The new wave in Chinese medical tourism
13-Oct-15, by Pete Read, Global Growth Markets
Age, wealth and lifestyle diseases are behind a boom in medical tourists from China
A combination of rising wealth, an increasingly top heavy population pyramid, more non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and cultural factors is fuelling a boom in outbound medical tourism from China.
There will be over 108 mn more urban Chinese aged 40-64 in 2024 than there were in 2014, and 57 mn more aged 65+, according to Global Demographics. As these groups suffer increasingly from lifestyle diseases such as cardiac problems and cancer, many of the wealthy among them will seek treatment in the US or Europe. And many more will use their new found wealth to take advantage of plastic surgery, dentistry and wellness programs in Korea or Southeast Asia.
%20Travel%20Daily%20News.jpg "Thailands health tourism keeps growing (c) Travel Daily News")
High quality medical tourism care in Thailand [image: Travel Daily News]
Where are the hotspot treatment destinations?
The US is seen by Chinese medical tourists as the pinnacle of quality for major procedures such as cancer treatment and cardiac surgery, alongside locations such as the UK and Singapore. Korea is very popular for plastic surgery and has seen a 35% annual increase in volumes since 2009, driven mainly by patients from China, riding the Hallyu or “Korean Wave” cultural phenomenon (hanliu in Mandarin) created by Korean TV and music exports.
Southeast Asian countries have also been reporting double-digit increases in the number of mainland medical tourists in recent years, especially Malaysia, where Chinese are now the fourth largest group, and Thailand where plastic surgery, dentistry and non-surgical health programs are popular, with Chinese medical tourists the fastest growing segment of the market.
Singapore is also a common destination, thanks to the quality of care available combined with Mandarin language capabilities and value for money, though the value element is now threatened by intensifying competition from other Southeast Asian countries and India. However this will not concern the ‘China millionaires’ whose only concern is availing themselves of the best possible care and medical outcome.
%20YourHealth.jpg "Singapore losing medical tourists to neighbours (c) YourHealth")
Singapore's prestigeous Mount Elizabeth Hospital [image: YourHealth]
How can hospitals tap into this opportunity?
Chinese medical tourists spent USD10 bn in 2014 according to the Stanford Research Institute, which is only 2.3% of the global total of USD430 bn, suggesting that there is a huge potential for further growth in the market.
Hospitals hoping to tap into this opportunity should consider accepting diagnostic test results from Chinese hospitals, rather than obliging patients to repeat the same tests. This can be a deciding factor in the choice of hospital. They will also need to provide Mandarin speaking staff and nurses, and train clinicians about Chinese perceptions of healthcare, which are still influenced by millenia-old concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). On a more practical note, they will also benefit from accepting Chinese credit cards such as UnionPay, and RMB payment.
Bumrungrad%20Hospital.jpg "Inside Bumrungrad Hospital Thailand (c)Bumrungrad Hospital")
Inside Thailand's Bumrungrad Hospital [image: Bumrungrad Intl Hospital]
Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok goes further, offering a range of premier and VIP suites, a 24-hour hotline, an embassy contact service, airport transfer service, reception service and a visa application assistance service, all part of the 5-star hotel-like medical tourism experience offered to mainlanders.
At the government level, as competitors as diverse as Turkey, India and the Philippines make efforts to attract more Chinese medical tourists, measures such as electronic visa application, special multiple entry visas, dedicated medical tourist channels at airports, and freedom to transfer money into the country to pay for treatment, will all help to boost a country’s share of what could become the biggest new wave in medical tourism ever seen.