The Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinic

With heart disease the leading cause of death in the world, Bangkok Hospital is focusing on end-to-end management of cardiac patients with its new Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinic. In the short time it has been open, the clinic has helped thousands of patients regain their health and learn how to avoid a recurrence of their condition.

Cardiac patients are often told to consult their doctors before starting any exercise regimes. Bangkok Hospital's program provides constant medical feedback, and is designed to effect the quickest possible recovery while assuring patient safety.

The clinic provides:

• An exercise-based cardiac recuperation and traning program
  
• A relaxation clinic to reduce stress
  
• Dietary counseling
  
• EECP (enhanced external counterpulsation), where pneumatic cuffs around the legs inflate to force blood back into areas of the heart that may be lacking it

Cardiac rehabilitation is suitable for:

• Patients recovering from a heart attack
  
• Patients recovering from bypass surgery, angioplasty or pacemaker placement
  
• Controlled cardiac arryhtmia and stable angina

There are separate programs for inpatients and outpatients, and individual programs may be tailored to any patient's unique situation. Both in- and out-patient programs include closely monitored, progressive physical activity to find safe levels, and focus on modifying risk factors and lifestyles. In-patients also learn about the disease process, and receive individualized dietary advice.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is designed to provide complete care for cardiac patients and those at high risk of heart disease. A successful recovery from bypass surgery requires a thorough understanding of the process by the patient and the family. Recovery is directly related to the extent of damage already caused by coronary artery disease and the natural healing ability of the heart.

The cardiac rehabilitation team supports the individual and the body during the healing process and repair of the damaged tissues, and is well equipped with state-of-the-art technology and full-time cardiologists. Patient and family education is a part of cardiac rehabilitation program and helps everyone involved understand how the heart works and what can be done to improve and maintain excellent health.

Dr. Kitipan V.Arom , the director of the Bangkok Heart Hospital , feels that the growing number of clinics at the hospital is a great boon to patients. "Every condition needs to be managed differently. The doctors and staff who run our specialized centers and clinics quickly become expert at managing specific conditions, and patients have much better outcomes than at smaller facilities where generalist skills dominate in the workforce".

INDIA: Indian Medical Travel Association launches

The Indian Medical Travel Association (IMTA), an association formed recently to promote India's medical tourism industry is aggressively looking at this year promoting this high revenue-generating segment in the international markets of Middle East, Africa and Far East along with long haul markets Europe and USA. The association already has a membership of 40 hospitals, other service providers such as aruyveda, siddha and yoga clinics, wellness centres, and medical tourism agencies. It is targeting a membership of 100 in the coming months. It is also open to travel agents, tour operators and students. Most members are in India, but those who deal with it as a destination are also welcome.

As a new association, IMTA’s immediate agenda is discussing with its members the best practices that can be adopted and bringing about uniformity by charting strategies to position India as a medical tourism destination. The association is a non-profit body and aims to be a unified voice for Indian healthcare (modern medicine as well as traditional Indian medicine) and travel industries.

Pradeep Thukral, executive director, said, “The medical tourism industry has a huge potential with state-of-the-art facilities, availability of doctors, technology, English speaking nation and the hospital capacity to cater to medical tourists. The fact is that prior to choosing a hospital, international patients first decide on the country. So we must join to aggressively promote India as a preferred global healthcare destination." IMTJ asked him about the possible confusion of the use of the initials IMTA, “ We might cooperate with IMTA Singapore or Israel and if tomorrow an IMTA comes up in Iceland or Indonesia. Our objective is India focused only, unlike others.”

The IMTA aims to

• Empower all the stakeholders in the Indian medical travel industry to work together to make India the leading global healthcare destination.
  
  
• Bring together the best providers in Indian healthcare and travel industries to help create a high quality, ethical and economically sustainable medical travel industry.
  
  
• Promote and provide a forum for communication on a regular basis for exchange of views, development of industry networks, creation and distribution of knowledge, establishment of standards and work on an agenda to make India the leading global healthcare destination.
  
  
• Promote and protect the safety and well-being of patients who choose India for their healthcare needs by creating channels for communication between patients, healthcare providers, overseas insurance and corporate referral groups, consultants and physicians from around the world.
  
  
• Serve as a strong voice of the medical travel industry to Indian and overseas media and raise awareness about the high level of quality healthcare and services available in India.
  
  
• Engage with the various arms of central and state government in India to influence public policy in national interest.
  
  
• Educate members on new technologies, marketing techniques and best practices to help participants to operate more efficiently.

