24-Oct-16 Leading Singaporean medical service provider Raffles Medical Group is eager to enlarge its footprint in Japan, encouraged by the success of the clinic it launched in Osaka in 2015. The facility has received a steady flow of patients thanks to the large number of Chinese tourists visiting the city. [image: Nikkei Asian Review]

24-Oct-16 The world is getting older, richer and more connected, and there are enormous variations between countries in quality of care. It is no surprise that medical tourism is more substantial every year. A related phenomenon is the rise in insurance that includes cross-border medical treatment. This is mostly ‘bottom-up’ demand from local nationals who are upgrading from a local health insurance policy. [image: IHMT / Getty Images]

27-Oct-16 The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare announced it will conduct a survey of medical infrastructure to examine how foreign patients use the system. The purpose is to improve medical services for foreign patients before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Preliminary results show foreign patients have had trouble locating a hospital where they can communicate with staff. [image: Medical Tourism Magazine]

17-Oct-16 Singapore's medical tourism receipts were SGD1.1 bn (USD791 mn) in 2012, dropping to SGD994 mn (USD715 mn) in 2014. Southeast Asia's medical tourists are looking elsewhere for treatment. In Singapore, a hip replacement at a private hospital costs SGD14,000. The same procedure at Mahkota Medical Centre in Malaysia - which treats 80,000 foreign patients annually - costs only SGD8,800. [image: The Straits Times]

17-Oct-16 India is looking at ways of persuading Chinese medical tourists to go to India. Having attracted patients from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, India is now targeting the Chinese market. More Chinese are suffering from diabetes and cancer, lifestyle diseases. The traditional “Come to us as we are very cheap” approach will not work in China. [image: IMTJ]