| Health & Wellness Tourism registers steady growth in the Caribbean & Latin America |
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| Thursday, 11 September 2008 11:12 |
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Reports from multiple sources in the industry reveal that Health and wellness tourism is on track as predicted by the IDB to experience steady growth in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Research produced by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) reveals that health tourism, of which wellness is a trillion dollar market, as delineated by economist Paul Zane Pilzer, has a competitive advantage in the Caribbean. Investment, educational and networking forums held respectively in 2006 and 2007 (Private Investment Opportunities in the Caribbean Health and Wellness Sector and Conference on the Caribbean/2020 Vision) set the stage for five countries (Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, The Bahamas & Guyana) in the Caribbean to begin to develop the infrastructure to benefit from health & wellness tourism.At the 2006 investment conference, Ciro de Falco, Executive Vice President of the IDB in his opening remarks said the IDB is committed to fostering social and economic development in the Caribbean and has the facility to lend up to 10% of its outstanding balance directly to the private sector. He further opened the way for serious dialogue by sharing the goal of the conference, which was to listen to the needs of the wellness sector in the Caribbean, grow the private sector role, develop the right enabling environment, while helping to develop qualified healthcare professionals.Developments in the region are attracting health tourism experts far and wide due to the work of Positive Tourism Limited, founded by Theo Chambers and Sharon Parris-Chambers. The Company produces the annual Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Conference founded in 2005 in Kingston, Jamaica, with the objective of establishing Jamaica as the wellness capital of Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.Dr. Constantinides, founder and Chief Executive of healthCare cybernetics (a think and do tank with an internationally recognized competency in Health Tourism,) based in Greece, recently visited Jamaica in May 2007 as a hosted speaker at the Caribbean Health Tourism & Spa Conference in Kingston, Jamaica. He posited that the way to begin health tourism integration in a country or region is by “mapping, segmenting and engaging your stakeholders” (as part of a well designed and systematically implemented project). This he maintains is the way to develop health tourism in the Caribbean, which is in some ways are similar to the Greek isles.The recent growth of medical tourism is a world-wide phenomenon. A brief survey of the development of the emerging health and wellness industries in the Caribbean and Latin America follows:In the Caribbean, the Cuban economy has benefited greatly from the promotion of health tourism. Revenues generated from the industry are around US$40 million a year. The government’s strong efforts to increase economic growth through private healthcare seem to be paying off, with numbers of medical tourists flocking to the island increasing by 20 percent per year.The key to Cuba’s success is Medical Tourism; this has been exemplified through the initiatives of the Ministry of Health, which firmly believed that preventative medicine rather than reactive medicine would not only enhance the health of Cuban population but also maintain the health of the system itself. It is believed that with the global rise in healthcare costs, Medical Tourism will become Cuba's most important growth industry by providing the world a safe, effective and affordable healthcare alternative.Cuba is the established leader offering specialty services such as major treatments that attract more European and American clients than any other in Cuba, retinitis pigmentosa, or night blindness; neurological disorders like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, and for orthopaedic treatment; with cosmetic surgery and drug and alcohol rehabilitation becoming increasingly popular.Following Cuba are Costa Rica, Jamaica and Barbados. Barbados has recently signed with Choice Medical Associates out of Canada to establish sought after medical treatments. Costa Rica is noted for the following services such as: cosmetic and plastic surgery, bariatric surgery, orthopaedics, dentistry, ophthalmology and dermatology.In Latin American, Venezuela and Brazil offer various cosmetic surgeries, with Brazil offering the highly sought after Lasic eye and varicose vein surgeries.Jamaica has been a choice destination for cosmetic services for over a decade. MoBay Hope Medical Centre is a total care hospital facility lead by Z. Paul Lorenc, M.D., F.A.C.S. and located in the luxurious atmosphere of the 400-acre Half Moon Resort. Having recently expanded his Park Avenue practice and expertise to the Caribbean, Dr. Lorenc is fully licensed and insured to practice medicine on the island of Jamaica. He has created a place where patients can get cosmetic surgery, the minimally-invasive facial treatments of Botox and Restylane, and receive pampered aftercare assistance at Half Moon’s Spa. MoBay Hope, is a non-profit medical diagnostic and treatment centre which became operational in December 1997. Its features include services unique to Western Jamaica. Our patient base extents from Ocho Rios to Negril and Savanna-la-mar and North America. It is located at the Half Moon Shopping Village in the heart of Rose Hall Estate, the home of hotels such as: The Ritz Carlton, Rose Hall Resort, Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Royal Plantation, amongst other fine hotels.Its operating Theatre offers minor surgeries in the following areas: Orthopedic; General Surgery Hernia repair, breast lump removal, Sigmoidoscopy and Plastic Surgery - Face lift, eye lift, revision. The Women’s Wellness Centre offers mammography examinations; Obstetrics & Gynaecology services focus on prevention/early detection and treatment of cervical and breast cancer. Routine pelvic examinations and Osteoporosis rehabilitation programs are also available.MoBay Hope has established a relationship with the 500 - bed South Miami Hospital, a member of the Baptist Health Systems of South Florida. South Miami Hospital is one of approximately 10% of the accredited hospitals in the US that has achieved Accreditation with the Commendation signifying exemplary performance in meeting national standards as set by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. South Miami Hospital has assisted MoBay Hope in various areas, including the acquisition of equipment, development of medical systems and procedures and training of personnel. South Miami Hospital continues to assist MoBay Hope in the areas of referral services and emergency evacuations.The Jamaica Gleaner reported in November 2007 that Pedro Luis Cobiella-Suarez of Grupo HOSPITEN scouted locations in the island in September and met with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett at the just concluded World Travel Market trade show in London. HOSPITEN, is expected to invest US$20 million to US$50 million in the project, which is in its early stages. The developers have already had interim meetings with Ministry of Health officials. HOSPITEN plans to launch in Montego Bay, but plans to expand to Ocho Rios and Negril, depending on market response. The company operates an international network of private hospitals, whose services are highly technologically driven - seeing more than 500,000 patients every year.We stand ready to reap the benefits of the emerging trillion dollar wellness industry, if we remove fragmentation and integrate health & wellness tourism, differentiate the product, establish a Caribbean brand and develop uniquely Caribbean products and services ready for the international export market. The Baby-boomer (US nationals born 1946 -1964 numbers 78.2 million in 2005); Generation X (Born 1965-1976 of which there are 51 million) and Millennials( born 1977 to 1998 of which there are 75 million) await the innovations in health & wellness tourism from the Caribbean. Reference Sources:
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 11 September 2008 11:18 ) |
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