Posted on 03/30/2005 3:04:36 PM PST by jb6
After its success in IT outsourcing and biotechnology fields, India plans to promote itself as a health care destination PTI February 01, 2005
After its success in IT outsourcing and biotechnology fields, India plans to promote itself as a health care destination for people from across the globe, Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said Monday.
"We are taking steps to promote India as a health care destination to attract persons from different parts of the world to utilize the cost-effective health care expertise and infrastructure available in the country," Ramadoss said while delivering a keynote address here on "Health Consumers: What is the size of the market; who buys and who pays?"
Elaborating on the vast healthcare facilities available in India, the Minister, who is here to attend a two-day international conference on pharmaceutical industry said "the progress of healthcare system is dependent on availability of cost effective medicine.
Our pharmaceutical industry has made significant contribution both at the national as well as international level."
He said India enjoys a competitive advantage at the international level by virtue of its vast scientific manpower. "Given its proven strengths in process re-engineering skills besides low cost R and D and manufacturing, India offers strategic R and D opportunities and can emerge as a potential location for pharmaceutical R and D.
"Today the strategic focus of the major Indian pharmaceutical companies is to shift from 'business driven research' to 'research driven business' and have a firm foothold in international markets, with an emphasis on advanced markets."
I have some friends that have had laser eye surgery performed in India. They visited India anyways quite often. Surgery performed at 10% of the cost here, and came out fine.
Part of my job is to call health care providers and get benefit information for our patients. About 2 years ago when I would call the United Health Care Provider Services Number it was quickly apparent that I was calling India. They tried to train these people to have an American accent but I finally got to the point that I tell them "speak slowly" I cannot understand a word you are saying.
I wish somebody somewhere would do an economic study on why everything is far more expensive here than it is in India. I don't want any pat answers like "Housing prices are higher", I want someone to go and find the reak underlying economic dynamics that cause this not just superficial observations.
One word LAWYERS. Litigation type lawyers,
As for the medical thing, some HMOs are looking at flying people to India for major surgery.
We live in Thailand much of the year and have excellent health care at a tiny fraction of the American costs. We go to private, for profit hospitals. The only high price items are the newest medications which are about USA prices. A private hospital room in Chiang Mai is about $23US per night. The Doctors we saw were educated in USA and Scotland.
Just my thought! A country of 1 Billion people with probably 750 million living below the poverty level in their own country. Add to that a US Company that states their first obligation is to their stock holders.
Not to their employees who have made them what they are but to the people who took a chance to buy the stock.
I talked to a person the other day who had the option of paying 50% copay for dental work (impants I think) or the insurance would pay 100% and they would fly him to Mexico. He took them up on the offer and got the dental work done and was pleased.
I thought I saw a documentary a while back where many Americans and Europeans go to Thailand to get elective surgeries, at low, low cost.
It is true, particularly in Bangkok. Bam Roong Rat Hospital in Bangkok is state of the art and comparatively cheap at 5,000 ($125US) BHT a night private rooms. The
best physicians practice there (medical profs frome Chulalongkorn U.) My wife's Aunt is there right now after complications following a stroke. Her family is wealthy and spares no expense, this is the high end. I have used Bangkok Christian Hospital at a fraction the price some years back and the care was excellent but the facility, while clean, is old. I don't mind, I'm old too.
No need for an economic study. The cost is lower and service better (so long as you don't go to a government run place). No lawyers or insurance companies to dictate policies. No CYA doctors. In fact, I founded a company based on these facts. You can check it out at http://rxmd.com.
And I assume you're an expat. Now, how much does the average Thai make a month?
Yeah, I watched one about a woman who went to Mexico to do breast implants. The incisions were huge and when she got back to the states, they litterly openned up and fell out.
By the way, in poor countries they often use a mixture with lead in fillings. My x-girlfriend's parents live in Mexico and her dad runs a factory. When her mother had breast cancer she stayed in the US and for anything more then light pain they refused to go to a Mexican hospital. Her mother called them butcher shops.
And no recourse in case of malpractice either.
Most times, the filling materials are imported from America or Europe. America, especially, has a monopoly on filling amalgams.
Shop Worker - 6,000Bht to 10,000 Bht
Government Worker - 6,500 Bht - 30,000 Bht
Agricultural Work 1,000 Bht
College Grad - 6,500Bht - 60,000 Bht
The Wringer in this is the 30Bht health program (Any medical procedure 30Bht -- Socialized Medicine) Now this is why the idea of Medical Tourism is so popular with the physicians. In Chiang Mai, A Doctor I know works about 9 hours at Suan Doak Hospital for 60,000 Bht a month treating the 30 Bht patients. In the Evening from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM his runs his own orthopedic clinic for profit. I assume he will die young. I have to say that as a lot of our relatives use the 30Bht plan, so far so good although the government won't allocate enough money to it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.