The original "IMTA" (the International Medical Travel Association) declined to comment on the potential for confusion –now we have two IMTA's both using IMTA on their websites and in their communications.

Kentucky woman with brain injury goes for medical treatment in China

Lorie Martin, an Auburn, Kentucky woman injured in a motorcycle accident, suffered a catastrophic brain injury and has been in intensive care and a long-term care facility since the accident. She is travelling to China for intensive therapy and rehabilitation at the First Teaching Hospital in Tianjin with the help of agency China Connection Global Healthcare.

Lorie Martin’s husband learned about China Connection Global Healthcare through friends who were familiar with another Kentuckian, Devin Dearth, who had also travelled to China. Dearth made significant improvement during his three-month stay in Tianjin following a stroke in 2008.

In the US, this kind of rehabilitation can reach $100,000 or more. The e cost will be less than $23,000 in China. While in Tianjin, Mrs. Martin will undergo intensive rehabilitation integrating modern Western techniques and traditional Chinese medicine therapies. First Teaching Hospital is a world leader in integrated therapeutic treatment for stroke and neurological conditions.

China Connection Global Healthcare is an Iowa based medical tourism agency that sends patients to a network of world-class hospitals and physicians in Tianjin and Beijing, China at costs far below those in the United States. Since 2006, CCGH has assisted hundreds of people from the US, Canada, the UK, India, Australia and Japan in finding the care they needed.

A feature length documentary about Devin Dearth’s medical care experience in China, called Dare to Triumph, is being produced by One In A Row Films.

MALAYSIA: National medical tourism figures for 2008 revealed

About 370,000 foreigners sought medical treatment in Malaysia in 2008, according to health minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Over the years, the country’s medical tourism industry has registered annual growth of 30 percent.

The minister spoke at the awarding of the Joint Commission International's (JCI) hospital accreditation to the Prince Court Medical Centre (PCMC) in Kuala Lumpur.

"Being accredited, especially by an international body, would certainly help in benchmarking the quality services provided by the hospitals. The rapid uptake of accreditation activities by hospitals in Malaysia is testimony to the ministry's commitment to ensure that healthcare is provided in a safe and effective manner to all our clients, local or from overseas.

“Our own home-grown hospital accreditation body, the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), has been awarded this coveted international accreditation by ISQua. Thus, the standards set by both JCI and MSQH are of international stature."

Besides PCMC, the Penang Adventist Hospital and the International Eye Specialist Centre in Kuala Lumpur also have JCI accreditation.

The Institut Jantung Negara is also working towards it.

For the MSQH, 113 hospitals have been surveyed. Sixty five government and 18 private hospitals have received the accreditation. MSQH was formed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) and the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).

Only 35 of APHM’s 111 member hospitals are involved in medical tourism and they are the source of Malaysia’s medical tourism figures. APHM offers a range of medical tourism packages and sets recommended fees for medical tourism hospitals

Rhe PCMC expects health tourism to contribute 30 percent of its revenue for the financial year ending March 31, 2010

Said PCMC chief executive Stuart Rowley: "Overseas patients can save up to 60 percent [in their medical cost]. We have 300 beds but only use 85.It does not make sense to use all, but we aim to do so within the next 12 months."

Dr Mubbashir Iftikhar, chief executive of Malaysian medical tourism agency Wellness Visit, noted: “Malaysia’s excellently maintained healthcare providers are certainly as good as their counterparts in Singapore and Thailand.

“Malaysia is as competitive in cost as Thailand and much superior in terms of healthcare providers, healthcare infrastructure, English-speaking staff, foreign trained specialist doctors, and strict government rulings on maintaining high standards of healthcare delivery systems. Malaysia is as competitive as Singapore in the quality of healthcare with its world-class hospitals and clinics, world-class renowned surgeons and doctors. Furthermore, Malaysia is offering services at costs less than Singapore. Singapore is no match to Malaysian costs for healthcare.”

www.msqh.com.my

www.hospitals-malaysia.org

www.princecourt.com

www.wellnessvisit.com

Angioplasty and Medical Tourism

Thousands of people are choosing medical tourism as a fast, affordable way of dealing with both necessary and elective medical treatment.

One procedure readily available to the medical tourist is angioplasty. This coronary care treatment is used in a vast selection of medical tourism destinations.

What is Angioplasty?

Angioplasty is a procedure in which a narrowed section of the coronary artery is dilated with a balloon catheter. It is less invasive and has a shorter recovery time than coronary bypass surgery. Most of the time, stents are placed in the narrowed artery during the angioplasty procedure.

