FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Why come to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a conference on Medical Tourism?



Answer: Medical Tourism is a booming industry in Asia, the home of medical tourism and Kuala Lumpur has many of the finest hospital in Asia catering to medical tourism clients from countries anywhere in the world.



2. Where are most of medical tourism providers based?



Answer: Within Asia, in countries such as Malaysia,Thailand, India, Singapore, etc.



3. Why hold the medical tourism conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?



Answer: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is not only one of the world's emerging tourism destinations but also has the medical infrastructure specifically designed both for the international and domestic medical tourism patients.



4. Why would you attend this conference?



Answer: To learn and exchange information on current trends and issues pertaining to the medical tourism industry. This medical tourism conference has assembled some of the world’s leading speakers from within the medical tourism industry from 14 countries.



5. How this conference compares in value and price as compared to other health conferences?



Answer: Our conference registration is 30- 40 % less than other conferences. Moreover, accommodations, food, transport are approximately 50% less than many western countries. This conference is a five-star event in a two-star cost!



6. Is it safe to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ?



Answer: Kuala Lumpur, in particular, is one of the safest tourism destinations in Asia. The constitution of Malaysia guarantees religious freedom to all people and KL has a amazingly new well-appointed international airports.

The Complete Medical Tourist

Medical tourism is one of the fastest-growing businesses on earth. With the rising price of treatment in the UK and long waiting lists, there's never been a better time to combine a trip abroad with a treatment. Plus many other countries have not been affected by the deadly MRSA bug in the same way that the UK has - another reason why going outside the UK is an attractive option. Hospitals overseas are clean, well-staffed and the food is great. What more could you ask for? Nothing - except the guide to know where to go - and here it is. The first section of the book deals with the different types of medical procedures and at the end of each is a cross-reference to countries listed in part two. There are 24 countries you can visit which will give you the help you need at a price that can't be matched in the UK.

Funerals held for Fort Hood victims

Across America, many people stood before several flag-draped coffins during funeral services for some of the 13 victims of the Nov. 5 shootings in Fort Hood, Texas.

The hundreds of people who lined the main street of the small Indiana city of Plymouth on Saturday fell silent as a white hearse passed by on its way to the church. Sheila Ellabarger had placed two 30-centimetre-high American flags in the grass where she watched the procession for Army Staff Sgt. Justin DeCrow.

Mourners streamed into a Wisconsin gymnasium to remember a soldier who once promised to take down Osama bin Laden. The high school gym in Kiel was filled Saturday for Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger's funeral.

Krueger was to deploy to Afghanistan for a second time in December and had recently been sent for training at Fort Hood, where authorities allege Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, opened fire at a processing centre. He remains in hospital and has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder under the American military's legal system.

During services in Norman, Okla., snapshots from U.S. Army Spc. Jason Dean Hunt's recent wedding were projected near his casket.

In Utah, among those crowded into a Mormon chapel were Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, said Lt.-Col. Lisa Olsen, a Utah National Guard spokesman.

They joined the family and friends of Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka for the funeral honouring the 19-year-old. Nemelka, of West Jordan, Utah, joined the Army a little more than a year ago and was preparing to deploy to Iraq. He was trained to defuse bombs and relatives said

Indian train derailment kills at least 9

A speeding train derailed in western India early Saturday, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 80.

Fifteen coaches of the New Delhi-bound train flew off the tracks when its driver suddenly applied the brakes because of poor visibility in the region, said Vipin Kumar Pande, a police superintendent.

The accident occurred near Banshkov, a village about 40 kilometres south of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state.

A broken piece of track pierced an air-conditioned coach and killed some passengers, Pande said.

Rescuers had to cut open some of the coaches to free trapped passengers. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital.

Accidents are common on India's sprawling rail network — one of the world's largest — with most blamed on poor maintenance. Last month, a passenger train crashed into another train's rear carriage in northern India, killing 22 people and injuring 16 near Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal.

Medical tourism: Need surgery, will travel

What's called medical tourism – patients going to a different country for either urgent or elective medical procedures – is fast becoming a worldwide, multibillion-dollar industry.

The reasons patients travel for treatment vary. Many medical tourists from the United States are seeking treatment at a quarter or sometimes even a 10th of the cost at home. From Canada, it is often people who are frustrated by long waiting times. From Great Britain, the patient can't wait for treatment by the National Health Service but also can't afford to see a physician in private practice. For others, becoming a medical tourist is a chance to combine a tropical vacation with elective or plastic surgery.

And more patients are coming from poorer countries such as Bangladesh where treatment may not be available.

Medical tourism is actually thousands of years old. In ancient Greece, pilgrims and patients came from all over the Mediterranean to the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios, at Epidaurus. In Roman Britain, patients took the waters at a shrine at Bath, a practice that continued for 2,000 years. From the 18th century wealthy Europeans travelled to spas from Germany to the Nile. In the 21st century, relatively low-cost jet travel has taken the industry beyond the wealthy and desperate.

Countries that actively promote medical tourism include Cuba, Costa Rica, Hungary, India, Israel, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia and Thailand. Belgium, Poland and Singapore are now entering the field. South Africa specializes in medical safaris-visit the country for a safari, with a stopover for plastic surgery, a nose job and a chance to see lions and elephants.

