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전문위원 Insight

UAE Medical Tour

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전문의원 Insight Medical Tourism 출처 말렉 엘후세니 전문위원 1 Medical Tourism Scope Medical tourism (MT) is a growing dimension of healthcare globalization, whereby consumers select to travel across borders or to overseas destinations to receive their treatment. In terms of cross-border travel for healthcare, there is a long history including the use of spas and wellness tourism that gained a mass market since eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe. Traditionally, consumers from all continents and forms of health systems have travelled abroad for their healthcare to avoid waiting lists or access state-of-the-art techniques and receive better aftercare servicesGoodrich JN. Socialist Cuba: a study of health tourism Jl Travel Res 1993; 32(1): 36-41.. Globally, there has been tremendous growth in the health service sector that rendered the idea of seeking healthcare in another country, with developing countries gaining a larger market share, gain greater appeal to many. This is catalyzed by inadequate national public health services including long waiting time and lists, the spiraling cost of health services and elective treatment in some countries, and the availability of cheaper alternatives especially in developing economies coupled with fewer barriers to travel. MT is a true global force for economic growth and development, driving the creation of more and better jobs and serving as catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship. Governments are increasingly realizing the significance of investing in healthcare to attract patients to their country. To choose the healthcare facility, specific characteristics influence the country of choice such as economic conditions, cultural acceptability, advertising practices, political climate, safety measures and availability of relevant expert doctors, credibility of hospitals and the country, pioneering forms of treatment, and regulatory policies. Medical Tourism Index (MTI) considers three dimensions as the drivers of medical tourism: destination environment; medical tourism industry; and quality of facilities and services. Treatments outside one country include many purposes such as cosmetic and dental surgery; cardio and orthopedic surgery; IVF treatment; organ and tissue transplantation; Spa tourism; culinary tourism; wellness tourism; and circumvention tourism which is a travel to have medical services that are legal in the host country but illegal in the home country. The success of online travel agencies (OTA’s), such as Expedia, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Ctrip, have paved the way for the parallel healthcare vertical, online medical agencies (OMA’s). Medical tourism witnessed a healthy growth until January 2020 with the start of Covid 19 epidemic. However, during this period, telehealth’s ongoing contributions have grown tremendously. Moreover, The main developments of MT can be observed on three levels: (1) On the Legislative Level there are several initiatives to organize medical tourism on the legislative level. This includes the current European Commission’s Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross-border Healthcare adopted in 2011 that arose as the result of several European Justice Court rulings over patient mobility, and the rights of patients to be reimbursed for treatments received in another EU country. (1) For Medical Visitors Visitors tend to stay longer, approx. 5 times longer, and combine medical health stay with leisure, and are often accompanied by one or more persons. Medical tourism promotes patient choice and gives consumers access to treatment alternatives not found in their local communities. (2) On the Information Technology Level A driver in the Medical Tourism phenomenon is the internet platform for gaining access to healthcare information and advertising including a range of options for accessing information relating to professional diagnosis, self-diagnosis, aftercare, second opinions, and support. Because the medical tourism industry is driven by differences in the cost of health services, most company websites include charts and graphs comparing the costs of care at hospitals in various countries, which helps to negotiate contracts with major health insurers and large employers. (2) For the Country The main benefits to the state can be summarized in the following points: Opportunity for development in infrastructure in health & tourism, and manpower; Health opportunities for foreign patients may lead to better healthcare standards for Nationals; Brand image of nation as world class healthcare; Scope for R&D to offer comprehensive medical solutions; Strategic alliances with public and private business partners within and outside the country; Connectivity & synergy effects with transportation means, and information and communication industries; And promoting economic and social development by building healthcare economies in developing societies. (3) On Partnerships Level Many universities are developing initiatives in global health. Satellite campuses enable them to expose students and faculty at their home institutions to other parts of the world, and co-branding initiatives play major roles in international marketing campaigns. 