In his Second Opinion column, Dr Constantine Constantinides
from healthCare cybernetics
provides advice to students, researchers and entrepreneurs about exploring and
understanding the health tourism market.
At healthCare
cybernetics, we undertake quite a bit of mentoring to young entrepreneurs,
researchers and students who are considering or are exploring the health
tourism sector, We refer to them as our “Protégés.
Our feeling is that the health tourism sector needs new
blood, if it is to prove sustainable and to counter some of the “established
principles, norms and beliefs”, and advice still being dispensed by some of the
old blood.
Nevertheless, we extend some caveats to students and young
budding health tourism entrepreneurs. As one 25-year veteran and pioneering
insider (based in Canada) recently commented: “Poor girl doesn't know what she
is in for with medical tourism”.
We advise those who are doing research that a lot of what
they will encounter on the net (and from where most “references” tend to come
nowadays) is nonsense, hype, doctored articles and “self-interested
dishonesty”.
We advise them that much is written (or copied and pasted)
by individuals writing “authoritatively” on things they barely understand.
Of course, there is some good and valuable stuff out there
on the net.
But students, researchers and entrepreneurs need to be able
to separate the signal from the noise and the nonsense.
Thinking of doing a PhD on Medical Tourism?
A number of the young people contacting us for advice and
guidance, have already embarked on a post-graduate degree or course in medical tourism.
And some have even completed a degree or majored in “medical tourism”.
With regards to a PhD, I point out that a PhD can take up to
four years to complete. By that time, most of the early research and thinking
which was put into the draft thesis, may be way out of date (old hat) or will
have been revealed to be simply wrong. Health tourism (which includes medical tourism)
is not only evolving rapidly – but also changing directions (the sector is
already at a crossroads).
Supervised by whom?
..who will supervise
and provide guidance to students of medical tourism?
Some graduates proudly inform me of the University (or other
academic institution) from which they have obtained their medical tourism-related
Degree. I am tempted to ask “which Deep Sector Expert supervised and guided
you?”
The Academic Staff who act as supervisors are not deep
industry insiders and for the most part, have likewise, obtained their “knowledge
and understanding” from the net.
So what do we recommend...to students
- If you want to do a PhD, ensure it will focus on
how the sector will or should evolve. Give a “predictive” slant to your work.
- In addition to pointing to proven good
principles and practices, highlight “thinking and doing” which is patently
wrong. Point out that sector best practices have yet to be established and the
initiative to benchmark good practices (at enterprise and destination levels) to
validate and establish best practices.
- Introduce aspects/principles of game theory to
the exercise (see Journey to
Healthistan).
- Talk about Black Swans, but please do not talk
about the 20 billion (or is it trillion) medical tourism industry/market by
2012 or even 2015 (especially when you are referring to the “abroad” version).
What we recommend…to young “would be” entrepreneurs
Our advice to budding young entrepreneurs is extensive - and
mainly “cautionary”. Some advice and caveats which come to mind:
- Do not be deluded by the noise made about the
size of the market and the ready opportunities which await you, when you join
the industry to address the market.
- When it comes to medical tourism, the internet
and the media generally, report stories of (purported) success but remain
silent when it comes to failures (The Survivorship Bias).
- Be prepared to admit your initial beliefs were
wrong or at least “idealized” or overly romanticized.
Psychologists are well aware of the “Escalating Commitment”
phenomenon. This is all about people who take a position and then feel
compelled to defend it even when presented with empirical evidence and
well-supported arguments that the “position” (basically the “belief”) is wrong.
Health tourism and especially the medical tourism segment is
not the El Dorado many (including some industry representative bodies) claim it
is. The sector has huge prospects (otherwise I would not be doing what I am
doing) but not as it is but as it can be.
Health and medical tourism need to develop from “have to”
need to “want to”. And the market needs to be cultivated so that every tourist
is a potential health tourist (something which the ht8 approach to development and
promotion aims to do, anyway).
Dr Constantine Constantinides runs healthCare cybernetics, a “think and do tank” with a recognized competency in Health Tourism Integration and Development. His home base is on the island of Samos in Greece.
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