Destination Mechanics – An Article by Dr Prem in Medical + Wellness Tourism Magazine (Medical Tourism Destination)

Read original article at www.MWTourism.com

In today’s highly advanced age, al l heal the conscious people are not only aware of issues affecting their health, but they are also aware that they have alternative options in case they cannot afford or get access to treatments and procedures at their home countries. Such consciousness among the intelligent patients has led many nations to develop their medical capacities into health tourism hubs.

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A DESTINATION

In order to analyse the key indications that turn a country or a region into a health tourism destination, I have conducted a research that involved 150 industry expert ts who were asked to rank pre-researched essentials of a medical tourism destination: popularity, accessibility, quality standards of healthcare, recognition, technology and specialization, government support, cultural and social sensitiveness and affiliation with networks and associations.  Respondents ranked quality of healthcare services at a destination as the most essential component, followed by technology, facilities and specialisation. Quality as a priority feature came first as no surprise.

It is quite obvious that, if healthcare providers at destinations are reputable and facilities are accredited by recognized national and international standardization organisations, patients feel safe and secure owing to the fact that they are guaranteed to receive standardized and approved healthcare procedures. Second-ranked component was the advancement in healthcare technology. With regards to medical capabilities, different countries have developed their own reputations. The main reason why patients look forward to a medical tour is the flexibility, which they get in terms of medical knowledge, scientific and technological advancements, as well as expert super-vision and treatment. All these factors make any medical tourism destination trustworthy.

Personal and collective perception of a destination in a decision-making process should not be underestimated. Popularity of a medical tourism destination and recognition of the destination were ranked third. It is not hard to understand the fact that in order to become popular, a destination must offer various benefits to tourists such as amenities, tourism attractions, conformability  and safety, international flight connections, openness, and a sound support system, amongst many other. opularity alone might note a great help as destinations need to move towards international recognition in medical tourism.

Another essential component was government support of healthcare at a destination. The government regulatory acts and state policies play a major role in attracting health tourists’ attention. The regulatory policies passed on by the government control the tourist traffic in the global healthcare industry. These government policies assist in the orderly integration of tourism and healthcare services, which leads to more tourists coming to a destination seeking healthcare benefits and tourist attractions. Hence, the co-operation between the government regulatory acts and state policies play a major role in attracting health tourists’ attention.

Hen

ce, the co-operation between public and private sectors aim at providing improvised services to patients, via good supply of medicine and equipment, advanced medical diagnostics, outsourcing of hospital administration and health insurance. Governmental financial institutions also play a vital role in providing funds for the development of various medical projects. Meanwhile, governments themselves benefit considerably with the rise of medical tourism, as it provides employment and increases business opportunities.

Connections with medical tourism agencies, associations and business networks cannot go unnoticed.  in order to make a destination successful, local governments, business associations and providers need to get in touch with internationally recognised associations, agencies and business networks, as such co-operations boost public credibility.

The accessibility of a health tourism destination was ranked highly by survey respondents. A health tourism destination should be accessible from almost any corner of the world through commutation channels such as road, rail, or airways.

Moreover, some basic

information or good-to-know facts should be available to potential medical tourists through

various channels of communication such as government agencies and web-based services.

INDIVIDUAL PERCEPTIONS IN CHOOSING A DESTINATION

Considering the results of the survey, I believe that patients, when deciding on the choice of a health tourism destination, select from the following:

A) Quality of healthcare. Patients look into healthcare services of the destination as a whole, i.e. the combination of healthcare accreditation system along with recognition and existing inbound stream factors.

B) Evaluation and perception.

Patients pay attention to levels of comfort and tourism opportunities available at a destination.

C) Price and value proposition. As value calculation is based on benefits received minus price paid for such benefits, this evaluation could be individualistic since people would have different perceptions of benefit and price equilibrium. However, a destination must always offer value for money, even if patients travel to costlier destinations for high-end treatment. 

D) Secure social and cultural structure. Patients tend to choose socially secure and politically stable destinations in order to avoid complication. Patients are also willing to travel to destinations with similar cultural and social understandings.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY

Regardless of the importance of essential components and their ranking, one fact is sure that every good medical tourism destination ultimately helps industry to grow. First of all, branded destinations, such as ‘Singapore healthcare’, promote medical tourism as organized structures. Further, destinations with reasonable prices are the ones that reflect the true values of the medical tourism industry. To exemplify, does India not give a big saving image in patients' minds? Having in mind up to 50-75 per cent cost savings, patients are lured to evaluate medical tourism options of this destination.

Emerging health tourism destinations create a sense of industry competition. For instance, Taiwan’s intention to support medical tourism would enhance competition in the region. And this will make other destinations create better value products, thus creating beneficial conditions for the industry’s growth. Moreover, regional destinations create joint activities for effectiveness and are moving towards relationship management, defined target markets and niche segmentation.

So no matter what component a destination selects to highlight to become a recognized medical tourism destination, it is certain that a good health tourism destination is a good boost for the medical tourism industry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DR PREM JAGYASI

 A successful entrepreneur and experienced strategic professional, Dr Prem Jagyasi is a renowned Chartered Management, Healthcare Marketing and Medical Tourism Consultant. He has contributed extensively to medical tourism and global healthcare. He is known for his distinctive thinking and approach in medical tourism, and is regarded as a knowledgeable personality in the industry. He can be contacted at: www.DrPrem.com