2 Risks of Medical Tourism One of the risks of Medical Tourism is that some of the individual and public health risks of medical tourism are not usually integrated into considerations of its potential economic benefits. Other risks of Medical Tourism are related to: quality of care, infectious diseases, post-operative care, and legal issues. There is also limited evidence with which to judge and compare the safety and quality of medical care international patients are likely to receive at international facilities. For instance, of all individuals traveling for healthcare, cosmetic surgery patients are perhaps at greatest risk when they travel for inexpensive surgery performed sometimes by unlicensed practitioners in unaccredited facilities. And, the illegal purchase of organs and tissues for transplantation, proved in many third world countries’ medical tourism, pose ethical questions around it. Improving the quality of information available within the global healthcare marketplace would require major changes to processes of international hospital accreditation, which could play a valuable role in promoting access to reliable, publicly accessible information on Medical Tourism and Global Marketplace in Health Services. Moreover, as the global spread of for-profit health centers benefits customers with the financial resources to purchase care, it risks harming low-income patients by undermining public access to affordable care and pulling healthcare providers from the public sector into private facilities. Therefore, the government is expected to play an important role in regulating the private sector, to have a policy framework with a set of regulations for the private healthcare sector. 3 Benets of Medical Tourism (1) For Medical Visitors Visitors tend to stay longer, approx. 5 times longer, and combine medical health stay with leisure, and are often accompanied by one or more persons. Medical tourism promotes patient choice and gives consumers access to treatment alternatives not found in their local communities. (2) On the Information Technology Level A driver in the Medical Tourism phenomenon is the internet platform for gaining access to healthcare information and advertising including a range of options for accessing information relating to professional diagnosis, self-diagnosis, aftercare, second opinions, and support. Because the medical tourism industry is driven by differences in the cost of health services, most company websites include charts and graphs comparing the costs of care at hospitals in various countries, which helps to negotiate contracts with major health insurers and large employers. (2) For the Country The main benefits to the state can be summarized in the following points: Opportunity for development in infrastructure in health & tourism, and manpower; Health opportunities for foreign patients may lead to better healthcare standards for Nationals; Brand image of nation as world class healthcare; Scope for R&D to offer comprehensive medical solutions; Strategic alliances with public and private business partners within and outside the country; Connectivity & synergy effects with transportation means, and information and communication industries; And promoting economic and social development by building healthcare economies in developing societies. (3) On Partnerships Level Many universities are developing initiatives in global health. Satellite campuses enable them to expose students and faculty at their home institutions to other parts of the world, and co-branding initiatives play major roles in international marketing campaigns. (3) For Hospitals and Clinics Increased capacity and demand contributes toward retention of medical staff and procurement of state-of-the-art technology; Reinvestment in the country; Employment opportunities for semi-skilled sector, especially women and young people. (4) For the Business Sector Low barriers to entry in tourism sector; Improvement of information sharing; Increasing the efficiency of patient care process; Fortifying global marketing and medical trade relations; Increasing patient satisfaction and competitive advantage; And fostering competition and putting pressure on more expensive healthcare facilities to lower their prices. In brief, proponents of medical tourism note that internationally accredited healthcare facilities are located around the world, and the high quality of care at private hospitals and clinics in Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and South America. They also argue that a global market in health services will promote consumer choice, foster competition among hospitals, and enable customers to purchase high-quality care at medical facilities around the world. Skeptics raise concerns about quality of care and patient safety, information disclosure to patients, legal redress when patients are harmed while receiving care at international hospitals, and harms to public healthcare systems in destination nations. 4 Post COVID-19 Medical Tourism Before COVID-19, medical tourism was a significant source of revenue for some health systems and countries. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 hampered medical tourism, as agencies removed non urgent services, and patients stayed in their residences due to travel complications and the new ‘behavior’ guidelines. For hospitals that meant all but essential healthcare was prohibited. With international borders closing all over the world, it was a hammer blow to medical tourism. The medical tourism market, worth up to $87.5 billion annually, is expected to shrink until 2021 as patients avoid unnecessary travel. Experts are predicting a 28% drop in revenues by the end of 2020. Nevertheless, with the lessening of the limitations and lifting of the flight bans, there are efforts and ideas of how medical tourism can re-centre itself with new guidelines. For instance, extensive testing of both foreigners and nationals will be essential to rebuilding patients’ confidence in medical tourism destinations, and similarly new hygiene conditions and disinfections at all health sectors are also imperative. Finally, artificial intelligence, including robots and distance operations, has an important role for medical agencies to obtain a market share in medical tourism. 