Part 6: Singapore on Myths of Medical Tourism

• On inflated statistics...

"As to the boom [reported in articles on medical tourism], guesstimates vary and credible statistics on medical travel are few.

Hospitals routinely report hundreds of thousands of patients because they are not counting individual patients but separate episodes of care (once today, once tomorrow or even once to the consult, once to the lab, once to the pharmacy)."

• On the threat of medical tourism to established economies...

"The true danger in medical travel is not to the sending [home] medical economies but to the receiving [destination] medical ecologies, as doctors are enticed away from public hospitals, prices escalate, foreign patients get preferential treatment and public healthcare systems become strained. Countries must pay attention to the public health implications of the medical travel industry, or risk hurting their own population and eventually their medical visitors as well."

• On so many countries jumping onto the medical tourism bandwagon...

"Actually, there aren't that many [excellent healthcare destinations in the world]. Some countries have announced national programs and many have marketed themselves as great destinations, but few really deliver. Too many patients have successful surgeries but bad experiences because of poor service....Few places in the world truly provide their patients the peace of mind when health really matters."

• On globalization and change...

"[With globalization] the world is now so flat that US facilities like Johns Hopkins operate in Singapore as well."

• On quality...

"...the best healthcare in the world is undoubtedly in the USA..."

APSG Comment: With this article, we conclude our special series on the present state of Asian cosmetic medical tourism. Earlier articles and future updates can be found here.

Happening Now...

• Cosmetic surgery medical tourism complications
• Asian cosmetic surgery and body dysmorphic disorder
• Eyelid surgery hurts more in Asian men
• North Korean waitresses must have eyelid surgery
• Japanese glassless glasses
• Chinese westernization not always deliberate
• C-sections and the Chinese figure
• An Asian diet pill unlike any other
• Japanese skin secret: Female face shaving
• Free plastic surgery in China
• Body Factory: Same-face syndrome
• World-class plastic surgery in Southeast Asia?
• Barbie exits Shanghai