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World Medical Resources, an online directory for international medical travelers.
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Burnaby Medical Tourism Firm Expands to Seattle
Burnaby-based Surgical Tourism Canada -- which arranges overseas medical trips for Canadians -- has opened its first U.S. office in Seattle.
The three-year-old private company handles more than 100 clients a year who pay to avoid Canadian waiting lines by travelling overseas for hospital surgery and recuperation in five-star resorts.
STC representative Glenn Sergius said there's a growing demand from U.S. residents who want to do the same thing.
"A lot of Americans are underinsured or not insured at all [for medical coverage], so they have to pay for everything all the time," he said. "They're looking for the best value they can find."
Sergius said surgeries performed in India can cost less than half what they would be in the U.S. For example, spinal surgery that costs $15,000 in India could cost more than $40,000 in the U.S.
STC, owned by former hospital administrator Yasmeen Sayeed, sends patients to hospitals and resorts in India, Mexico, Thailand and the Philippines. The most popular operations are for hips, knees, necks, spines and cancer.
Sergius said there is also a lot of "revisionist surgery" -- procedures required to improve upon a patient's previous procedure.
He said business at STC has almost doubled every year since it opened its doors in June 2005. The company also has business agents in Penticton and Toronto.
Sergius said most clients want the service because they're in pain and don't want to wait for medical care.
"Most of our clients go to India because the hospitals are superb," he said. "Canadians are not accustomed to the level of service they receive in Indian hospitals."
Sergius said most people choose to go where there is a resort where they can recuperate after the operation.
The company can also send Canadians to a Bellingham, Wash., hospital if they can't travel a long distance, but the costs are much higher than going overseas.
There are at least 15 Canadian-based medical tourism companies whose clients fly to Latin America, Europe and Asia for treatment.
The global medical tourism industry generated about $20 billion in revenue in 2005 and that figure is expected to double to $40 billion by 2010, according to a recent report by U.S. business research firm Frost and Sullivan.
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OPERATION PRICE SHOPPING
Some comparisons of surgery costs in India and the U.S.
An additional cost of about $5,000 for airfare and post-operation accommodation must be added to the cost of overseas surgery.
- Total knee replacement: $13,500 in India and $23,000 in the U.S.
- Total hip replacement: $14,500 in India and $27,000 in the U.S.
- Cardiac bypass: $15,000 in India and $60,000 in the U.S.
- Spinal surgery: $15,000 in India and $40,000 in the U.S.
Source: Surgical Tourism Canada
Bruce Constantineau, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, July 04, 2008
© The Vancouver Sun 2008 |
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About Medical Tourism
World Medical Resources has created this online medical travel directory to give potential medical travelers access to information about the medical tourism industry. Browse or search our site for information about: doctors (including specialists) and medical facilities abroad that cater to patients from other countries; medical travel planners who specialize in assisting medical tourists with their medical travel arrangements; medical procedures available overseas; and general medical travel news and advice for those planning to travel for healthcare procedures.
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