Hong Kong has long benefitted from an excellent health care system, and its people enjoy one of the longest life expectancies in the world. However, while our public hospitals are generally modern and well-equipped, the burden of a growing and aging population can often mean a lengthy wait for non-emergency procedures. The private hospitals, in contrast, feature rooms to rival five-star hotels, but often have price lists to match.
For many who are looking forward to a relaxing retirement, these health care issues can represent one of their single biggest concerns. And quite understandably too.
Fortunately, there is of course an alternative. The past 10 years have seen a boom in medical tourism, especially in Asia, with hundreds of thousands of people choosing to go abroad for a simple check-up, diagnosis or treatment. In Malaysia alone, the market grew from HK$102 million in 2001 to HK$1.2 billion in 2011, according to the country’s Healthcare Travel Council.
‘Medical tourism’ is explained in Wikipedia as covering “patient movement from highly developed nations to other areas of the world for medical care, usually to find treatment at a lower cost. Medical tourism is different from the traditional model of international medical travel where patients generally journey from less developed nations to major medical centers in highly developed countries for medical treatment that is unavailable in their own communities”.
The benefits of medical tourism are obvious – no long waits, costs only a fraction of those in Hong Kong for certain operations and dental procedures, and with some careful planning, you could even combine your medical trip with a holiday and recuperate on a sunny beach (but best to keep the sunblock on; you don’t want to ruin that nice complexion or facelift with a megadose of UV radiation).
Dr Eugene Wu, an associate consultant at Prince of Wales Hospital, has experience of working in other Asian countries. He says the majority of medical tourism is for health checks, e.g., blood tests for cholesterol, tumour markers to screen for cancer, and exercise tests to check for heart disease. Relatively simple procedures such as colonoscopy also fall into this category.
“For this category there are two main markets,” he says. “The low-cost markets are Malaysia and Thailand, and, as the procedures and tests are simple they do this quite well and it’s good value for money. The high-end market – that of the US – is very expensive. Of course standards in the US are very high and the equipment is impressive; [but] so is the price.”
For more complex procedures such as medical or cosmetic surgery, he says: “Beauty operations are of course growing in Korea, and also to a lesser degree in Taiwan,” and though there are still concerns over standards for other procedures offered in places like Malaysia and Thailand, this does not mean you should not go – particularly if it’s something non-surgical. It is also important that yours be an informed decision.
William, a professional in his 40s, has been going to Thailand for dental work. “I’ve now been to two places in Bangkok – ThantakitInternationalDentalCenter and the Phyathai 2 International Hospital. Both times I’ve gone in on the Monday for the major work, then back on the Friday for the fitting,” he says.
“I had seven crowns put in and they came in at THB15,000 (then approximately HK$3,600) per tooth which was a saving of around HK$2,000-HK$3,000 per tooth. Even with flights and accommodation and various sundry items added on, it still made sense.”
The figures speak for themselves, and although William is a long way from retirement, the money he has saved now is money saved later in more ways than one. Costs continue to rise, which means you could save more by making such a trip sooner rather than later.
With the proliferation of hospitals, clinics and providers, choosing where to go can be somewhat overwhelming. For both his trips, William went on the recommendation of friends, and, as long as your friends are sensible and you still do your homework, that may be a reasonable policy. Dr Wu warns not to rely solely on this, however, especially for serious surgery:
“The main issue with medical tourism is the difficulty in choosing. The patient cannot know who is good and who is not. The standard of care in Malaysia and Thailand is very variable. I travel around to do cases in those countries too, so have a bit of experience. There are good surgeons and bad surgeons. The standard is better and more consistent in the US. The best way to choose a hospital or clinic for an operation is not to do so, but to choose a surgeon instead.
“It’s best to look at the surgeons’ training and case volume. A US-trained surgeon is likely to be solid. A UK/Western European trained surgeon is a good pick. In common procedures make sure the surgeon has done 50 cases per year of that operation in the past few years.
“Go for the younger surgeons – those who are in their 40s to early 50s – they tend to have more updated training. Most areas in surgery change dramatically each decade so the training is almost obsolete after 10 years. Assuming the surgeon was trained when he was 33-35 years old, then 40 should be his peak; he has had five years under the belt. By 45 he is already falling behind with new developments so it’s best to avoid surgeons over 50 – unless it is a surgery that is very rare and where experience matters much more than new technique. But usually for medical tourism this is not the kind of operation people go for.”
Concerns over standards of care are understandable, but the industry has come a long way from the early days and the occasional horror stories that emerged. Now, as long as you are sensible, keep Dr Wu’s advice at the front of your mind and remember that no matter where you are or what you are buying, you will generally get what you pay for, you should join the majority who receive good care.
William was more than satisfied with his experience: “At both places the service was exceptional. No complaints at all. At the hospital the doctor spoke fluent English and Chinese and they had asked if I wanted to go through everything beforehand with a native English speaker to make sure there was no confusion.”
And his tips for anyone planning a medical holiday?
“Shop around because the market has grown considerably and some places are creeping up towards Hong Kong prices. The hospitals are a good option because you can go beyond dentistry and get treatment for all that ails you – or get checked for anything that might in the future.”
