08-Feb-17 In 2016, nearly 300,000 foreign patients are estimated to have traveled to the US to seek medical treatments, according to Josef Woodman of Patients Beyond Borders. To entice medical travelers, top medical centers have been spending millions of dollars cultivating their facilities to attract international patients, Woodman noted. More recently, they are seeing a growing influx of patients from China. [image: PYMNTS.com]

31-Jan-17 Columbia Asia has been providing tele-radiology services since 2010, for remote areas in India, Indonesia, France, Saudi, Bahrain, Kenya and Uganda. The group has tied up with PDMD-Cameroon for provision of tele-radiology, tele-consult and tele-education. In March 2017, PDMD will start a polyclinic with diagnostic facilities in Douala, equipped with MRI, CT, mammography, X-ray, USG and laboratory facilities. [image: Columbia Asia]

28-Jan-17 Japan's government will recommend hospitals for inbound medical tourists, starting with 28 facilities scattered across the country. Dubbed "international hospitals," these will be communicated to governments and medical institutions overseas via Japan's diplomatic missions. Japan issued about 950 official medical visas in 2015 - a 13-fold increase in four years. [image: Nikkei Asian Review]

27-Jan-17 Phyathai 2 International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, is developing a centre of excellence to enhance its medical services and serve a growing number of medical tourists. the hospital is aiming to increase its foreign clientele to 40 to 50 per cent of overall patients. [image: Phyathai Hospital / IHMT]

 Insights

26-Jan-17 London’s King’s College Hospital (KCH) will open its first full-fledged branch outside the UK in Dubai in 2018. The 100-bed multi-speciality facility will be located at Dubai Hills, and will be built at a cost of USD200 mn. Dr Layla Al Marzouqi, director of the Dubai Medical Tourism Project, hailed the move as a major boost to Dubai’s medical tourism. [image: Kings College Hospital]