MMedsolution Mmed Solution

One concern during foreign travel is outbreak and transmission of salmonella and salmonellosis - food borne infections.

It may well be true that after a careful examination of medical tourism treatment issues and options that a host country is chosen - indeed well chosen. However there may be weak links of hygiene and food handling hygiene and food borne contaminant issues along your chosen route of travels. Considerations are due here as well.

What are the signs and symptoms of Salmonella and Salmonellosis to be on the lookout for ? The clinical presentation and history is generally one of a bacterial disease characterized and manifested by acute enterrocolitis with sudden headache , sudden onset of headache, abdominal pain and pains, diarrhea, naseau and sometimes vomiting. Dehydration , especially among infants or the elderly may be severe. Fever almost is always present. Anorexhia and diarhea often persist for day. Infection may occur and develop into blood poisioning or infections . Deaths are uncommon , except in the very young, the very old , the debilitated and the immunosuppressed in such as in A.I.D.S. . ( Acquired autoimmune deficiency syndrome)

It is often thought that the only reason couples seek “Medical Tourism: due to cost and cost savings only. In many cases the reason for the travel to seek medical care elsewhere is due to limited availability of certain procedures and treatments which are not available at “home”.

An example is that families from the U.K. are seeking human fertility treatment overseas. There are limited treatment options available in the United Kingdom and what is available for medical care is relatively expensive compared to options available to “Medical Tourists” and “Medical Tourism”

Assisted fertility procedures that are available in the United Kingdom are available in many clinics in Eastern Europe specifically in this case Poland. True the costs of this treatment are much less expensive in Poland even when one factors in travel costs. In this case a major factor in the choice to couples seeking fertility treatments are access to treatments which are often not available in the U.K. In addition if comparable treatments are available not only is the wait time less, which is a major consideration with patients in whom the biological clock has tick tocked too long.

Rapid world travel and communication technologies have made these options of overseas rather than only local treatment of Human Fertility Treatments.

Medical Tourism Medical Tourism

www.mmedsolution.com

Life is not always a question of costs. Yet cost is usually “part of the mix”. What are some representative prices for medical tourism in nearby Costa Rica?

To begin with most of the medical practitioners in Costa Rica are trained here in the good old U.S.A. Usually the senior charge nurses as well come from senior established families who have sent them off for education and training.

As a rough guide it costs $ 1600 for a nose job. The Comparison to an American based treatment is a cost estimate of $ 3000. Face lifts compare at $ 2199 vs. $ 4,000.

These estimates are total cost estimates with average air fare, hotel, average costs in Costa Rica and transportation costs

Mmedical Tourism
www.mmedsolution.com

Hungarians Bribing Doctors Increases Health Spending (Update1)

By Alex Kuli

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) — For Magdolna Vincze, free health care was never so expensive.

When giving birth to her second son in 2004, her payroll contributions into the state insurance system weren’t enough to guarantee the medical care she needed, she said. So Vincze did what she said is expected of patients: She bribed staff at Budapest’s Szent Margit hospital more than 100,000 forint ($522), about a month’s take-home pay for the average Hungarian.

“Everyone knows it’s unethical,” says Vincze, a 34-year-old telephone company worker. “People feel pressured. They’re afraid they won’t get personal attention, the doctor won’t even look at them, the nurses won’t go into the room, they won’t tell them about the newest treatments.”

Hungarians grew up giving communist-era doctors what they call “gratitude money” to secure comforts not provided by the state. Hungarians now pay doctors as much as 100 billion forint under the table a year, Health Minister Agnes Horvath says. The practice inflates Hungary’s health budget as doctors prescribe unnecessary procedures in hopes of maximizing illicit income, she says.

The debate over bribery comes as the government proposes changes to the way health care is funded and paid for. Medical spending affects the country’s battle against the European Union’s widest budget deficit, which reached 9.2 percent of gross domestic product last year.

The shortfall forced Hungary to abandon plans to adopt the euro as its currency by 2010. Overspending on health alone last year was equivalent to about 2 percent of GDP, according to the Health Ministry’s Web site.

Acceptable, But Unfair

About 60 percent of Hungarians consider medical bribery acceptable, though nearly all of them say it’s unfair, according to an opinion survey published July 24 by Median, a private Budapest polling agency. More than a third would ban it, the poll showed.

Horvath’s measures to fight bribery include a 300-forint fee for doctor’s visits, which used to be free. Patients who pay a fee are less likely to slip cash to the doctor, she said.

Ferenc Odor, a member of the main opposition party, Fidesz, instructed hospitals July 31 to post Horvath’s picture on machines where patients pay the fee, according to a party Web site.

“People should know who to thank,” the statement said.

