Great place to operate
20th May 2008
When Carol and her two training mates finished the gruelling Laguna Phuket triathlon late last year, they decided the perfect way to celebrate was with a new bustline.
Extending their Thai stay, the trio took in some well-earned relaxation and breast augmentation surgery before returning to Australia and their usual routines.
Thousands of Australians every year are heading to nearby Asian countries for cosmetic surgery, dentistry and other medical procedures.
But Australia has the opportunity to turn the tide the other way and make big bucks from well-heeled travellers looking to get the best medical treatment.
Reports by the Australian Tourism Export Council and Jones Lang LaSalle reveal while to locals our medical costs seem expensive, developing centres of specialisation will enable Australia to snare some of the $US20billion that is spent each year on medical tourism.
Already about 19 million trips are made a year by people seeking medical treatment abroad and this is expected to increase.
According to JLL manager of health and aged care services Lois Towart, the increasing wealth of travellers aged between 50 and 70 will see strong demand in that age group.
She said Australia’s quality of care was a strong counter to its disadvantage of distance and cost.
As well as meeting international accreditation and licensing requirements, Australia’s legal system, which mitigates against liability for malpractice, was seen as a big drawcard.
Ms Towart said many Asian-based patients were already heading Down Under for medical treatment.
“For them, Australia is a much more viable option for medical travel than Europe or the US,” Ms Towart said.
ATEC managing director Matthew Hingerty has long been an advocate for developing Australia as a medical tourism destination.
ATEC’s report into the issue argues medical tourism offers Australia the chance to tap into an export stream and source of foreign investment that will build capacity in the domestic health system and ease some pressure in the provision of public health services.
According to the report, one of the key drivers of medical travel is the insurance industry.
Article Source : The Courier Mail - Melissa Ketchell