Hong Kong has long benefitted from an excellent health care system, and its people enjoy one of the longest life expectancies in the world. However, while our public hospitals are generally modern and well-equipped, the burden of a growing and aging population can often mean a lengthy wait for non-emergency procedures. The private hospitals, in contrast, feature rooms to rival five-star hotels, but often have price lists to match.
For many who are looking forward to a relaxing retirement, these health care issues can represent one of their single biggest concerns. And quite understandably too.
Fortunately, there is of course an alternative. The past 10 years have seen a boom in medical tourism, especially in Asia, with hundreds of thousands of people choosing to go abroad for a simple check-up, diagnosis or treatment. In Malaysia alone, the market grew from HK$102 million in 2001 to HK$1.2 billion in 2011, according to the country’s Healthcare Travel Council.
‘Medical tourism’ is explained in Wikipedia as covering “patient movement from highly developed nations to other areas of the world for medical care, usually to find treatment at a lower cost. Medical tourism is different from the traditional model of international medical travel where patients generally journey from less developed nations to major medical centers in highly developed countries for medical treatment that is unavailable in their own communities”.
The benefits of medical tourism are obvious – no long waits, costs only a fraction of those in Hong Kong for certain operations and dental procedures, and with some careful planning, you could even combine your medical trip with a holiday and recuperate on a sunny beach (but best to keep the sunblock on; you don’t want to ruin that nice complexion or facelift with a megadose of UV radiation).
Dr Eugene Wu, an associate consultant at Prince of Wales Hospital, has experience of working in other Asian countries. He says the majority of medical tourism is for health checks, e.g., blood tests for cholesterol, tumour markers to screen for cancer, and exercise tests to check for heart disease. Relatively simple procedures such as colonoscopy also fall into this category.
“For this category there are two main markets,” he says. “The low-cost markets are Malaysia and Thailand, and, as the procedures and tests are simple they do this quite well and it’s good value for money. The high-end market – that of the US – is very expensive. Of course standards in the US are very high and the equipment is impressive; [but] so is the price.”
For more complex procedures such as medical or cosmetic surgery, he says: “Beauty operations are of course growing in Korea, and also to a lesser degree in Taiwan,” and though there are still concerns over standards for other procedures offered in places like Malaysia and Thailand, this does not mean you should not go – particularly if it’s something non-surgical. It is also important that yours be an informed decision.
William, a professional in his 40s, has been going to Thailand for dental work. “I’ve now been to two places in Bangkok – ThantakitInternationalDentalCenter and the Phyathai 2 International Hospital. Both times I’ve gone in on the Monday for the major work, then back on the Friday for the fitting,” he says.
“I had seven crowns put in and they came in at THB15,000 (then approximately HK$3,600) per tooth which was a saving of around HK$2,000-HK$3,000 per tooth. Even with flights and accommodation and various sundry items added on, it still made sense.”
The figures speak for themselves, and although William is a long way from retirement, the money he has saved now is money saved later in more ways than one. Costs continue to rise, which means you could save more by making such a trip sooner rather than later.
With the proliferation of hospitals, clinics and providers, choosing where to go can be somewhat overwhelming. For both his trips, William went on the recommendation of friends, and, as long as your friends are sensible and you still do your homework, that may be a reasonable policy. Dr Wu warns not to rely solely on this, however, especially for serious surgery:
“The main issue with medical tourism is the difficulty in choosing. The patient cannot know who is good and who is not. The standard of care in Malaysia and Thailand is very variable. I travel around to do cases in those countries too, so have a bit of experience. There are good surgeons and bad surgeons. The standard is better and more consistent in the US. The best way to choose a hospital or clinic for an operation is not to do so, but to choose a surgeon instead.
“It’s best to look at the surgeons’ training and case volume. A US-trained surgeon is likely to be solid. A UK/Western European trained surgeon is a good pick. In common procedures make sure the surgeon has done 50 cases per year of that operation in the past few years.
“Go for the younger surgeons – those who are in their 40s to early 50s – they tend to have more updated training. Most areas in surgery change dramatically each decade so the training is almost obsolete after 10 years. Assuming the surgeon was trained when he was 33-35 years old, then 40 should be his peak; he has had five years under the belt. By 45 he is already falling behind with new developments so it’s best to avoid surgeons over 50 – unless it is a surgery that is very rare and where experience matters much more than new technique. But usually for medical tourism this is not the kind of operation people go for.”
Concerns over standards of care are understandable, but the industry has come a long way from the early days and the occasional horror stories that emerged. Now, as long as you are sensible, keep Dr Wu’s advice at the front of your mind and remember that no matter where you are or what you are buying, you will generally get what you pay for, you should join the majority who receive good care.
William was more than satisfied with his experience: “At both places the service was exceptional. No complaints at all. At the hospital the doctor spoke fluent English and Chinese and they had asked if I wanted to go through everything beforehand with a native English speaker to make sure there was no confusion.”
And his tips for anyone planning a medical holiday?
“Shop around because the market has grown considerably and some places are creeping up towards Hong Kong prices. The hospitals are a good option because you can go beyond dentistry and get treatment for all that ails you – or get checked for anything that might in the future.”