quality healthcare is available to all through the National Health Service, I hadn’t given the concept of medical tourism a great deal of thought before I moved to Asia. It would simply not have occurred to me to seek healthcare overseas for any other reason than if I happened to fall ill while traveling. 

I first became aware of the concept when reading rumors that Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe was being treated in one of Singapore’s exclusive private hospitals – which happened to be just down the road from my apartment at the time. This led to much discussion among my peers about how much it would cost to be a medical tourist in Singapore. “High end” patients can expect to accrue bills of thousands of dollars. The most expensive “hospitel” (hospital hotel) penthouse suite (not room) in Singapore costs over $8,000 per night – and it does not include the additional costs of medical treatment. This particular establishment anticipates that at least half of its “guests” (not patients) will come from overseas.

Read the full article on Medical Marketing & Media »

This content was provided by Inizio

Company Details

 Latest Content from  Inizio 

Webcast: AI in MRX: Harnessing the power of AI + people

Artificial intelligence (AI) in market research has surged in recent years, with a flow of innovative tools and techniques which have the potential to revolutionize the landscape. But to unlock...

Navigating challenges of MedTech research with rare-disease patients

Authored by: Tom Donnelly, MedTech Director and Amanda Pirraglia, Associate Director. Published in Quirk's Magazine.

Product launch: What market research when?

Get the insights you need, when you need them, for your product launch planning

Therapy Watch launches new tracker covering Alzheimer’s Disease

The new Therapy Watch Alzheimer’s Disease tracker has recently launched in Germany, Japan and the US, with planned expansion into the remaining key European markets throughout 2024.

Therapy Watch launches new tracker covering pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)

Therapy Watch Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is launching in the US market, with expansion into other geographies including Europe in 2024.

Healthcare in the age of AI: How will artificial intelligence impact future decision-making?

Authored by: Constanza Salas, Jhon Galindo and Rachel Howard

Therapy Watch launches new tracker covering Postpartum Depression

The new Therapy Watch Postpartum depression (PPD) study is the first tracker in the series to cover Psychiatry

Infographic: Rare Diseases in China

How rare are rare diseases in China? Download this infographic to find out more and how we can offer guidance for pharma companies to consider.