BAHRAIN: Design firm chosen to help develop Bahrain Health Island

UK management and engineering firm Mott MacDonald has been appointed by Ithmaar Development Company to provide infrastructure design and supervision services for Dilmunia Health Island. The first of its kind, this new health island, is set to be an international health and wellness facility in a resort-style environment based on a 125 hectares man-made island off the north-east coast of Bahrain. The project is expected to cost $ 69 million

Designs for the health island were developed last year. The health island is expected to house a state-of-the-art diagnostic centre along with centres for nutrition and diabetes, cosmetic surgery, aesthetic medicine, women and children's health, alternative medicine as well as a sports medicine centre. Deluxe spas, boutique hotels, residential clusters, commercial facilities and recreational amenities are also included in the concept design.

Mott MacDonald's team in Bahrain will design and supervise the construction of all infrastructure services from roads, bridges, power network, water, sewerage and treatment services to a district cooling plant with associated distribution services and a canal which is all due for completion by mid 2013.

Mott MacDonald's Alan Worley says, "This follows successful completion of design work on Al Seef Tower in Manama for Ithmaar Development Company and is an endorsement of what we hope will be a productive on-going relationship backed by Mott MacDonald's local knowledge of Bahrain and world-class engineering design and management skills."

DP Architects from Singapore is the master planner. In early June, reclamation works were completed. In March 2008, site mobilization and reclamation works started. Ithmaar Development Company (IDC) was set up by Bahrain’s Ithmaar Bank in 2006 to manage major development projects.

The name Dilmunia derives from the ancient name Dilmu, often believed to be the original Garden of Eden. The island will be a lush green oasis offering physical, mental and spiritual equilibrium. The aim is to combine a balanced lifestyle with secure comfortable accommodation and expert medical help nearby. The experience of the various themed hotels reflects the alternative remedies such as Chinese medicine, Thai herbalist beliefs, French-inspired hydro remedies, as well as traditional health and wellness. Up market homes will be combined with top of the range entertainment, retail and leisure. Nature will be presented in a variety of themed gardens, waterways, wetlands, and parks. Dilmunia will be managed and operated by a core group of medical professionals with access to visiting world-renowned specialists. World-class medical facilities will be attracted to invest and locate there.

This concept goes against the current trend of (low) cost driven medical tourism. If the concept were to be launched today, it might face problems in the current market and economic climate. But we are talking about several years ahead, when hopefully global recession will be a distant memory. It may have advantages over land-based Middle East medical tourism, providing a contrast to soulless hospitals in characterless modern cities. Anyone doubting the potential should look at the many eco-hotels and spas that are successfully attracting upmarket consumers in the worst possible financial climate, in locations where conventional cheaper hotels struggle to survive.

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UK: New health insurances encouraging overseas medical treatment

A UK insurance broker has launched a critical illness cover where treatment is in the USA, and a health intermediary has launched a health cash plan that will reimburse customers for treatment outside the UK.

Insurance Tailors, an independent London insurance broker, has launched XN GlobalPreferred Care, a critical illness treatment product.

Traditionally, UK critical illness insurance policies have provided a one-off, tax-free, lump sum monetary payment upon diagnosis of a prescribed illness. This payment is designed to help ease any financial pressures that may arise from contracting the illness. This product takes a new approach by replacing money with treatment.

The aim is to maximise the chance of survival, which is the key to recovery from life threatening illness. Upon diagnosis of a covered critical illness, a policyholder is given a diagnosis verification treatment plan by experts at Harvard Medical School in the USA, reducing the risk of preventable medical errors, and an optimum treatment plan is created. Cover is then provided for travel to, and accommodation in the US for treatment and recovery in a top 1% rated US hospital.

Andrew Boldt of Insurance Tailors explains, "In the UK, our ability to treat critical illness is too often constrained by local thinking and financial constraints. It is widely acknowledged that the US is a global leader in research and treatment of critical illness and this offers UK residents access to these world leading treatments and specialist diagnostics."

Versions of this cover have been available in a few other countries for five years. It has been successfully operating in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, but this is the first time it is available to UK individuals and companies.

The diagnosis, travel and treatment are arranged by global patient organization PGH. The insurance is underwritten at Lloyd's of London.