Horvath’s party, the Free Democrats’ Alliance, responded by asking Odor to provide patients with bribery envelopes bearing a picture of Fidesz leader Viktor Orban.

Stay Awhile

Some doctors prescribe unnecessary hospital stays because overnight patients are more likely to hand out cash, Horvath said. Slightly more than 2 percent of surgeries were performed on an outpatient basis in Hungary in 2004, compared with 53 percent in Britain and 48 percent in the Netherlands, according to the Health Ministry’s Web site.

Doctors hate taking cash and prescribing unnecessary treatments, says Geza Gyenes, chief secretary at the Hungarian Doctor’s Chamber. The problem is, doctors are underpaid, with some earning a base pay near minimum wage, he said.

“An assistant bricklayer gets paid better than a doctor,” Gyenes says. “If we didn’t have gratitude money, not one doctor would have stayed in this country” after communism collapsed, he said.

Still, many doctors are well paid, and bribes exacerbate income differences, says Finance Minister Janos Veres.

“Who gets the most gratitude money? The professor at the clinic, whose income isn’t low,” Veres says. “Who gets the least? The coroner in the mortuary, even though his salary is low.”

Commonplace

Medical bribery remains commonplace in the east 17 years after communism collapsed, former Dutch Health Minister Hans Hoogervorst, who served as an adviser to Hungary’s health ministry earlier this year, said at a June 14 press conference.

Latvian President Valdis Zatlers, a surgeon, told the Diena newspaper in May that he’d received under-the-table gifts from patients during his 27-year career. He didn’t specify when, or how much he’d received. He was fined 250 lati ($495) in July in connection with an incomplete tax declaration, state revenue service spokeswoman Agnete Busta said.

The city of Budapest, which owns Szent Margit and other hospitals, doesn’t have the wherewithal to eliminate gratuities, Deputy Mayor Csaba Horvath said July 20.

“It’s impossible to change a 40- to 50-year-old practice from one day to the next, that’s why banning it wouldn’t be effective on its own,” says Horvath, who is no relation to the health minister.

Options

Criminalizing the practice will only drive it underground, Health Minister Horvath says. Instead, the ministry has implemented rules to ensure patients don’t bribe their way to the front of a waiting list, she said.

In June, she awarded 3.3 billion forint to institutions to build outpatient surgery facilities. Hospitals can save an estimated 814 million forint a year by not requiring patients to stay overnight for certain operations, Horvath said at an Aug. 9 press conference.

Hungary’s program to overhaul health insurance may help to eliminate bribes, says Mihaly Kokeny, a member of Parliament who heads the Health Committee. By 2009, the state will break its single health insurer into several funds with minority private ownership. The funds will choose which hospitals they’ll contract with and may stay away from the ones they deem corrupt, he says.

Competition between providers has eliminated coercive tipping in other formerly communist industries, such as gas stations, said Zsombor Kovacsy, president of the Hungarian Health Insurance Supervisory Authority.

“Without gratitude money, they filled your car with petrol, but didn’t clean it at all,” he said in a May 21 interview. “Now, I never give gratitude money to the petrol station guys, and they do everything. So I think that the mentality of competition and well-regulated procedures can help a lot.”

Polling data shows that Slovakia discouraged bribery after it introduced visit fees similar to Hungary’s in 2003, said Tomas Szalay, a partner at the Health Policy Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Patients “pay cash and feel that it isn’t for free,” he says. “Why should they give something more?”

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Kuli in Budapest at akuli@bloomberg.net

Medical Tourism  Hungary
www.mmedsolution.com

Malaysia serves as an excellent example of the growth of medical tourism.

Medical , as well as dental tourism , was only instituted formally in the medical community with legislation and guidelines in 1999. Since that time Medical Tourism has taken off as an industry in malaysia both as medical and health tourism. The contributions to the Malaysian economy have been susbtantial. In the fiscal year 2006 a count total of close to 300,ooo tourists and gross revenue of 32.8 million dollars was achieved.

Mmedical Tourism
www.mmedsolution.com

Mmedical Tourism

It can be said that it is best to shop at home. You know the people and institutions well. They are familiar. It is close to family and friends should you need their help and support - whether it be emotional or logistical roles or both.

However you may have severely immobilizing arthritis which after years of discomfort has become increasingly bad and the disabilities in function have reduced your abilities and the overall quality of life in major ways.

