It all started with a pageant (yes - some of you have heard this one so shhhh)...
Several years ago one of the Miss Chinatown Malaysia finalists was asked this question during the Q&A segment of the pageant: "How would you promote medical tourism in Malaysia?"
The contestant smiled awkwardly for several minutes and looked nervously at the host. The host, sensing the urgent plea for help (and call for damage control), quickly made a description about 'medical tourism' and asked if she agreed that Malaysia would be the perfect destination for such industry. Well, of course she agreed that it would be.
The point was not lost on many who watched that Q&A segment. Several days later journalists and feature writers took to the streets to conduct a survey on how much did the Malaysian public then know about medical tourism. As a consolation to the poor contestant, the results of the survey showed that a large majority of the population were either ignorant of the term 'medical tourism', or unaware that the industry existed (let alone was flourishing) in Malaysia, or both. Yours truly was one of those who fell into that last category (ahem).
It wasn't as if I was planning to enter any pageants but I lost no time in learning more about what medical tourism entails, and to what extent Malaysia had then been engaged in the industry.
When I saw that medical tourism was going to be discussed within a cross-cultural context in the conference, my excitement peaked. I called my mom in Malaysia and told her about this great opportunity to harvest more knowledge in diverse areas of expertise that would add on and enhance the existing practice in Malaysia. Those who know me can testify to how I often and unabashedly proclaim my goal of equipping myself in all ways to be able to contribute to the growth and development of my country.
As a prelude to the session I had marked off as 'must attend', I shared my enthusiasm with a friend about medical tourism, taking great pains to illustrate what I thought were all the benefits and advantages of travelling abroad for medical treatments whilst doing some sight-seeing at the same time. The discussion essentially turned into a debate when my friend (who is an American) insisted that he could not see how 'saving a small fraction' of the costs would induce people to give up valuable medical insurance protection and sense of security by accepting treatment overseas. Furthermore, he felt that he wasn't sure if 'he could trust the skills and expertise of the doctors and nurses from "Third World Countries"'.
Well, in the wonderful session presented by Ms. Anita Schmied, I was informed that this 'small fraction' translated into a choice between USD22,000 for a Hysterectomy procedure in USA as opposed USD511 in India; USD100,000 for an Open Heart Surgery performed in the USA versus USD4400 for the same in India, and the list goes on. The difference is so much more than figures can convey. According to Ms. Schmied, the kind of services you get are beyond comparison. The above, much lower amounts, cover 5-star hotel-like suites, personal concierge in certain cases, customized meals according to a patient's dietary needs, and other hospitality oriented services.
The irony though, as Ms. Schmied showed us, lies in the fact that only a small segment of people whom have opted for medical tourism were influenced by the costs, according to a report published by McKinsey. Most of their decisions were driven by the top-notch expertise and quality access available via medical tourism. My friend would be reassured to learn (and should I rub it in a little? haha) that most of these hospitals overseas have been accredited by the US based Joint Commission International (JCI) and that the only way to earn an accreditation from JCI is through illustrating and practising high standards of medical care in accordance to the standards set by JCI.
It was very interesting to learn about how the big players in the industry, like Wockhardt Hospital Groups in India, are fine-tuning their services to be more cultural-sensitive to patients from other countries like the USA and Europe. Ms. Schmied shared with us how Wockhardt Hospital convey their capacity to offer a very cultural friendly environment to patients in all relevant areas like language, religion, food, etc. This was demonstrated through marketing undertakings that range from sensible (arranging prayer rooms for Jews, Muslims etc) to hilarious (training their staff to be accent free). I personally feel that it was a powerful illustration of how cross-cultural competencies would become more and more relevant and important as players of the industry realize its significance in the industry.
Needless to say, the session by Ms. Schmied opened my eyes to a lot of the reality and ongoing practices in the industry. The session had just the right amount of content for the time allocated and a healthy dose of interaction between the presenter and the participants and amongst the participants themselves. Above all else, I observed that it managed to peak the curiosity of many of the participants, whilst at the same time challenging the perception of many with regards to some of the 'best practices' of the industry. Nonetheless, if there was one word to bring away from the session, it would be none other than 'intrigued'.
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