Andrew Boldt of Insurance Tailors adds, "The launch of this product is in line with our mission to change the way that the insurance industry is perceived; in this case, by bringing to market a product that I believe gives people what they want. As the first buyer of the product in the UK for my own family I can evidence this myself. This product is different to other products in the UK private medical and health insurance markets in that it has been designed with a very specific goal; to optimise the chances of survival and recovery from critical illnesses, including all forms of cancer (other than non-invasive skin cancer and cancer in the presence of HIV). This outcome is made possible by not limiting patients to local treatment, but rather making use of global best practice, research, expertise, technology and innovation.”

Customers benefit from:
??? ?The experience and knowledge of the leading experts in any covered condition at Harvard Medical School to review the diagnosis of their condition and create a treatment plan that they believe will provide the best chance of recovery from the condition
??? ?A dedicated local care manager is appointed who will be the point of contact throughout the process, overseeing everything from logistics to explanations of medical treatment
??? ?Travel to and accommodation in the US is arranged and paid for by the policy
??? ?Treatment and recuperation within a hospital rated in the top 1% of US hospitals for the specific condition is paid for directly by the policy.

Perfect Health Cash Plans has a new insurance plan for families, the self-employed and businesses. Surgical Cash is a health cash plan that pays a fixed sum of money should customers need an operation. They can choose the treatment privately in the UK or abroad. Alternatively, they can keep the money and have treatment on the NHS.The customer has to make all arrangements for treatment and travel, whether in the UK or Europe, and gets cash back from the insurers after treatment.

Perfect Health Cash Plans is a specialist health insurance intermediary. Cover is underwritten by Compass Underwriting. Surgical Cash plan is insurance for when people are really ill and require a surgical procedure, but is much cheaper than traditional private medical insurance. Several dental and cash plans in the UK now allow customers to choose whether they get treated at home or go to Europe, but all work on a reimbursement basis where the customer pays out, arranges travel and treatment, then gets some money back from insurers.

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INDONESIA: Indonesia wants to become a health tourism destination

A tourism minister in Indonesia has stated that Indonesia has the potential to become a health tourism destination. Yet in 2012, a record number of 600,000 Indonesians travelled overseas for medical treatment. Two out of three go to Malaysian hospitals and clinics. This makes Indonesia the biggest outbound global medical tourism country source.

The number of Indonesians seeking medical treatment abroad in 2012 saw a significant increase from 2006 when nearly 350,000 people went overseas and spent $500 million. In 2012, it is estimated that 600,000 Indonesians spent $1.4 billion on medical treatment overseas. The increase suggests that they go overseas for quality and availability of care as much as for cost reasons. This is why the key destinations are Malaysia and the now high priced Singapore, with very few going to low priced India.

While Singapore is still a favourite medical destination for the well-heeled Indonesian, the majority of Indonesians, especially from Sumatra favour Malaysia. Indonesians from Sumatra form the majority of overseas patients at Mahkota Medical Centre in Malacca and Penang Adventis Hospital. The Malaysia Health Travel Council (MHTC) website is available in Bahasa Indonesian, and Malaysia targets the country.

Tourism minister Mari Elka Pangestu claims that Indonesia can become an international health destination because of its abundant natural beauty, with a huge potential to attract tourists looking for low-cost health and medical care, “Indonesia’s potential to become a health tourism destination is big because Indonesia has many attractive places. Indonesia has geographical proximity to many wealthy countries, such as Australia and China. There is much local and traditional wisdom on healing all measure of ailments. Indonesia has been named as the best spa destination in the world. A well-established health tourism industry can bring in revenue not only from foreign health tourists but also from our people who travel abroad to seek medical treatment.”

The response of health minister Nafsiah Mboi to the record number going overseas for medical treatment was, “We will start with action. We will immediately set up working groups and an action plan. The government has identified four hot spots in which to begin developing health tourism: Bali, Jakarta, Makassar and Manado.The four areas were chosen not only because the health facilities there are already advanced but also because there are many things to see. As well as spas, Indonesia also has potential in the medical sector. The country boasts many specialist doctors with good international reputations, but many people are not aware of that due to a lack of promotion. To attract patients from overseas, the government will have to collaborate with travel agents and increase cooperation between hospitals, clinics and spas. More Indonesian hospitals need international accreditation from the Joint Committee International.”