Arthritis is a progressive joint disease. Most people have the effects of normal wear and tear on their joints. They suffer over time “osteoarthritis”. It is the rheumatoid or inflammatory arthritis that is the real trouble maker. The joints become red, hot and inflamed. Not only is normal function of joints difficult but damage to the joints occurs over time as the inflammatory process does more and more damage to the joint tissues itself,

In three years up to 3/4 of all rheumatoid arthritis patients have evidence of damage as shown by their x-rays. By 10 years fully 50 % of these poor people are disabled and unable to work. They may be given therapy - the basis of medical care is aspirin (salicyclates) in much higher dosages than would normally be given for your cough and cold. To that other drugs are added to reduce the inflammation. Often these drugs are very hard on the patient’s stomach. Coated aspirin can be used which coats the pill to avoid stomach contact but ultimately it is the pills and medications in the end that limit themselves. By the end of all - 50 % of these rheumatoid arthritis patients are disabled. Their lives and their abilities to the activities that we take for granted are limited.

If the person is in a queue for treatment, is unable to get treatment or cannot afford treatment off shore medical tourism may be an option for prompt hip or new replacement which they may not otherwise have access to.

If looked at in dollars and cents as an economic measure is generally 75 % less cost (with travel and hospitality costs included) than the same procedure in the U.S. or the U.K.

It is now wonder that medical tourism is a major growth industry in many formerly non first world countries of the world.

Mmedical Tourism
www.mmedsolution.com

Mmedical Tourism
www.mmedsolution.com

A nearby geographic area to the United States that may well emerge as a growth area for medical tourism is the Caribbean basin. The Caribbean has the location - close to the United States, as well as a well established tourist trade an infrastructure. It is basically one service industry in place of along side another. Transportation routes as well as budget fares and charters are widely available and established. When you think of why should an American or even a European fly to India or Thailand when the Caribbean nations are closer and easier to get to.

In the United States the “baby boom” generation is demanding more and better health care. Canadians and Europeans find themselves at the long end of cues. In 2004 India alone generated more than $ 359 million dollars in health care tourism.

Indeed the many of the Caribbean nations are former English colonies. Language and culture is similar to that of the United States and Canada. Many of the medical and administrative staff of the medical community was indeed trained in the United States and Canada. Indeed there is a major emphasis in the Caribbean communities on education and further education.

Along with the infrastructure of the tourism industry , the transportation network in place , the geographical nearness and cultural similarities medical tourism is an industry which is an will take shape more and more in the near future

Mmedical Tourism
www.mmedsolution.com

Every year tourists descend upon Guadalajara, often referred to as the most Mexican of Mexican cities, where the crooning of mariachi music originated.

But first-time visitor Jennifer Guerra, from Houston, pays no attention to Mexico’s most celebrated symbol. She’s in Guadalajara for one reason alone: “I’m getting a tummy tuck tomorrow,” she says, nervously.

Indeed, Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-biggest city, has become a new “in” place for Americans such as Guerra seeking plastic surgery, fueled by word of mouth and the same cheap prices that have given rise to the growing phenomenon of medical tourism worldwide. Tour operators make planning for surgery south of the U.S. border as simple as booking a vacation.

“The number of those traveling (outside the U.S. for plastic surgery) has grown dramatically,” says Tony Stuffier, the marketing and public-relations manager for the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, or ISAPS. “Mexico is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.”

Guadalajara’s proximity to tourist spots such as Puerto Vallarta and Lake Chapel, where one of the largest American retirement communities resides in Mexico, has helped boost its appeal as a place for Americans to seek plastic surgery.

Though ISAPS could not confirm the ratio, those in Guadalajara boast that the city has more certified plastic surgeons per capita anywhere in Latin America outside Rio de Janeiro. Guadalajara also has a public hospital that gives poor people access to plastic surgery at discounted rates, says plastic surgeon Jose Guerrerosantos.

“We say that no one is unattractive in Guadalajara,” jokes Martha Vinegars, a resident. “There are poor people but no ugly ones.”

On a recent afternoon, Jose Amicus fights through rush-hour traffic in Guadalajara on his way to visit Guerra and her sister-in-law. Amicus spent his professional life in tourism before moving into the plastic-surgery industry six years ago. Today he is a driver for Air Lift, a North Carolina company that connects patients in Guadalajara with a surgeon, arranges a room and meals at a private home, and provides local transportation.

Door-to-door service
He picks them up from the airport takes them to their initial appointments with the doctor and gives them a ride after surgery.

“The women are often nervous,” he says, “but these two at least understand some Spanish.”

When he arrives at their accommodations in Guadalajara, Guerra is sitting at the kitchen table. “I was always scared to go to Mexico,” says Guerra, rattling off the botched jobs she’s heard of. But Imelda Balding, who provides the shelter for Air Lift, dotes over Guerra in her home. The mother of four grown children, she giggles over her own fussiness.

“My children are gone,” explains Balding, who serves her patients food in bed when they don’t feel well. “I think about if I went to another country for surgery, I would want a parent there.”

“She’s better than a mom,” says Guerra.

