Nearly half a million ‘medical travelers’ flock to the Lion City annually for their health needs

Unless you’ve been a castaway on a desert island for the past five years, you have already heard about it. It’s the biggest thing to happen to the global tourist industry since the Boeing 747.

We’re talking of course about ‘medical tourism,’ sometimes referred to as ‘health tourism.’ This the new type of travel has taken off in the US just like a 747. The combination of America’s aging baby boomers and the increasingly high costs of medical procedures and health care in the US has led many Americans to seek lower costs alternatives elsewhere. But the key of course is quality care.

More than a dozen different countries — from Jordan and Japan, to India and Thailand — are now actively marketing themselves as the ideal place to combine a relaxing holiday with a needed medical procedure. For Americans considering medical procedures aboard, however, it is Singapore which genuinely sets the gold bar for the very highest standards of medical care.

The reason is simple: while a few of the very top hospitals in places like India or Thailand may be compared to the best hospitals in the United States, each and every one of Singapore’s hospitals can equal the highest standards of the very best American hospitals.

Indeed, Singapore has more Joint Commission International (JCI) registered hospitals than any other nation besides the United States — the JCI is the international arm of the medical body which accredits American hospitals. This means that every single hospital in Singapore has been acknowledged as matching or exceeding America’s own standards.

What makes Singapore such a compelling choice for those seeking high quality medical care at costs far lower than available in the US, is that unlike other so called “medical tourist” destinations, Singapore has long been known as a leading international medical hub in its own right.

As one of the world’s most affluent and best educated nations, Singapore has long been heavily investing in its own medical facilities. The happy result, both for residents and visiting medical travelers, is that today the Lion City boasts one of the finest health care systems in the world. Many of its doctors have trained and worked overseas in the best international hospitals. And Singapore’s own medical and bio-medical researchers have helped develop a number of break through medical procedures.

Singapore is distinguished for its world-class biomedical research. In 2004, the government opened a massive multi-million dollar bio-research center called Biopolis, which has attracted hundreds of bio-medical researchers from all across the globe to come live and work in Singapore.

What is more, many of the world’s best-known pharmaceutical and medical technology and firms have set up their manufacturing plants here.

World famous hospitals such as Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins and The West Clinic cancer center of Minnesota, have also opened specialist medical clinics in Singapore.

What is also impressive about Singapore, from the medical traveler’s point of view, is the sheer range of medical procedures and services available. These range from cosmetic procedures, and overall health screening, to multipart specialty care such as ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, neurosurgery and oncology.

Indeed, for some procedures Singapore has special strengths. The Singapore National Eye Center (www.snec.com.sg), for example, is renown for its Lasik procedure and surgery for detached retinas. And Singapore’s National Neuroscience Institute performs the latest and most innovative procedures involving brain and spinal problems. The list goes on and on, and the word about Singapore’s superb medical facilities is rapidly spreading.

Last year, for example, in a detailed survey of 25,000 of its well-traveled readers, Readers’ Digest found that they ranked Singapore second only to the United States, as the most favored healthcare destination. Also in 2007, Singapore won the “Best Medical / Wellness Tourism Destination” award in the Travel Weekly Magazine’s Industry Awards 2007.

According to Dr. Jason C. H. Yap, the Director of Healthcare Services with the Singapore Tourism Board, in 2006 more than 400,000 visitors came to Singapore specifically to take advantage of its medical facilities, which is roughly four percent of the nearly ten million tourists who come to Singapore on holiday every year.

In fact, Singapore’s medical sector is already so accustomed to dealing with medical travelers that most Singapore hospitals boast their own International Patient Service Centers, which cater exclusively to international patients, and their families. These centers provide a whole range of services from setting up your initial medical appointments, and getting referrals, to helping with admission, as well as travel and visa arrangements. They can even arrange accommodations and sightseeing arrangements for your family.
Despite the extremely high quality of the medical care available in Singapore, the costs can as low as one-fifth of what a similar procedure or operation carried out in the US would cost. For example, while knee replacement surgery might cost $40,000 in the United States, it can often be done in a Singapore hospital for $13,000. And a heart bypass operation that would cost $130,000 in America can often be done for under $20,000 in Singapore.

Another advantage of Singapore over any other destination in Asia is that English is the official language here, so there is the wonderful peace of mind that comes when you know that every doctor, nurse, aide and medical staffer will be able to discuss your case in English!

Last but not least, being a medical tourist in Singapore means that your post-operative recovery takes place in a beautiful tropical island, a clean green island that boasts some of the world’s finest hotels and resorts, a vivid nightlife, and some of the finest food in the world. Then there is the famous brand name shopping. With all the money you’ve saved by having your medical needs met here, you will have plenty left over to splurge on the great Singapore shopping bargains!

For more information about medical services and facilities in Singapore go to http://www.singaporemedicine.com.