5 Medical Tourism between UAE and SouthKorea The United Arab Emirates UAE is well thought-out as one of the richest and is ranked the 7th richest country by GDP per capita in 2017 and 11th in 2021. Despite being rather small, this country is home to a diverse range of tourist attractions, and is so attractive because of its fast development rate. It is also one of the top manufacturers of oil and natural gas in the world. Due to its strategic position, the UAE is an easy stop for visitors; as it is approximately an eighthour flight away from two-thirds of the world’s population. The UAE is gaining popularity because of its infrastructure and innovative technology. The healthcare market experienced tremendous growth, and the UAE ambition is to become a regional medical tourist hub. The UAE has short waiting times, competitive pricing, and high-quality care, and thus serves an ideal destination for patients seeking treatment abroad. An extensive network of hospitals and medical centers are located across the country that offers the best medical treatment and service. In addition to routine operations and cosmetic procedures, the UAE hosts specialized centers for quality services. In 2015, global business consultancy RNCOS forecasted that this market would grow at a compound annual rate of 7% between 2015 and 2020. In 2018, the UAE rose to one of the top 20 medical tourism destinations in the world, according to the Medical Tourism Index (MTA). Moreover, the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MTA in 2018. As part of this agreement, the MTA’s annual World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress event was hosted in Abu Dhabi in October 2019, and the Korea Tourism Organization and Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) are regularly represented at this annual conference. At its core, the event is all about industry growth – a broader vision for how medical tourism can evolve, both regionally and globally. More private players are being encouraged to enter the healthcare sector, and in 2017, the UAE government made significant steps towards setting up PPP schemes to promote private sector investments. In particular, the UAE Cabinet issued a resolution on the procedures manual for partnerships between federal entities and the private sector. UAE similarly decided to reduce license fees and introduce a 10-year visa for investors and professionals. The overall result is that medical tourism sales in the UAE increased 5.5 per cent year-over-year to reach Dhs12.1 billion in 2018 with growth supported by a number of government-led initiatives. Most of the doctors and medical practitioners in the UAE are trained in the US and Europe and speak fluently many international languages. Medical tourists can book a consultation and even make reservations remotely before their travel. Hospitals in Emirates also have started getting international accreditation, making it one of the most advanced countries in the medical sector. For instance, the United Arab Emirates has 14 hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission International. In 2015 Dubai received “The Most Recommended Medical Tourism Destination in the World” Award. This has played a key role in advertising the country’s medical tourism sector. As of January 2016, the UAE led the world in having the largest number of JCI-accredited organizations. The Government has built medical complexes where one can get access to a variety of medical and cosmetic facilitates such as Dubai Healthcare City and Sharjah Healthcare City. There is a partnership between the UAE Department of Health and the Department of Culture and Tourism for medical tourism. A worldwide marketing campaign is also being planned to establish the city as a centre for medical tourism, and this campaign will highlight specific areas of medical excellence like open-heart surgery and cancer treatment, which are not common in the region. The emirate also plans to add a ‘tourism touch’, with packages that offer discounts on attractions for families accompanying the patients. Moreover, the UAE launched medical tourism portals which allow international medical tourists to book procedures and access a wide range of tourism services such as direct contact with healthcare providers, visa issuance, booking appointments, hotels, and other recreational activities. Dubai Dubai Health Experience website from Dubai Health Authority is the world’s first comprehensive medical tourism portal that provides all health, travel, hospitality and visa services. The portal enables international medical tourists to book medical procedure packages at any of the 26 private and public hospitals in Dubai along with special discounted airfares, visa, hotel stay, leisure activities, and medical insurance in order to cover malpractice, complication or medical liability. Dubai Health Experience (DXH) can be accessed through apps on the Android and iTunes platforms. In April 2014, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council approved the Dubai Health Tourism Strategy, with Dubai Health Authority (DHA) overseeing its execution. The Health Tourism Council- DHA was formed to position Dubai as a globally recognized destination for elective health and wellness treatments, whose functions of Health Tourism Council include connecting patients and their family with healthcare providers for high-quality care. Moreover, Dubai Health Experience (DXH) is the brand for health tourism in Dubai overseen by Health Tourism Council at Dubai Health Authority. The official website_ www.dxh.ae_ offers health tourists a wide array of authentic information on Dubai as a health tourism destination including health packages provided by healthcare facilities that are members of the DXH Group. The smart app (DXH) is also available for health tourists to browse through all the relevant information at their convenience. In 2014, Dubai announced a medical tourism strategy that entailed building 22 hospitals so as to attract 500,000 medical