If medical tourism potential is large, why are 600,000 Indonesians going overseas? Nafsiah Mboi’s answer is: “Attitudes need to change so that those Indonesians seeking medical treatment will make the effort to find that treatment at home. I often wonder why Indonesian people like to get check-ups in Singapore. What is it that we don’t have? It turns out the answer is because of the service and the mental attitude. We don’t have any pride to serve. In Singapore, doctors are willing to spend time to listen to patients’ complaints and discuss the various medical procedures that are available.”

The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism have signed an agreement for the development of health tourism. The government will work with public and private stakeholders, including hospital representatives, spa providers, and health associations, to create the Indonesia Wellness and Healthcare Tourism (IWHT) working team, which will jointly design a work plan to follow up the agreement.

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ROMANIA: Medical Insight launches website for health travel outside Romania

Medical services consulting company, Medical Insight, has launched healthtravel.ro, the first Romanian site containing information about foreign hospitals. The website targets those who want to travel from Romania for medical services and capitalizes on a developing trend on the Romanian market. Many Romanian patients ? including Romanian president Traian Basescu ? have chosen hospitals outside the country for major health interventions. Medical Insight, founded in 2010, is a company that offers consultancy to those who are looking for medical services in foreign countries.

Adriana Sarbu of Medical Insight says, “If in the past people used to go to Austria or Germany for treatment, now, according to our research, a lot of Romanians prefer Turkey for medical controls and interventions. This is a growing thing, considering that the quality of service is very high and that the prices are comparable to the ones in Romania and lower than those from the Western European countries.”

The site contains information about treatments, medical specialties and the country providing treatment, along with detailed presentations of hospitals based on the held certifications, reports of independent institutions and former patients reviews. The site also helps people who want information about health insurance or funding opportunities for treatments.

Romanian hospitals might be classified into five categories of competence from May this year, if the Romanian Health Ministry’s project is approved. The project contains the methodology for classifying hospitals, depending on jurisdiction and minimum mandatory criteria for hospitals classification in new categories. This should ensure efficiency by avoiding overlap and duplication between hospital units, ensuring equitable access to health services for citizens and lower treatment costs. Moreover, the classification based on this methodology will be used to establish protocols for transferring uncritical cases between hospitals. It will also play a key role in developing proposals for additional funding to hospitals and good planning, as well as procurement of medical equipment.

Private healthcare services operator Centrul Medical Unirea (CMU), the second largest clinic group in Romania, bought Euroclinc with a hospital and three clinics. CMU runs four hospitals in Bucharest, a hospital in Brasov and 20 clinics. It also owns half of the stem cell bank Stem ? Health Unirea in Bucharest. The company took over Euroclinic hospital and clinics from Eureko in September 2010. CMU is majority owned by investment fund Advent, and the rest of the shares are owned by founder Wargha Enayati.Despite such investment, the provision of health services in the country is still poor, which is why many people seek treatment elsewhere.

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RUSSIA: Attracting health and wellness investors and tourists to Russia

The tourism industry in Russia is expanding with health resorts a popular choice for vacations, says the Federal Agency of Tourism. Tourism is growing at a rate of 7 % a year and one in three Russians favour health resorts as their vacation destination. Grigory Sarishvili of the Federal Agency comments, "Health resorts are gaining popularity and in certain regions are fully booked all year-round.”

Russia is to spend up to $60 million on a six-year advertising campaign to bolster its image as a tourist destination, as part of the government's programme for the development of tourism through 2018. The $60 million earmarked for advertising will be spent on subjects and programmes about Russia on federal channels, promotion on social networks, exhibitions, the organization of presentations about Russia in foreign countries, promotional campaigns and the organization of press tours.

While the campaign is directed at both domestic and foreign tourists, the total number of foreign tourists visiting in 2011 is disappointing as European economic problems are affecting the chief suppliers of visitors to Russia: Germany, France, Britain and Italy. Of the 22 million foreign visitors in 2010, only 2.1 million were tourists.

