How many medical tourists are there?

By Keith Pollard: (www.treatmentabroad.blogspot.com)

Keith is Managing Director of Intuition Communication Ltd, a UK based company that owns and manages the web sites: Treatment Abroad, Private Healthcare
UK, the Harley Street Guide and Self Help UK.

 There has always been speculation about the true number of medical tourists traveling from the
UK for treatment abroad.

We’ve just completed the first ever survey of medical tourism providers, and have come up with some interesting data on the medical tourism market. The Treatment Abroad Medical Tourism Survey 2007 (www.treatmentabroad.net), reveals that over 50,000 people traveled abroad for treatment last year, and spent £161 million on medical tourism. The number of medical tourists increased by 25% over the 12 months and will continue to grow over the next 6-12 months.

Dentistry is the most popular service with dental treatments such as crowns, dental implants, bridges and veneers leading the way. Over 20,000 Brits travel abroad for their teeth, spending around £2,500 each, with an estimated market value of over £50 million per annum.

Cosmetic surgery is a close second with around 14,500 patients traveling outside the
UK. Breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction and facelift are popular choices; patients spend around £3,500 each, creating an estimated market size of £50 million.

The most common types of elective surgery for patients traveling abroad are hip replacement, knee replacement, laser eye surgery and cataract removal, with some 10,000 patients spending £37 million in 2007.

 

The ultimate no-fly trip: to Australia by bus

• Gemma Bowes,
• The Observer
• Sunday January 7 2007

The long way round … Eco-aware tourists en route to Australia. Photograph: Getty

Cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions doesn’t have to mean missing out on long-haul trips, thanks to a new generation of long-distance bus journeys that span distances as far as London to Sydney.

A groundbreaking new service called Ozbus launched last week, and will offer backpackers an alternative way to reach Australia. Instead of spending a day or two crammed into economy class on a gas-guzzling red-eye flight, they will be able to take the scenic route, spending 12 weeks exploring 20 countries.

And rather than a two-hour refuelling break on some Far Eastern runway, travellers will stop off at some of the world’s most amazing sites, from Everest base camp to the Taj Mahal.

‘So many people do this journey by plane, but until now there hasn’t been an alternative,’ says Mark Creasey, Ozbus’s founder. ‘These trips have an eco-friendly factor, and they allow people to experience the amazing world they would otherwise fly over.’

The pounds 3,750 price tag includes budget accommodation and all meals and transport by secondhand Greyhound bus and ferry – which may work out cheaper than three months’ independent travel. There are 36 places on each trip and the first, in September, is already one-third full of gap year students, career-breakers and Australians returning home. It’s not possible to book separate sections of the trip, but a return journey may be available next year.

Another adventure travel company, Intrepid Travel, launched a series of ‘ultimate eco-friendly adventures’ last week, including a colossal overland journey from Singapore to Paris, costing pounds 6,520, that takes 130 days and uses buses, trains, boats, rickshaws and even elephants to transport travellers through Asia, China, Russia and Europe. It combines some of Intrepid’s shorter trips, which are also sold separately.

‘It’s almost impossible to measure the carbon emissions from a 130-day trip,’ said a spokeswoman. ‘There’s one flight to Singapore, but by using local transport and trains to cover long distances, it is a highly eco-friendly way to travel.’

Tour companies that have offered long-haul overland adventures for years are noticing a growing interest from people with environmental concerns.
‘Traditionally, people have travelled overland to experience on a daily basis the ever-changing faces and places of the world, rather than the back of an aircraft seat,’ says Charlie Hopkinson, director of Dragoman, which sells bus trips of between three and 53 weeks’ duration that span one or more continents and, again, combine a number of shorter trips. ‘We believe that with the increasing awareness of the negative impact of flying, more people will look at our longer overland journeys as an alternative to flying. These travellers also understand the importance of spending their money in local communities, rather than with airlines and international hotel chains.’

NHS dental problems

NHS dental contract attacks mount

The new contract started last April People are finding it no easier to see an NHS dentist a year after radical reforms of NHS dentistry came into effect, according to two reports.A British Dental Association poll of 394 dentists found the majority did not think the reforms had improved access. And Citizens Advice said 2m patients did not have access to an NHS dentist and were being forced to go private, go on waiting lists or do without. However, the government said improvements were being made. The reports come just days after a Which? survey of dentists found that two-thirds were turning away patients and as the BDA hosts a conference in London on the situation. The future of NHS dentistry is becoming increasingly fragile and we need action now before it shatters altogether Susie Sanderson, of the British Dental Association Dentists forced on holiday Send us your comments The government introduced a new deal last April giving dentists the same money for treating fewer patients in a bid to get away from the “drill and fill” culture and attract more dentists to the NHS. Primary care trusts, which hold the purse strings for local health services, were also given responsibility for ensuring patients could get access to care. They were given a budget of £2.3bn to achieve this, although a quarter of that was expected to come from fees from charges – most adults have to contribute to the cost of NHS treatment. But PCTs have reported that they have not been making as much in charges, leaving many with a shortfall. The Citizens Advice report acknowledged this has been a problem and said extra money must be targeted at areas where there is a shortage of services. The report was compiled from evidence given by nearly 4,000 of its clients, research on the 152 PCTs and government statistics. It said that there had been “little evidence of any real growth” in services and in a quarter of PCTs no dentists were taking on new patients. It said 2m patients – compiled from government estimates – could not get access to an NHS dentist, with most deciding to pay for private treatment, go on a waiting list or not get treatment at all. It said some areas such as Hartlepool were spoilt for choice, while others including Blackburn had very poor access. And it added people in rural communities were particularly disadvantaged as they had to rely on public transport, forcing them to take expensive, difficult and time-consuming journeys to reach a dentist. Action The number of dentists is growing and rather than leaving they are actually keen to expand their work for the NHS – hardly indicative of a failing system Rosie Winterton Health Minister Q&A: NHS dentistry The BDA poll found 85% of dentists believed the new contract had not improved access to NHS services and 97% did not think it had removed dentists from the “drill and fill” treadmill. Susie Sanderson, chairman of the BDA, said the new contract was “failing both patients and dentists”. “The future of NHS dentistry is becoming increasingly fragile and we need action now before it shatters altogether.” Roger Goss, of Patient Concern, said action was needed. “We believe dentists should be made to do a set amount of work for the NHS if they are going to be allowed to practice. “It would not be popular, but it would help solve this crisis.” The Department of Health defended the new contract saying improvements were being made and the old system had to change. “It was agreed by all that the old system of NHS dentistry was deeply flawed and had to be modernised,” it said. Health Minister Rosie Winterton said: “The overall picture is that, despite the speculation, the number of dentists is growing and rather than leaving they are actually keen to expand their work for the NHS – hardly indicative of a failing system.”