tourists per year by 2021, and the country’s medical tourism revenues were expected to cross USD 700 million by 2020, with an increase by 13% of the expected the number of tourists to. The medical tourism industry generated more than AED1.4 billion for Dubai in 2016, and the city received 326,649 medical tourists, and 337,011 health tourists in 2018 where 33% came from Arab and GCC countries, then Asia accounted for a further 30% and Europe for 16%. The most popular areas of treatment for medical tourists were orthopedics, dermatology, and ophthalmology. Additionally, in a policy designed to improve the quality of healthcare and strengthen Dubai’s growing medical tourism sector, the DHA have rated all private and public sector healthcare facilities in Dubai on their level of care and expertise since 2019. Dubai, which reopened its borders to international tourists after the COVID 19 pandemic on the 7th of July 2020, offers an opportunity study for reviving medical tourism. An important underlying enabler of this resurgent demand is the broader UAE’s commitment to testing. According to the DHA, the UAE is placed fifth globally in terms of testing per capita. Dubai Healthcare City, purported to be the world’s largest free economic zone for health care, received a financial relief package, comprising both benefits and regulatory fee waivers. Operations resumed there on July 21. DUBAI also started offering free coronavirus vaccines to tourists flying into the emirate, a move that could entice travelers and help revive the country’s struggling tourism industry. Abu Dhabi The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), a non-profit organization that aids healthcare providers and governments in creating successful medical tourist programs. Both entities will partner to promote Abu Dhabi as a medical tourist destination in markets such as Russia, China, and the GCC, with focus on specialty areas like cardiology, oncology, and executive screenings. The aim is to become the region’s leading medical tourist destination. In December 2018, the Department of Health and the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi jointly launched the Abu Dhabi Medical Tourism portal which provides information on the emirate’s medical offerings and healthcare facilities. The portal provides a list of 40 healthcare facilities in the medical tourism network, all of which adhere to the Department of Health’s ‘Jawda program’. The site also provides access to more than 287 medical treatment packages offered by more than 173 doctors in the emirate. Through the portal, users can also access medical tourism insurance packages, along with a wide range of touristic services such direct contact with healthcare providers, visa issuance, booking appointments, hotels, transportation, and other recreational activities. Meanwhile, RAK Hospital has partnered with Ethiopian Airlines to offer medical treatments for tourists from African countries. After the pandemic, Abu Dhabi the health authority’s application showed updated criteria for vaccine access where visitors to the capital could now get the COVID-19 shot by presenting their passports. However, there are shortages of skilled Emirati medical professionals, partly due to prevailing cultural norms and the general situation of the country. There also tends to be high turnover among expatriate medical staff, as many medical personnel consider the UAE a passing locale to have experience before seeking careers in the West. The rapid growth of the UAE’s healthcare industry also poses the challenge of containing costs. This is provoked by the fact that healthcare in the UAE tends to be more costly than elsewhere in the region. The UAE’s Vision 2021, the highest-level UAE government strategic plan, makes achieving ‘world-class healthcare’ one of its priority goals. It aims to do so by accrediting all public and private hospitals according to clear national and international standards. In parallel, the opportunities to educate and develop UAE medical professionals within the nation are expanding. 6 Medical Tourism between UAE and SouthKorea The United Arab Emirates UAE is well thought-out as one of the richest and is ranked the 7th richest country by GDP per capita in 2017 and 11th in 2021. Despite being rather small, this country is home to a diverse range of tourist attractions, and is so attractive because of its fast development rate. It is also one of the top manufacturers of oil and natural gas in the world. Due to its strategic position, the UAE is an easy stop for visitors; as it is approximately an eighthour flight away from two-thirds of the world’s population. The UAE is gaining popularity because of its infrastructure and innovative technology. The healthcare market experienced tremendous growth, and the UAE ambition is to become a regional medical tourist hub. The UAE has short waiting times, competitive pricing, and high-quality care, and thus serves an ideal destination for patients seeking treatment abroad. An extensive network of hospitals and medical centers are located across the country that offers the best medical treatment and service. In addition to routine operations and cosmetic procedures, the UAE hosts specialized centers for quality services. In 2015, global business consultancy RNCOS forecasted that this market would grow at a compound annual rate of 7% between 2015 and 2020. In 2018, the UAE rose to one of the top 20 medical tourism destinations in the world, according to the Medical Tourism Index (MTA). Moreover, the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MTA in 2018. As part of this agreement, the MTA’s annual World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress event was hosted in Abu Dhabi in October 2019, and the Korea Tourism Organization and Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) are regularly represented at this annual