Northern Caucasus Resorts Company (NCRC) is developing a massive system of ski, beach and natural heath spa resorts covering 50,000 sq km in the North Caucasus Mountains, stretching 1,200 km from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and bordering Asia. It is attracting Asia-Pacific investors seeking to diversify outside their domestic markets in a new national strategy to use public-private initiatives in tourism to spur much-needed economic growth in depressed regions of the Russian Federation.

Moscow-based NCRC was established last December to drive the massive tourism project, which will create up to 300,000 new jobs. A collaboration with the federal government, the development is part of a long-term strategy to address the economic lag that underlies social tensions in the North Caucasus region. The ten-year project is anticipated to require up to $30 billion to complete all phases, including a cluster of five world-class skiing and five modern seaside resorts, as well as an array of health spas that will take advantage of the area's legendary healing mineral and hot springs. The eventual aim is 150,000 visitors a day.

The Russian government has designated the entire 50,000-sq-km development area a special economic zone. State guarantees will cover up to 70 % of investments for three to ten years. The state will impose no corporate or transportation taxes for the first ten years, no land taxes for five years and no VAT tax will be applied on equipment imported into the SEZ. The project offers opportunities for foreign companies interested in hospitality, health and wellness, food and beverage, retail, real estate, logistics and warehousing industries.

The French state-owned banking group and long-term investor Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC) has signed a strategic joint venture with NCRC to provide advanced technical, legal, planning and environmental expertise to support the project. 20 French companies have already expressed interest in investing in ski lifts, hotels, airports, mountain tunnel and other construction projects.

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SPAIN: Gran Canaria health and tourism industry works together

The Spanish Island of Gran Canaria, just off the coast of Morocco, is fast establishing itself as a wellness and health tourism destination, offering facilities and technology at an affordable cost. The doctors and nurses in all hospitals and clinics are well qualified as well as speaking fluent English. The cost of treatment is up to 40% less than other UK and European medical tourism destinations even with the current exchange rate.

Famed for its healthy microclimate averaging 24 degrees all year round and its purifying natural mineral waters and Aloe Vera, Gran Canaria offers perfect conditions in which to recuperate and rejuvenate. It has long attracted holidaymakers in search of blue skies and beaches. Being just a short flight from many EU countries and with some of Europe’s best spa and thalassotherpy facilities makes it an ideal destination to combine surgery, post operative recuperation and holiday relaxation.

Gran Canaria boasts some of the best-rated spa and thalasso facilities in Europe including the Lopesan Costa Meloneras Resort Spa & Casino which has a spa set in an area reminiscent of a volcanic cave, The Lopesan Villa del Conde Resort & Corallium Thalasso with private seawater pools, jacuzzis, sun terraces and treatment rooms, and The Gloria Palace San Agustin Thalasso and Hotel with its four high tech sea water pools.

The Gran Canaria Spa, Wellness & Health Association (GCSW&H Association) has persuaded several of the top spas, medical and recuperation facilities on the island to offer bespoke wellness and medical holiday packages to suit individual needs of medical tourists, particularly from France, Germany, Spain and the UK.It has also persuaded fourteen of the top spa hotels to offer packages. These all provide guests with a choice of three to five star accommodation offering outstanding spa facilities and comfort, and close to: Hospital San Roque Maspalomas, Clinica San Roque Las Palmas, Eurocanarias Oftalmologica Eye Clinic and Branemark Center.Clinica San Roque Las Palmas specialises in cosmetic surgery. Eurocanarias Oftalmologica is a top specialist eye clinic. Hospital San Roque Maspalomas is a cosmetic surgery specialist. Branemark Center is a specialist dental clinic.

What is particularly interesting about what the association is doing is that they are not wasting time with politics or lobbying, but devoting limited resources to persuading all in the related medical, health, wellness and accommodation sectors, not only to work together, but to provide packages for targeted markets. Jose Maria Manaricua, the association president comments, “Over the years, Gran Canaria has promoted tourism devoted to relaxation and personal care through constant improvement and the gradual development of the necessary tourist services and infrastructure to turn the island into a European exponent of health and wellness services.”

The Gran Canaria Tourist Board, Federacion de Empresarios de Hosteleria y Turismo de Las Palmas, and entrepreneurs from the medical and tourist sectors formed the association in 2004.? The public and private sectors work together to market and promote Gran Canaria as a health and wellness destination through a single organization that represents each and every associated centre.

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