Do concerns about MRSA and hospital infection per unit patients abroad?

Medical tourists travelling abroad for treatment, simply don't do it to save money. In our soon to be published "Survey medical tourism", 56% of respondents who went to elective surgery abroad said that cares about the risk of MRSA infection/hospital NHS hospitals were a factor "very important" or "very important".

According to latest data from the health protection agency, there was a drop of 18 percent in cases of MRSA in England from July to September, compared to the previous quarter (April to June). This is a drop of about 230 cases per quarter. However, there was still 1072 cases reported in England in July and September 2007.

The latest figures c. difficile show that there were 10.734 cases in patients aged 65 years and over in England, reported in the third quarter of 2007. This is a reduction of 21% in the previous quarter. In patients between 2 and 64 years old, 2.496 c. difficile cases were reported in the third quarter of 2007.

Then .... There is some indication that the NHS is having some success in improving their bad reputation hospital infection. But there's an awfully long way to go. The United Kingdom is way behind countries such as Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain in control of MRSA infection rates and hospital. (See statistics MRSA in United Kingdom and Europe).

Until the NHS can reduce hospital infection rates for a minimum level, the concerns of patients will continue to be a factor in which people choose treatment in private hospitals in the United Kingdom or treatment abroad.

Cosmetic surgery abroad under fire from UK press

Medical tourism growth is to attract more attention to issues such as the quality of treatment, the accreditation of surgeons and dentists, hospitals and clinics.

The British Association of aesthetic plastic surgeons this week launched an attack "patched cosmetic work" undertaken by surgeons abroad, based on a "study" of 36 plastic surgeons in the UK who reported having to fix surgery carried out abroad. The "study" resulted in headlines like these:

Recently, dental tourism was also criticised, the British Dental Health Foundation, resulting in headlines like this:

Now .... you have to keep in mind the reasons of the British Association of aesthetic plastic surgeons and other professional associations in the disclosure of these issues. They and their PR agencies represent the interests of the United Kingdom surgeons, dentists and medical professionals. Is bad for your business if people start to travel for treatment!

Let's give the "story of dentist dishonest". The British dental Health Foundation reported that there was "a significant increase in calls to its line of support from people who have had bad experiences of dental tourism". In fact, they receive about 40 calls per month on medical tourism 3500 calls in total. Of 40 calls, 5 are reporting problems or who are unhappy with the treatment of patients. And, given the growth of medical tourism, you can expect an increase ....

The history of the British Association of aesthetic plastic surgeons is based on a study of 36 Members.

"Half surgeons who participated in a survey has seen at least" somewhat more "repair work than last year, while a third came to repair" much more "works as an increasing number of British opt for cheap surgery abroad"

Since the number of plastic surgery procedures in the UK increased by 40% last year and medical tourism based on cosmetic surgery probably increased by around 100%, you might expect there to be more visa problems?

In treatment abroad, we are pursuing several initiatives to combat such criticisms and promote the concept of medical tourism. Our current search medical tourism experiences of treatment abroad is one of these initiatives.

Another initiative is the development of a "code of practice for medical tourism." You can find out more about what we are trying to achieve on the page of the code of conduct for treatment abroad.

Driving expense High UK dental patients abroad

In recent World health tourism Congress in Cyprus, it was announced the launch of the International Association of medical travel (TAG E RAG).

The TAG E RAG seeks to represent the interests of medical travellers and the medical travel industry, including health care providers and medical travel facilitators. The Association currently has 26 registered members worldwide. Dr. Steven Tucker, Medical Director of Clinical Cancer Center West Excellence in Singapor, is President of TAG E RAG.

How successful will be the organization in developing internationally accepted standards and codes of conduct for medical tourism. ... who knows?

The medical tourism market is very fragmented, consisting of many smaller players such as doctors, dentists and individual clinics and diverse groups of hospital and medical tourism facilitators. Still, there's a company tried to take a very significant proportion of the market. It is likely that those who take the lead in this rapidly emerging market will be the standard setters that others will follow.

THE NHS must extend NHS patient choice in hospitals abroad?

With the advent of "Choose and book" NHS patients now are offered a choice of providers at least four after your GP decided that a shipment is required. These providers may be NHS trusts, trusts of Foundation, treatment centres or hospitals. Will, at some point, this choice extended to include hospitals in Europe and farther?.

Health services of the United Kingdom are suffering with lack of qualified nursing and medical staff, and this is restricting NHS effectiveness in reducing waiting lists. One of the solutions has been the personal import from other countries, but the NHS patients will turn to export as a workaround? A pilot project managed the individual and St. Thomas Hospital already explored this approach. The project offered mainly elderly patients who were on the waiting list for more than 6 months, the orthopedic surgery option in Belgium. In total, approximately 500 patients UK traveled to the five Belgian hospitals selected for orthopedic surgery between June 2003 and April 2005. Patients were extremely positive about their experience and the quality of care they received.

Given the choice of an operation on a UK hospital in three or four months, or a week that comes in a cutting-edge hospital in Belgium, India or Poland, how many patients UK could choose the last?

Dental tourism .... without going abroad?

This week sees the news that two development buy to let Property millionaires are planning to open a series of drive-in dental centers near motorway junctions around the United Kingdom. Having seen the dental tourism growth in the United Kingdom, they decided to bring dentists abroad for the British patient, offering prices for dental treatment that will be competitive with countries such as Poland and Hungary.

They intend to set a national chain charging the same or less than NHS clinics. Although service will consist of dentists from Eastern Europe who will receive free housing, but will only get salaries in line with what they would win again in Eastern Europe.