Health Checkup

Many common and life-threatening conditions can be treated successfully if detected early. Many leading hospitals in India have health check-up programmes that screen every part of the body meticulously and professionally. A proper health check-up scans your bio-history, interprets signals and provides the opportunity for the proverbial "stitch in time". A heart check-up constituting echocardiography, consultation by a senior cardiologist, blood test, general test and haemogram can go a long way in ensuring a healthy heart. The test can be done at any of the leading cardiac hospitals or private clinics.

Whats Involved
A comprehensive health check-up contains the following tests:
Doctors consultation and full medical examination
Blood tests
Complete Haemogram (hb, TLC, DLR, ESR, Haemotocrit, Peripheral Smear)
Blood group (ABO, RH)
Blood Sugar
Blood Urea
Serum Uric Acid
Serum Creatinine
Serum Cholesterol
Lipid Profile
Urine and Faeces Exmimation
X-Ray Chest PA
ECG
Exercise Stress Test (TMT)
Stress Screening by Psychologist
Eye Examination
Gynaecologist Consultation and Pap Smear Test
Post Check-up consulation
Optional Test

Cardiac Care

Cardiac care has become a speciality in India with institutions like the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Apollo Hospital becoming names to reckon with. They combine the latest innovations in medical electronics with unmatched expertise in leading cardiologists and cardo-thoracic surgeons. These centres have the distinction of providing comprehensive cardiac care spanning from basic facilities in preventive cardiology to the most sophisticated curative technology. The technology is contemporary and world class and the volumes handled match global benchmarks. They also specialise in offering surgery to high risk patients with the introduction of innovative techniques like minimally invasive and robotic surgery.

Renowned Indian hospitals like Apollo and Escorts Heart Institute are equipped to handle all phases of heart diseases from the elementary to the latest clinical procedures like interventional cardiac catherisation and surgical cardiac transplants. Their success rate at an average of 98.50% is at par with leading cardiac centres around the world.

Leading heart centres like The Escorts Heart Institute have Cardiac Care Units with sophisticated equipment and investigative facilities like Echocardiography with coloured Doppler, Nuclear Scanning and Coronary Angiography. The Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology in Bangalore, the Cardiology Hospital in Kanpur, the Heart Hospital in Calicut and the Sree Sudihindra Medical Mission Hospital in Cochin are some hospitals in India devoted exclusively to cardiac treatment.

Medical Packages

The health care sector in India has witnessed an enormous growth in infrastructure in the private and voluntary sector. The private sector which was very modest in the early stages, has now become a flourishing industry equipped with the most modern state-of-the-art technology at its disposal. It is estimated that 75-80% of health care services and investments in India are now provided by the private sector. An added plus had been that India has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world. It is self sufficient in drug production and exports drugs to more than 180 countries.

What are the Disadvantages of using a Medical Tourism Facilitator?

Quality of service may vary greatly from one Medical Tourism Facilitator to another: Medical tourism facilitators come in all shapes and sizes, and, looking at their websites, it is difficult to accurately determine the real scope and quality of the services offered. As with most emerging industries, there will be a multitude of companies – some little more than one man operations, promising the world, without a regulatory entity making sure they deliver the goods. The internet only amplifies this problem as one website looks as good as another.

Bias towards certain hospitals and destinations: Obviouslymedical tourismfacilitators do not have the time or resources to visit every medical tourism destination or work with thirty different international hospitals. They must choose wisely from a limited number – always described as “the best”. Naturally, you will be directed to these hospitals and not others – even if they aren’t necessarily the best hospitals for your particular needs.

Having a third party increases the chance of miscommunication: Though perhaps not a big concern in most people’s minds,using an intermediary will always increase the risk of an error or misinformation occurring between both parties. Something as seemingly innocuous as mistaking kilos for pounds in a medical tourism patient’s weight information, could lead to the surgery being postponed or even cancelled. To reduce the likelihood of an error, make sure that any important information that is communicated over the phone is also sent in writing. Then double check with the medical tourism facilitator that all faxed or scanned documents are legible.

You may have to pay more: Medical tourism facilitators offer a lot of convenience but do need to make their money somewhere. This will usually come from a hospital commission, service charge (concierge fee), or both. One way or another, these fees do have a way of trickling down to the medical tourism patient no matter what the medical tourism facilitator or hospital may say.

Should I pay my medical tourism facilitator or the hospital for my medical tourism trip? This will depend on the policy of the hospital and facilitator. Some facilitators will request an advance deposit and ask that you pay the balance at the hospital. Others will have you pay the hospital directly.

What is a Medical Tourism Facilitator?

Sometimes referred to as medical tourism agencies, or a medical travel facilitator, these are companies – (some are mom and pop operations) that, as their name suggests, act as facilitators or middlemen for medical tourism patients engaging in medical tourism.

Medical Tourism Facilitators have played an important role in promoting the growth of medical tourism, and for many medical tourism patients, represent their first face to face contact with the concept of medical tourism.

Over the last three or four years, thousands of these companies have popped up, most sporting names synonymous with health and travel. They function much like a travel agency, requesting and obtaining passports, booking flights, and arranging a medical tourism patient’s lodging, transportation and tours. The key difference, of course, is that they also serve as the liaison or mediator between you and the international hospital and doctor. In effect, it is the facilitator’s job to repackage the medical provider’s service offering, make it more appealing, and then guide you along the medical tourism process. For those trying to decide whether or not to use a facilitator, it is important to weigh both the advantages and disadvantages they provide.