Comments

WOW Valarie..The point that jumped out at me was her employer helping her find alternatives when the company health plan wouldn't cover it. Thumbs way up to that employer. Maybe market forces will help cause insurance reform here; obviously our government isn't willing or able to step in. I would have no difficulty being treated in India.

Posted by Mike Neiss at October 24, 2006 11:08 AM

Why not? Our electronic medical records are there already.

Posted by Darrell Pruitt DDS at October 24, 2006 12:47 PM

Mike wrote "obviously our government isn't willing or able to step in."

Obviously our government didn't need to, either.

The government can improve this person's individual situation by passing legistlation which allows for the entire trip and procedure to be tax deductible however.

Posted by Jack at October 24, 2006 2:59 PM

My dear friend: THAT IS GLOBALIZATION!

The HEALTH CARE sector in India has witnessed an enormous growth in infrastructure in the private and voluntary sector. The private sector, which was very modest in the early stages, has now become a flourishing industry equipped with the most modern state-of-the-art technology at its disposal. It is estimated that 75-80 percent of healthcare services and investments in India are now provided by the private sector.

An added plus had been that India has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world. It is self-sufficient in drug production and exports drugs to more than 180 countries. Using the latest technical equipment and the services of highly skilled medical personnel, these hospitals are in a position to provide a variety of general as well as specialists services.

The demand for healthcare services in India has grown from $4.8 billion in 1991 to $22.8 billion in 2001-2002, a compound annual growth rate of 16 percent. The healthcare industry accounted for 5.2% of India’s GDP in 2002n and this figure could reach $47 billion or 6.2% to 7.5% of GDP by 2012.

On the one hand, the Indian middle class, with its increasing purchasing power, is more willing that ever before to pay more for quality healthcare. On the other, the supply of healthcare services has grown steadily, as the private sector becomes more involved in owning and running hospitals. Therefore, it’s a Win-Win for everyone!

Posted by K.Sriram at October 24, 2006 9:30 PM

Great idea I have been trying to convince friends and family of. Bumgrunrad Hostipal in Bangkok Thailand is a great hospital to take a look at if you are considering this type of thing. www.bumrungrad.com
(I am an expat living in Laos who goes to Bangkok of my medical care).

Posted by M.Jones at October 24, 2006 10:14 PM

In Australia, if you want to wait years for public "free" surgery, then wait. But if you want immediate pay-it-yourself surgery in a resort-hotel-environment at reasonable cost, then go to Thailand.

Posted by Mike L at October 25, 2006 2:51 AM

This is pretty common in Europe. Former communist countries have very high quality health care at a fraction of the costs in some western countries. People from Ireland often travel east for dentistry and cosmetic surgery.

Posted by Fred Logue at October 25, 2006 4:28 AM

Our National Health Service (NHS) in the UK has imperfections – many of them. I am the first to point them out. This enlightening post (thank you Val) reminds me how fortunate we are over here. Anyone in the UK gets free treatment for priority healthcare through our NHS. As an additional option we can pay medical insurance for private health care treatment (although currently only about 9% of our population take that option). I encourage anyone to take advantage of better healthcare treatment options anywhere in the world providing the patient and/or their doctor can be assured of the quality of that service because, as a customer, the patient must have that right. However, if patients have to travel half way round the world to receive better care I have to ask what does that tell us about the government in the States about addressing your healthcare crisis and the government responsibility and commitment to sorting out your public health care service for those who do not have the means to have healthcare insurance. Is that something to be proud of and to celebrate? I am all for freedom of choice for the customer and maybe healthcare is no different than Amazon; maybe healthcare can be ‘virtually provided and managed’; maybe I should just wake up to the reality that healthcare is a market commodity like EVERYTHING else; Somehow in my heart this whole scene feels somehow uncomfortable.

When Aneurin Bevan, the great Labour Minister of Health set up the free state funded NHS in 1948
among the many wonderful ‘oratory gems’ he left on record for future generation was this one;

“In healthcare from now on, no longer will poverty be a disadvantage or wealth an advantage’.

Oh how I wish ……. Yes I know … just call me old fashioned .. It must be my melancholy mood today as the rain falls in England :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at October 25, 2006 8:51 AM

Another important point to make is that India has been pumping enormous amounts of money into their medical education system. The University of Mumbai is widely regarded as the best medical school in the world right now.

And I am not surprised to read Fred Logue's comment. I work in pharmaceutical research and there have been huge pushes into eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics in the past five years. They came out from behind the Iron Curtain and blossomed; they were soon on par with the best and most advanced healthcare systems in the west.

Posted by Constance Reader at October 25, 2006 3:18 PM

Constance, I'd really like to know the basis for your statement that "The University of Mumbai is widely regarded as the best medical school in the world right now." I've never heard anything even remotely similar to that general and unattributed comment from anyone anywhere.

Posted by Richard RothHaas at November 18, 2007 2:52 PM