Nurse yourself better abroad

THE medical tourism industry is evolving quickly due to increasing awareness levels among individuals across the world which has seen emerging market economies with medical expertise and medical facilities at low cost, coupled with attractive tourism sites driving the medical tourism market. 

Modern healthcare at affordable prices is offered to medical tourists in various countries at different level of economic development. Western population travel to other countries for their medical treatment. Long waiting lists, increasing healthcare costs, and limitations on the availability of treatment options, coupled with the ease of travel, medical tourism is gaining popularity.

According to a recent report by Zion Market Research medical tourism is one of the significant sectors of the global economy. The number of medical tourists has increased substantially from 350,000 Westerners in 2003 to 750,000 Americans by 2007. In India, medical tourism increased between USD 50 billion and USD 69 billion. Medical tourism in Asia grew to USD 4.4 billion by 2012.

The global medical tourism market was valued at approximately USD 15.5 billion in 2017 and is expected to generate revenue of around USD 28.0 billion by the end of 2024, growing at a rate of around 8.8% between 2018 and 2024.

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Keep safe in Vermont this Summer

TO help Vermonters and visitors enjoy themselves at the beach and on the water this summer, health officials are encouraging people to learn how to watch for and avoid cyanobacteria - also known as blue-green algae.

Warmer weather creates ideal conditions for cyanobacteria to grow in Lake Champlain and elsewhere. In large numbers, these tiny microorganisms can form blooms on the water's surface and wash up along shorelines. Blooms are usually green or blue-green, and can make the water look like pea soup or spilled paint, but can be other colors too. Cyanobacteria blooms are a public health concern because they sometimes produce toxins harmful to humans and animals.

The #Vermont Department of Health says the best way to protect yourself from cyanobacteria is to know what they look like, and to stay out of the water when you think you see a bloom.

To help people know what to watch for, the department has created a video available at healthvermont.gov/cyanobacteria.

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Florida tourism officials braced for impact after Zika outbreak

THE WARNING by the Centres For Disease Control in the US about #Zika has sent ripples of concern through #Florida.

Local officials in Miami are confident they will contain the Zika virus from spreading, but they are far less confident about the hysteria that surrounds the outbreak and its impact on the $89 billion tourism juggernaut.

‘Yes, I'm losing sleep,’ Santiago Corrada, the head of Hillsborough County's tourism agency, Visit Tampa Bay, told TampaBay.com.

The problem is that cities across Florida face an identity crisis when travellers think of the area. ‘Florida gets painted with a broad brush stroke,’ says David Downing, executive director of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.

Industry analysts such as Miami-based hotel consultant Scott Brush say the impact could build throughout the coming months.

‘It’s probably going to have a measurable effect in part because the summer is more voluntary, last-minute tourism. It’s mostly leisure and is more easily postponed or changed than business travel,’ Mr Brush told the Miami Herald. ‘So yes, I think there will be a measurable effect and that measure may be very small, but you don’t know. This is very early on.’

Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs has talked about the state’s theme parks and their efforts in mosquito control. ‘If you’re coming to Florida as a tourist, if you’re coming to the theme parks, then you’re coming to some of the safest places in the world because they have mosquito control down like no place else,’

Officials from Disney World and Universal Orlando have yet to address the Miami Zika outbreak, but Orlando officials say that the theme parks have larger mosquito control operations inside their gates than the sizeable budgets of most local governments.

The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau isn’t downplaying the threat, but officials are stressing that the outbreak is contained in a small radius.

‘Pregnant women are encouraged to visit all of Miami-Dade County — except one square mile. That’s what the UK says, that’s what the Centres For Disease Control says,” said William Talbert, president and CEO of the Miami tourism bureau.

‘This community has a long track record of dealing with these mosquitoes. The situation can change tomorrow, we know that, and we’ll stay engaged with everybody as this evolves.’

Florida has welcomed a record number of visitors each year since 2011, and hopes to attract 115 million visitors this year.

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Japan identifying potential for medical tourism growth

THE JAPANESE government has identified its healthcare industry as a key economic growth driver, and is aggressively taking steps to attract medical tourists from across the globe.  

What attracts the medical tourists to Japan?
Long-term visas for medical stays: Unlike most other countries, #Japan offers six-month visas for medical visits.

Quality care: Healthcare professionals in Japanese are among the most experienced and skilled worldwide. They provide standard operative measures and less-invasive therapies.

What challenges does the Japanese government face?

Language and cultural barriers: A very small percentage of professionals in the Japanese healthcare industry speak English or are attuned to foreign cultures.

Resistance to internationalization: Medical associations fear internationalization of the country’s culture, and they oppose the profit motive in the healthcare system.

Cost of living: While medical technologies and services available in Japan attract a large number medical tourists, the high cost of living in the country makes it impossible for foreigners to stay in Japan for extended periods.

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Pregnant woman advised to avoid countries with Zika outbreaks

PREGNANT women are being advised to re-consider travel to areas where #Zikavirus outbreaks are happening, which includes most of south and Central America and parts of the Caribbean, including Barbados and the Dominican Republic.

The virus usually causes only mild symptoms in adults, but it is blamed for thousands of babies born with underdeveloped brains.

It has been spreading throughout the Americas and the World Health Organisation said it is likely to infect most countries in the region, except Canada and Chile.

Three Britons have already contracted the virus after visiting Colombia, Suriname, and Guyana.

UK officials say women should talk to their doctors about the risks, and if travel is unavoidable they should take precautions to avoid bites from mosquitoes that spread the disease.

Women planning to become pregnant should also be wary, said the National Travel Health Network and Centre. Any pregnant woman who has recently travelled to a country where Zika is known to occur should tell their doctor or midwife, it said.

An outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, which was first reported in May last year, is likely to cause concern for women planning to travel to the country for the next Olympic Games.

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