MedEco

FREE Bengali Short Film & Documentary Evening

MedEco Admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:05:32 +0000

Light-hearted fast-paced documentary exploring Bangladesh’s Mughal, Islamic, Buddhist heritage from earliest times & Ibn Battuta travels produced by the youth of BD to instill pride in their nation.

Free entry. Departure Arts centre, Limehouse. 7pm. Fri 8th Jan 2010.

http://digs.by/18FT

The Real Bangladesh

MedEco Admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:12:21 +0000

Consider the country introduction in ‘Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2009′ in terms of national image branding. “Let’s get this straight from the start. Bangladesh is not the country of disappointment as portrayed in ‘Brick Lane’ or by the international media, nor is it merely the poorly endowed cousin of India. Instead Bangladesh is a revelation that actually leaves India looking a little worse for a wear.”

Create your own package with MedEco travel

MedEco Admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:25:17 +0000

MedEco wants to help you find the trip that is right for you. You can select the destinations and trip-duration yourself, for a tailor made holiday or choose a pre-packaged holiday. With these options, there are more ways to find the trip that gets you going.

Please click HERE for more info.

Dolphin Watching Tour to the Swatch-of-No-Ground

MedEco Admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:24:55 +0000

50 Kilometers offshore of Dubla Island (Sundarban Reserve Forest),there is an underwater canyon where the depth increases drastically from only 10 meters to over 500meters – the Swatch-of-No-Ground. The change in depth is clearly visible on the surface, dramatically marked by a contrasting color change. The amazing fish abundance supports a large number and diversity of marine mammals, namely whales and dolphin.

To find out more about this trip and more packages please Click Here.

Visit Cox’s Bazar with MedEco Travel

MedEco Admin — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:24:09 +0000

The famous “longest sandy beach in the world” around Cox’s Bazar and the Buddhist heritage make South-Eastern Bangladesh a favorite holiday destination for local and foreign visitors alike. Our package tours offer a variety of experiences allowing an in-depth view of this special corner of Bangladesh. They can be combined or extended with visits to Chittagong, Rangamati, Bandarban, Kagrachori and Nature Reserves in the region.

Please visit our website for more info on this and other packages.

Website: www.medecotravel.com

Cox’s Bazar Package: http://www.medecotravel.com/eco/beaches.php

Contact: info@medecotravel.com

Discover Bangladesh with MedEco

MedEco Admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:35:48 +0000

Bangladesh, the natural beauty of south asia. Discover Bangladesh MedEco Travel

www.medecotravels.com

Medical tourism in Korea ‘exceeds expectations’

MedEco Admin — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:47:04 +0000

Patients who travel to Korea for treatment abroad tend to find that the medical care they receive exceeds their expectations.

A survey by the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) and Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) found that 80.3 per cent were pleased with the healthcare they received, with 87 per cent of those receiving medical skincare expressing satisfaction.

The survey was presented at the International Medical Travel Conference in Seoul and Ohm Kyong-sop, KTO vice-president for tourism technology, told the Korea Times: “Satisfaction levels were higher than expectation levels, meaning people visit Korea without high expectations but are satisfied after receiving medical service.”

The vice-president predicted that Korea could become a “major player” in healthcare tourism, noting: “Besides Japan, no country in Asia showed dominance in terms of recognition level of medical tourism.”

However, he warned that Korea could fall behind its rival if it fails to become competitive.

The South Korean government has recently been trying to attract medical tourists by revising its immigration policies to allow foreign patients and their families to obtain long-term medical visas, the New York Times reports

Healthcare improving but infections and GP waiting times need work

MedEco Admin — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:37:44 +0000

The quality of NHS care in England has improved by leaps and bounds over the past two years, the independent health watchdog says today.

However, 60% of hospitals are still not dealing with superbug infections effectively, and 69% of GPs do not provide patients with the easy access to appointments that ministers want to see.

The mixed picture emerged in the Healthcare Commission’s annual performance ratings for 391 NHS organisations. It said 62% of trusts were providing a good or excellent quality of service, compared with 41% two years ago. Financial performance improved even more sharply, with 69% getting high grades, compared with 16% two years ago.

Sir Ian Kennedy, the commission’s chairman, said patients should celebrate the success of 42 trusts that received a “double excellent” rating, scoring top marks for both quality and finance. Last year there were 19, and just two in 2006.

Foundation hospitals did particularly well on the scoring system, which measures performance against dozens of criteria including patient satisfaction and achievement of government targets.

But serious weaknesses remain across much of the NHS. In the year to April a quarter of trusts failed to put in place adequate systems of infection control. Just over half did not achieve the government’s target for reducing MRSA rates by 20% each year. Only 40% of trusts managed to introduce the right systems and hit the target.

Kennedy said trusts risked losing the licence to treat patients if they did not achieve an adequate standard of hygiene before the end of March, when his inspectorate is due to be replaced by the Care Quality Commission.

Spot checks over the past year found serious breaches of hygiene regulations at four hospitals and minor lapses at almost every trust visited. Inspectors will now begin a programme of spot checks of primary care, ambulance services and mental health trusts.

Anna Walker, the commission’s chief executive, said tackling MRSA and C difficile was not enough. Trusts should monitor other infections including norovirus, a vomiting disease that strikes in winter.

