A recent article in the Oman Daily Observer discussed how the demand for medical tourism is high for GCC nationals. GCC nationals are amongst those who seek the highest quality medical care no matter what the price is.
As medical tourism is a major source of revenue for some countries, many healthcare facilities have stepped it up a notch in recent years, in terms of quality and services provided, so they can cater to their growing audience. These countries that have been making strides in the medical tourism industry are those that have felt the influx of these GCC nationals.
Thailand and Malaysia for example, have allocated annual budgets for medical institutions to offer scholarships to their students to study medicine in Arab countries so they will be able to learn the language; this has resulted in an increase in GCC nationals over the past decade.
Several countries attract medical tourist by offering the most advanced medical services, countries such as USA, Britain, Canada, Germany, Australia, part of the Middle East and East Asian countries including India, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and others.
These advanced treatments involve specialized clinics, medical centers or modern hospitals that provide state-of-the-art medical equipment and highly trained staff. Countries or facilities that offer treatment by natural elements and treatment for drug addiction and mental illnesses have been receiving several GCC patients as well.
The point is that, GCC nationals want the highest quality care and they will travel to countries that can offer the best. High quality care can be measured by several factors, including global competitiveness in the medical field and excellence in technology and biomedical engineering.
These countries also have the best universities, science centers, medical laboratories and university hospitals as well as a strong medical infrastructure to handle patients who need to stay for long period of time.
GCC nationals are clearly a target market for many countries, some of which have decided to capitalize on this. There are other targets out there with similar needs or perhaps; they want to travel for a lower price and good quality. Once you have figured out your target market and start investing in it, it can prove to be very beneficial for your bottom line.
This isn't just for hospitals, for governments medical tourism can improve the local economy and healthcare. At the 5thWorld Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress there will be sessions and workshops which will provide useful information about marketing, caring for international patients etc. all of which will come from medical tourism experienced professionals. Take a look at the agenda to see the list of speakers and sessions that would be most valuable for your business. http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com/agenda/ .
