Health care in the air: Scope expanding for inbound, outbound medical tourism
Published: Feb 9, 2011 20:04 Updated: Feb 9, 2011 20:04
As Saudi Arabia is giving more emphasis on health care, which is evident from the new budget announced in December, its market for both inbound and outbound medical tourism continues to grow.
Within the tourism industry, medical travel is growing globally. "Saudi Arabia is an important source market for medical travel to Germany. And with the Kingdom heavily investing in homegrown health care services and infrastructure as evidenced by plans to develop medical cities in Jeddah, there is a growing demand for inbound travel too," said Lutz Vogt, head of sales/medical travel, Lufthansa.
"This augurs well for the industry and more health-related travels to and from Saudi Arabia to be expected," Vogt told Arab News in an exclusive interview. He said over the years, we've seen a substantial rise in medical travel, largely brought about by globalization and the rise of new centers where high quality medical services are offered.
He said Germany hosted more than 68,000 guests from abroad for medical treatment in 2008, mainly from Arab countries and Russia. Additionally, we have the advantage of our home base in Germany with our world-renowned medical facilities serving as a major destination for medical tourists. Currently, there are more than 2,000 hospitals offering over half a million beds. And equally important is that patients recovering from a treatment find world-class rehabilitation centers in Germany. There are more than 1,300 preventive health care and rehabilitation centers. This is of course just one example, Vogt said, adding that there are also emerging health care hubs in other parts of Europe and Asia, which means there are many medical destinations.
Medical travel to and from Europe is high. And Germany with its world-class health facilities and services is a key player. But there are other players establishing themselves in the market. In Europe, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria and Poland have become major medical destinations, and in Asia, Thailand and Malaysia receive many international patients, Vogt said.
Lufthansa, a Star alliance member, with its network that connects some 200 destinations worldwide via its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, has established itself as a provider of state-of-the-art medical transport. Vogt said Lufthansa's network is ideal for connecting patients to and from the United States, India, Turkey, Middle East and Western Europe as well as other popular medical tourism destinations. A growing number of medical travelers availed of Lufthansa's Global Healthcare Mobility Partner Program.
Lufthansa designed this program to simplify the travel process and cater to the needs of international patients with comfort, flexibility and affordability, he added.
Vogt said Lufthansa is the only airline with a medical facility, which can be installed onboard. The airline offers a Patient Transport Compartment (PTC) on scheduled long-haul flights, which make no stopovers, such as for refueling. Compared with air ambulances, the flight time with the Lufthansa PTC is up to 50 percent shorter, making it easier for the intensive care patients and the medical personnel, Vogt said.
Lufthansa also provides a flight attendant with medical training to look after the patient. Aside, of course, from the accompanying doctor of the patient, the entire process of transporting the patient is implemented within only three days: Day 1: Arrival of doctor from Germany; Day 2: Medical check up to ascertain patient's transport fitness level and if approved for travel, installation of the PTC onboard of the next flight from Frankfurt; and, Day 3: Boarding the patient, return and deliver to hospital destinations, Vogt said.
The PTC, when availed, can be installed within an hour on Boeing 747 and Airbus A340-600 and is deployed on flights to 62 destinations, he said, adding that the demand for traveling with PTC increased over the years. There are positive demand trends for Global Healthcare Mobility Partner Program in general. The PTC, which only mirrors the cases with a severe condition preventing travel in a normal seat or using a stretcher, is deployed roughly 100 times each year to any destination served by Airbus A340 or Boeing 747. On top of that we have about 1,000 cases a year where medical passengers travel on a stretcher, Vogt said.
"We are constantly monitoring medical travel-related services and looking for ways to even further enhance the overall experience for the patient. We will also continue to cooperate with health care facilities and facilitators in order to ensure a leadership role in the medical tourism industry," Vogt added.
For more information visit: www. lufthansa.com
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