She noted “a dramatic decline” in the number of primary care trusts meeting the target that every patient should be able to see a GP within two working days. This year 31% of practices met the target, compared with 80% last year.

The change was due to a new sampling method that asked thousands of patients about their experiences of trying to get an appointment, instead of relying on information from GP practices.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association, said the report was misleading about GP waiting times. He said “A recent survey showed almost nine out of 10 patients were satisfied that they were able to get an appointment within 48 hours.”

Gary Needle, the commission’s head of assessment, said it could not be ruled out that GPs had been lying about how well they conformed to the target.

The commission congratulated hospitals for cuts in waiting times for cancer patients and for making good progress towards treating all patients within 18 weeks of referral by a GP.

Ambulances reached 77% of life threatening emergencies within eight minutes, exceeding the government’s target of 75%. And mental health trusts helped thousands of patients by providing more crisis resolution teams in the community.

Trusts in northern England got the highest grades across all services, while standards in London fell well below average.

Alan Johnson, the health secretary, wrote to congratulate 57 high-performing trusts and told six “double weak” trusts to meet his officials to explain themselves.

EU Directive provides boost for medical tourism

MedEco Admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:44:16 +0000

The EU Proposal for a Directive on patient’s rights in cross border healthcare (to be announced on Wednesday 2 July) provides an added stimulus to the already growing number of medical tourists who seek hospital treatment elsewhere in the European Union.

The Directive will create a formal framework and remove obstacles for UK patients wishing to travel for treatment in other EU countries.

In some circumstances, patients will be able to travel to other EU countries for treatment and will be able to reclaim the cost of treatment from the NHS. Patients will have to pay their travel and accommodation costs, plus any top-up fees if charges in the foreign hospitals are higher than the NHS cost.

The Directive proposes the following developments in cross border healthcare:

• A legal framework for the reimbursement of treatment where it takes place elsewhere in the EU.
• Common principles in terms of guaranteeing patient safety and ensuring quality and continuity of care.
• Stimulating greater European cooperation on healthcare including the establishment of “European Reference Networks” which would create a concentration of expertise, training and resources for specific diseases and health issues.
• Establishment of a European network for the assessment of new medical technology.
• Establishment of standards for e-health, in particular the transfer of patient information and treatment records between member states.

Keith Pollard of Treatment Abroad (treatmentabroad.com) says; “This Directive is the first step to creating a truly European market in healthcare; it could revolutionise the way we experience healthcare in this country and throughout the rest of Europe. It’s very good news for the fast developing medical tourism industry. The Directive will take the concept of patient choice to a new level; www.treatmentabroad.com will assist that choice by providing the most up-to-date and relevant information that patients need when making decisions about travelling for treatment.”

Treatment Abroad is the most popular site on the web for UK and European medical tourists seeking information about cost effective surgery and medical treatment abroad. The site provides information covering the healthcare services available, doctor accreditation, treatment costs, travel and accommodation. There’s also an extensive and free Guide to Medical Tourism to download, for those considering overseas treatment.

“With the announcement of this new Directive we are expecting a significant increase in traffic to the website not only from British patients but also from members of other EU countries looking for reliable, comprehensive and practical information about treatment options within EU member countries”, continues Pollard.

Last year, around 100,000 “medical tourists” left the UK for treatment. Their experiences were resoundingly positive with 97 per cent of patients willing to travel abroad for treatment again, according to Treatment Abroad’s recent medical tourist survey.
Treatment Abroad’s newly launched patient ratings and reviews system lets medical tourists share and rate their experiences and its “Code of Practice for Medical Tourism”, the first of its kind in the industry has been set up to encourage the adoption of best practice in medical tourism through the commitment of international healthcare providers to a voluntary code of practice.

Both the “Code of Practice” and the ratings and reviews have been introduced to give further reassurance to prospective health tourists.

Potential eco-town sites revealed

MedEco Admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:40:09 +0000

The shortlist of sites for a series of “eco-towns” is due to be unveiled by the Government.

The top 15 proposals for the new low-carbon, environmentally friendly developments will be revealed by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Over the next six months the shortlist will be whittled down to up to 10 successful bids – which will then have to go through a full planning process, the department said.

The department said all 15 sites have excellent potential to be eco-towns. Affordable homes will make up between 30% and 50% of the houses built.

According to the Government, the bids make significant use of cutting edge green technologies and brownfield land – including former Ministry of Defence sites, disused airfields and industrial sites.

While some of the more than 50 proposals received for the eco-town scheme were for green belt land, DCLG said none of those shortlisted would involve building new homes on the green belt.

Housing Minister Caroline Flint said: “Eco-towns give us a unique opportunity to tackle two of the greatest challenges facing the country in tandem – the pressing need to confront climate change and deliver more affordable housing.”

She will tell potential developers who have made it on to the shortlist that she wants to see proposals improved even further, and that they must provide green technology, affordable housing and key infrastructure, safeguard wildlife and promote green spaces.

The eco-town scheme was the first major policy announcement made by Gordon Brown as he began his campaign to succeed Tony Blair as Prime Minister last year.

There were originally due to be up to five eco-towns, which aim to provide zero-carbon homes, businesses and schools and be “exemplars” in at least one area of environmental sustainability. But at last year’s Labour Party conference, the Prime Minister announced that a positive reaction to the project had spurred him to expand the plans to up to 10 towns, providing up to 100,000 green homes.