The stent is a meshlike metal material, and because of this, cells lining the blood vessel grow through and around the stent to help secure it to the arterial wall.

Reclosure of the blocked area is much less likely to occur when a stent is inserted than after an angioplasty without the stent.

The Procedure

The patient is given a mild sedative, which will make the person relaxed and sleepy, but he will usually remain awake during the procedure. A catheter (a thin, flexible tube) is inserted in the groin or arm through an artery and is carefully guided up the aorta into the blocked coronary artery.

Once the catheter has reached the blocked artery, a balloon at the end of the catheter is inflated. If a stent is used, this inflation pushes the stent open. Then the balloon is deflated, leaving the stent in place, and the catheter is removed. Blood flow to the affected area of the heart should then improve.

What to Consider:

One of the greatest benefits of the angioplasty is that, unlike bypass surgery, it does not require open-heart surgery. It is far less invasive. There is less risk of immediate complications. Evidence suggests that the long-term outcomes of both angioplasty and bypass surgery are similar. This makes angioplasty an ideal procedure to consider for medical tourism. There is a wide range of world-class facilities offering coronary care in many medical destinations.

In my opinion, Singapore, India and Thailand doctors are the best in doing the angioplasty procedure.

As with any medical procedure there are risks involved.

Preparations for Angioplasty Procedure:

Your doctor will probably want to do a number of tests, including x-rays, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and blood tests. You should inform your doctor of any medications you are taking, and any allergies you may have, especially allergies associated with the contrast materials necessary to create the x-ray images of the blood vessels.

You should not eat or drink after midnight the night before the procedure. Ask your doctor to advise you regarding any medication you may be taking.

What to Expect After Treatment:

After the angioplasty procedure, you will be moved to a recovery room or to the coronary care unit. Heart rate, blood pressure and pulse will be closely monitored. The site where the catheter was inserted will be checked for bleeding.

There will be a large bandage or compression device at the groin and catheter insertion site to help prevent bleeding. If the catheter was inserted through the groin, you will be instructed to keep your leg straight.

Usually you can start walking within less than 12 hours of the procedure. The average hospital stay after an angioplasty without any complications is one to two days. You may be able to resume exercise and driving after several days.

The relatively short hospital stay and quick recovery time make the angioplasty an ideal procedure for medical tourism. The benefits of medical travel include greatly reduced waiting time and significantly lower costs, and these should be considered.

The five top medical destinations in Asia offer world-class cardiology specialists and clinics. If you are considering an angioplasty, why not look into the possibility of medical travel to Asia? You can save time, costs, and enjoy a pleasant holiday abroad while taking care of your medical needs.

Medical Tourism for Non-medical Treatment

If you are wondering how to eliminate all your health problems without taking any medicine than there are many non-medical treatments available in different countries. There are many countries, each of them specialized in eliminating a particular type of health problem by procedures not involving any medical treatment or medicines provided by doctors. Thats the reason many people go for medical tourism in different countries for non medical treatments as well.

The country most famous for non-medical treatment is India. India is a type of country which is known worldwide for its ayurveda treatments. According to indian Ayurveda, life of a human being is a mixture of mind, senses,body and soul. According to ayurveda the structural aspect of every individual is made up of five elements, namely: water, earth, air, fire, and space. The laws of the nature govern it. The main aim of ayurveda is not only just treating diseases but to promote health in general. It takes care not just dealing with the physical aspects of a body but also spiritual health too. The magic of indian ayurvedic treatment is that, it not only cure diseases but also completely eliminate its root cause so that the disease dont come again. Many diseases arrive in body due to negative thoughts, emotions and poor thinking. Indian ayurveda doctors takes the emotional, mental, and spiritual well being also and medicine is rare. Ayurveda take care to understand each person at a very subtle personal level and giving a detailed description about daily routine, diet, life-style, actions and activities to be followed. This is one of the reason that medical tourism to India is spreading like nothing.

Another reason to visit india for medical tourism is to get non-medical treatments by Yoga and meditation. Many indian Yogis never get ill or sick as they have a routine to keep themselves fit through morning yoga and meditation. People from different countries visit India to learn Yoga and meditation from Indian Gurus. There are many Yoga centers for advanced yoga training in different cities of India offering non commercial ayurvedic treatments enabling people to focus exclusively on their health. Various types of treatments are given for health problems like depression, stomach problems, weight loss, stress, high and low blood pressure, diabetes, non-sleeping, addictions, beauty therapy and more. Indian Yoga involves Yogasanas(excersies in different body styles) for each type of disease or health problem. It benifit greatly if these exercises are added along with prayers and pujas. Indian yoga also involve meditation where one has to sit alone in a room in relaxed position and by closing eyes, have to see the thoughts coming in mind. This greatly helps to reduce extra thoughts in mind which is the root cause of most of the mental health problems. So visting India for medical tourism is must if you need non-medical treatment.