It remains to know if this idea will take off. They will be able to find dentists abroad who are willing to work on wage rates of Eastern Europe, where they are based in the United Kingdom? How they will attract the best dentists abroad to work on these charges? And how they will select the dentists?

If it works .... maybe we'll see the United Kingdom if dental tourist destination?

A boom in cosmetic surgery abroad?

Cosmetic surgery is becoming "acceptable" in the United Kingdom. The multiplicity of personal makeover and plastic surgery programs on UK television has helped a boom of aesthetic surgery of the fuel. Whereas five years ago, large healthcare providers of UK how BUPA and BMI Healthcare interested only on the market of plastic surgery, they now are taking the business very seriously and has seen the year on year growth of around 25% to 30%.

Sainsbury's Bank estimates that each day, approximately £ 1.8 million is spent on plastic surgery. He estimates that this year, in England, plus 5 million pounds will have been taken into personal loans for cosmetic surgery, and around one fifth of this will be in loans for men. The average size of loans for cosmetic surgery is about £ 6500. Mintel estimates a growth of 240% during the period 2001 to 2006 and predicts that by 2009 British adults will be making a trip to the surgeon at least a million times per year.

This is good news for medical tourism providers. The low cost of cosmetic surgery abroad will expand the market, providing a solution for those who could not afford another form of treatment.

Cosmetic surgery now represents approximately 50% of enquiries we receive treatment abroad.

Heart block, heart attacks and treatment abroad

Lack of regular physical exercise, high blood cholesterol levels, unhealthy eating habits, stress and even your genes have a role to play in your risk for developing coronary heart diseases that can lead to blockage of blood vessels that can cause heart attacks and result in untimely loss of life. If you have abnormal chest pains or other symptoms noted below, you should have your condition assessed by your doctor and seek timely treatment.

 

Heart blockage or blockage in the heart is said to have occurred when the body is unable to supply enough oxygen (through blood) to the heart. If the blood flow is blocked, the heart is deprived of oxygen which causes the heart cells to die. This is a symptom of coronary artery disease. It causes chest pains, heart attacks and in severe cases can even lead to death. Conditions of the heart should be taken seriously and timely treatment should be sought. Today, affordable heart surgery is an option even for patients without health insurance.

 

CAUSES

Heart blockages are a result of accumulation of fatty material along the walls of coronary arteries. This fatty material or plaque, which is made up of cholesterol and other cells, thickens, hardens (forms calcium deposits), and eventually blocks the arteries.

The slow buildup of plaque may almost block one of your coronary arteries leading to a heart attack in situations when the heart needs more blood or oxygen (e.g. when you are exercising).

Sometimes, the plaque itself develops cracks (fissures) or tears to which blood platelets stick and form a blood clot. A heart attack can occur if this blood clot completely blocks the passage of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

Certain factors like old age (above 65), male gender, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, fat-rich diet, overweight (by 30%), etc. increase your risk for coronary artery disease.

 

SYMPTOMS

Chest pain usually on the left side

Pain radiating to the arms, shoulders, neck, teeth, jaw, belly area, or back

Anxiety

Palpitations (irregular heart beat or the heart beating too fast)

Shortness of breath

Light-headedness or dizziness

Nausea or vomiting

Sweating

Fatigue and weakness (especially if you are elderly)

 

TESTS

Your doctor may perform one or more of the following tests:

Coronary angiography to study how blood flows through your heart

Computed Tomography scan (CT scan) to create cross-sectional pictures of the chest

Echocardiography to create a moving picture of the heart using sound waves

Electrocardiogram (ECG) to record the electrical activity of the heart

Electrophysiology Study (EPS) to determine the details of irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to take pictures of your body using magnetic and radio waves

Nuclear ventriculography to show the heart chambers using radioactive materials called tracers

 

TREATMENT

Treatment option will depend upon the amount of blockage present. A minor blockage can be treated with the use of stents while a patient suffering from a severe heart blockage may need a heart surgery like a cardiac bypass. Following are some of the treatment options to treat blockages in the coronary artery:

Angioplasty: Also called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), it is a procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels.

Stent placement: A small, metal mesh tube that opens up (expands) inside a coronary artery.

Thrombolytic therapy: Usage of drugs to break up the clot.

Other medications: To treat and prevent heart attacks.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG): A cardiac procedure to reroute or bypass blood around clogged arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen to the heart.

 

COST OF TREATMENT

Depending upon the treatment required the cost can range anywhere from upwards of $20,000 in the US for a stent to approximately $10,000 in India for a bypass surgery. For a free quote for a specific surgery in the US or overseas, contact Healthbase, a US medical tourism facilitator.

PATIENTS OF HEART BYPASS OVERSEAS

David J, a father of five from Katy, Texas needed a life-saving triple heart bypass surgery costing $200,000 in Houston but carried no health insurance to cover the expenses. Faced with such a situation he chose India where his high quality heart surgery at a top-notch hospital cost only $12,000.

Yuma, Arizona resident, Steve S who also had three clogged arteries, traveled to India for his triple bypass surgeries for the same reasons. He says, "Going half way around the world for heart surgery creates a lot of anxiety and raises a lot of questions. But, the care I received while in India was beyond my greatest expectation. Physicians, nurses, hospital and Healthbase all attended to me like royalty. I don't know how the care could have been any better any place in the world."

 

If you do not carry sufficient health insurance, the medical costs of treating heart blockages can be financially straining. To learn about cheaper and high quality heart treatment overseas, check out medical tourism at Healthbase.