As it is for other types of medical tourism, to places as far away as India and Thailand, price is the driving factor in going abroad for care. Guerrerosantos, who is doing Guerra’s surgery, says a tummy tuck that costs $4,000 in Mexico would be $15,000 in the U.S. At least three Americans a month receive his care, he says.

Tour operators such as Air Lift make the process much easier. Beverly McCarter has been running the company since 2001 and says that since then about 600 Americans have traveled to Guadalajara for the firm’s services. Her company works exclusively with Guerrerosantos, a widely respected doctor who trained in the U.S. The public hospital bears his name, and he does reconstructive surgery for free there.

He says Guadalajara is a beauty-conscious town. Of six surgeries he does a week, five are for aesthetic purposes.

McCarter says her company differs from other plastic-surgery operators because she doesn’t market this as a holiday. “You see some of the companies on the Web and photos of women with margaritas in their hands,” she says, scoffing. “This is serious.”

Risks involved
leaving the U.S. for health needs is not new, but as U.S. medical costs soar and insurance remains out of reach for many, and elective surgeries such as face-lifts become less taboo, organizations such as ISAPS are moving to issue guidelines on medical tourism and warn patients of risks.

Although ISAPS has members in many countries and does not endorse or condone medical tourism, Stuffier urges patients to consider the risks.

Mmedical Tourism

www.mmedsolution.com

T here were incidences of faulty tires, excessively flammable candles, weakly structured hammocks, poorly written baby rib instructions, bad wiring on fake palm trees, badly made saws, weak bicycle frames, as well as toxic toothpaste containing diethylene glycol an antifreeze agent which poisons the liver and kidneys and depresses the central nervous system. Diethylene glycol was evidently also found in cold medicine sold in Panama which caused 100 deaths. While the fatalities may not seem mind boggling, what is cause for concern, is the wide variety of ‘Made in china’ products that have been scrutinized. Rather than quality paired with affordability, the ‘Made in China‘ label is dubious and almost seen as a warning or declaration of poor quality to many consumers. China has developed into a major factory state and export power house capable of producing anything and everything, efficiently and on a budget. ‘Made in China‘ meant cheap yet quality products, unfortunately, now many see it as, just cheap. This negative image could not have escalated at a more inopportune time, since in just a few short months China will be host to the 2008 Olympics. An international event that’ll have the whole world watching what China delivers in terms of hospitality and safety. Chinese products quite simply dominate global markets, as such China’s largely export driven economy, (for now) treads on precariously as Beijing contemplates ways to improve the country’s image - fast! Authorities as such have become extra diligent in publicizing action taken against companies and accountable officials, who proved to have faltered standards. For instance in May, Zheng Xiaoyu, head of China’s Food and Drug Administration was sentenced to death for approving fake medicines in exchange for bribes. While officials from the factory that produced the melamine linked to countless pet deaths in the US have been detained. While export standards have been questioned, evidently matters are much worse for China itself. Factories producing domestic goods reportedly have lower standards than export hubs, according to author Zhou Qing’s written account - ‘What Kind of God’. He mentions countless accounts of harmful additives including soy sauce tainted with arsenic contaminated human hair, hormone infused fast-food and so forth. He states how while scandal regarding exported goods is a relatively new issue, similar regards domestically have gone on much longer, resulting in an astounding number of related fatalities. The recent out and out about the quality of Chinese make has led China to fire back with complaints themselves. Chinese food inspectors have banned meat products from seven U.S. companies from being imported into their country; after a range of contamination issues were uncovered, according to news agency Xinhua. It is crucial for China to ensure that the ‘Made in China‘ label regains its status, as at least a reliable brand, if not a global head hunter. Otherwise China’s quick economic boom risks an equally rapid dive to depravity in terms of its global image. FACTS: ——— Bogus antibiotics produced in Anhui caused six deaths and 80 illness’ in 2006 In 2004, 50 babies died and 200 were left malnourished on account of unsafe formula From toxic face cream, deadly fireworks to candy that reportedly choked children to death, virtually every category of products produced in China now face strict scrutiny. At least 300 million Chinese citizens (roughly the same number as the U.S. population) suffer from food-borne diseases annually, according to recent reports by the Asian Development Bank and World Health Organization. Chinese-made Landwind SUV received the worst crash rating awarded by a German auto club Chinese automakers, Geely postponed plans to export to the West due to difficulties in ensuring safety and performance standards Three decades ago, China’s big manufacturers were state-owned enterprises, and the government could guarantee quality control. N Millions of private enterprises have made it difficult to regulate a cutthroat market economy China banned imports from seven US companies including Tyson Foods, Sanderson Farms, Intervision Foods, AJC International, Cargill Meat Solutions

Mmedical Tourism

Riv Import Car Canada

www.mmedsolution.com