Another great reason why people visit to India for medical tourism is to get their health back through Siddha medicine which is a non-medical treatment using a variety of herbs and minerals, many of which were developed in the ancient past under advanced scientific techniques, even by today's standards. Many chronic diseases, considered incurable in western medicine, can be treated successfully with Siddha medicine.

According to an article published in one of Indian newspaper, India is the country which provide the best of Western and Eastern healthcare systems. Indian Yoga, Ayurveda, and Siddha can be India’s gift to the world. Ayurveda is recognised as an official healthcare system in Hungary. Doctors in the West are increasingly prescribing Indian Systems of Medicine. More than 70 per cent of the American population prefer a natural approach to health. Americans are said to spend around USD 25 bn on non-traditional medical therapies and products. Thats the reason more and more, people from many other countries of the world are seeking out places where they can both enjoy a vacation and obtain medical treatment at a reasonable price and India is better place for medical tourism in every regard.

Medical Tourism: Quality Affordable Medical Care For The Uninsured

Most businesses acknowledge that there is nothing better than a personal testimonial from a satisfied client to boost their business. At the rate, those businesses specializing in medical tourism are receiving those rave reviews today; it is enough to inspire envy with a capital ‘E' among other industry leaders.

Without health insurance, the average household is one major medical bill away from bankruptcy, a possibility facing nearly 45 million adults in the United States today. Medical tourism representatives say they hear stories every day about the impact their business is making on the quality of people's lives both medically and financially, short and long term.

One company, Med Journeys, shared the letter below from the *son of a client for this article. The patient, rejected by the healthcare system in the U.S. decided that that the option to use medical tourism was his only alternative:

"My dad was one of the millions that lost his insurance last year and was facing a life in a wheelchair because he could not afford double knee replacement surgery. When a friend pointed him in the direction of your company, he was tired, in considerable pain, and more than a bit anxious over the thought of traveling to another country for surgery.

Understandably cautious, Dad went to great lengths to research the procedures as well as your company. He was pleased to find out that each journey is arranged through a respected, knowledgeable and trustworthy agent. He was even more pleased to find that each agent had established relationships with the most respected medical facilities in the world.

In the end, what made the entire trip possible was the amount of care and thought that went into the entire process, as well as the cost. Passport assistance, round trip airfares, all medical expenses including x-rays, anesthesia, surgery, pre & post op treatment, physical therapy, doctors, medications, hospital stay with one companion, and recovery at a beautiful guest house complete with meals was completely covered in one inclusive price!

From the moment my parent's plane touched down, they were taken care of in a manner that allowed them to focus on my Dad's health and well-being. Mom and Dad were met at the airport and taken to the hospital without any fuss or confusion. On the day of my Dad's surgery, my mother was able to relax on a beautiful hospital balcony in New Delhi. One of the world's finest orthopedic surgeons performed the surgery itself. This doctor has performed over 3500 joint replacement surgeries in his long career.

My parents returned home completely satisfied with their experience. Dad has repeatedly stated that because of your company he had complete confidence in, and indeed, experienced care in India far superior to any care he received recently in the states. He was also happy the way my Mom was treated and even encouraged to relax and sightsee while he was receiving therapy.

I am of course as delighted as my parents are. Dad still cannot get over the price of the surgery. His double knee replacement surgeries cost my Dad only 17% of the cost he would have incurred in the United States!

I would like to convey our thanks on behalf of our entire family. You have given us back our Dad." - R. L. (2009 - Reprinted with permission - Med Journeys)

Medical tourism is fast becoming a viable, alternative solution to the rising health care crisis facing the United States. Medical tourism advocates work continually to improve knowledge of the process and remove the myths surrounding the practice of medicine in foreign countries. In 2008 alone, an estimated 1.5 million people underwent surgery in exotic locations such as Thailand, Brazil, India, Costa Rica, Malaysia, and Singapore. Moreover, all the surgery performed is done at world-class hospitals by teams of surgeons and doctors educated at Princeton, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins.

Today's economic climate requires every individual to begin to think outside the box when it comes to getting quality affordable medical care. With the help of medical tourism, even those in desperate straits, may now think outside of the country when it comes to having their medical needs met and solutions to their healthcare problems resolved.