The latest available medical tourism statistics from the Singapore Tourism Board show that visitors who went to Singapore for medical treatment or related reasons grew 13 percent to 646,000 in 2008 compared to 2007. However, these have to be interrogated to remove the distortion to the data.
The latest available medical tourism statistics from the Singapore Tourism Board show that visitors who went to Singapore for medical treatment or related reasons grew 13 percent to 646,000 in 2008 compared to 2007. However, these have to be interrogated to remove the distortion to the data.
370,000 visitors actually went to Singapore for medical treatment. The other 230,000 are family members of the patients who accompanied them and had no treatment. However, the combined revenues of $1.5 billion for the economy would not have come without the people going for treatment. As most countries count the number treated, and exclude family members, the true medical tourism numbers figures used for Singapore should be 370,000.
The tiny island of Singapore has long been the choice of destination for major medical care for patients from neighbouring countries Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indochina, Greater China, Russia and the Middle East. There are 15 hospitals and medical centres in Singapore that have obtained the United States-based Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. Singapore hospitals are also looking towards European and Asian-based hospital accreditation systems.
Asia’s economic growth and an expanding middle class have fuelled strong demand for medical tourism in Asia. The small city-state is considered a pioneer in medical tourism and has built a strong image for itself as a provider of high-quality medical treatment and complex surgery. The government has done a lot to help develop the industry. But competition in medical tourism is increasing, with more Asian countries promoting medical tourism So Singapore has to compete with Thailand, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan. Tan Yen Nee at the Singapore Tourism Board says, ”We want to keep the position of Singapore as a high-quality healthcare destination well known for advanced medical care.”
Singapore is increasingly becoming a springboard for Russian companies that want to expand into Asia. Russia has steadily grown in importance as a trading partner of Singapore over the years. Singapore healthcare company Sourcelink built Russia’s first private hospital in Vladivostok, and will soon build its second in Tartarstan, where healthcare facilities will be housed in the same building as retail outlets and accommodation for medical tourists. Denis Nyam of Sourcelink says, “We have been catering to the foreign sector in our market for a long time. So our advantage is that we are good at making turnaround fast, bringing in technology fast, making things efficient.
We target the growing Russian middle class who have an increasing demand for private healthcare services.” So Singapore is now targeting both Russians who want to come to Singapore and those who want to be treated in Russia, with the aim of encouraging medical tourists from other countries to go to Singapore owned hospitals in Russia. Sourcelink Healthcare Services has been launched to offer medical concierge services to assist foreign patients from various burgeoning markets, namely Vietnam, Indonesia and Russia, with the practical aspects of medical travel to Singapore, including visa application, ticketing and accommodation.
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