conference. At its core, the event is all about industry growth – a broader vision for how medical tourism can evolve, both regionally and globally. More private players are being encouraged to enter the healthcare sector, and in 2017, the UAE government made significant steps towards setting up PPP schemes to promote private sector investments. In particular, the UAE Cabinet issued a resolution on the procedures manual for partnerships between federal entities and the private sector. UAE similarly decided to reduce license fees and introduce a 10-year visa for investors and professionals. The overall result is that medical tourism sales in the UAE increased 5.5 per cent year-over-year to reach Dhs12.1 billion in 2018 with growth supported by a number of government-led initiatives. Most of the doctors and medical practitioners in the UAE are trained in the US and Europe and speak fluently many international languages. Medical tourists can book a consultation and even make reservations remotely before their travel. Hospitals in Emirates also have started getting international accreditation, making it one of the most advanced countries in the medical sector. For instance, the United Arab Emirates has 14 hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission International. In 2015 Dubai received “The Most Recommended Medical Tourism Destination in the World” Award. This has played a key role in advertising the country’s medical tourism sector. As of January 2016, the UAE led the world in having the largest number of JCI-accredited organizations. The Government has built medical complexes where one can get access to a variety of medical and cosmetic facilitates such as Dubai Healthcare City and Sharjah Healthcare City. There is a partnership between the UAE Department of Health and the Department of Culture and Tourism for medical tourism. A worldwide marketing campaign is also being planned to establish the city as a centre for medical tourism, and this campaign will highlight specific areas of medical excellence like open-heart surgery and cancer treatment, which are not common in the region. The emirate also plans to add a ‘tourism touch’, with packages that offer discounts on attractions for families accompanying the patients. Moreover, the UAE launched medical tourism portals which allow international medical tourists to book procedures and access a wide range of tourism services such as direct contact with healthcare providers, visa issuance, booking appointments, hotels, and other recreational activities. 7 Medical Tourism in Korea South Korea is considered a highly developed destination, with a market economy ranked 13th in the world based on nominal GDP. South Korea’s healthcare systems are among the best in Asia. The increasing popularity of Hallyu content, such as K-pop or K-drama, has also led to an increase in the number of tourists visiting Korea. The country’s general health office is called the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and it works with the government and other health agencies in the country in making and enforcing policies regarding public health and safety. Public and private employees are covered by healthcare insurance, as mandated by the government, and many hospitals continually update their systems and facilities – a big draw for medical tourists who go to South Korea. All medical facilities that treat foreign patients and those who introduce foreign patients to a medical service provider must be registered with the health ministry. Similarly, those who want to be a broker have to meet several conditions, including having surety insurance and minimum capital. Korea is a rising international hub of medical tourism. Thanks to its skilled medical practitioners with lots of clinical experience, cutting-edge medical technology and equipment, reasonable prices, prompt and efficient diagnostics, and advanced IT-based medical infrastructure, Korea is becoming a new leader of the global medical market, capable of providing world-class medical care and services, which are excellent, reliable, and convenient. Now Korea’s medical industry has become equivalent to other advanced countries and is even leading on some fields due to the growth of the IT, electronic, and machinery industry. The Korean government has assigned its medical industry as the country’s new growth engine industry and supports foreigners to enjoy Korean culture while receiving a safe and convenient medical treatment. South Korea has pioneered state of the art advanced cancer treatments and healthcare diagnostics and technology, which resulted in leading the globe in survival rates for cancer such a colorectal cancer and cervical cancer. The most visited medical department among foreign patients in Korea was the internal medicine department, followed by plastic surgery, dermatology, examination centers, and gynecology departments. Also, the main reason for flying to South Korea among these patients was for cosmetic procedures. plastic surgery has become a big driver of medical travel to Korea, attracting nearly half of the 497,464 international tourists who visited the country in 2019. On average, visitors stayed in Korea for 41.4 days. Korean medical tourists spent an average of 6.8 thousand U.S. dollars, about half of which were medical fees. Overall, they were highly satisfied with the experience of medical services in Korea, and they were willing to revisit for medical treatment or recommend it to others. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea spends $1 billion a year attracting medical tourists. There are 1,709 registered hospitals/ clinics and 1,413 licensed private businesses that can engage in marketing to attract medical tourists. In 2018, nearly 400,000 patients visited the country for medical procedures, attracted to South Korea’s passion for excellence and affordable services. Medical tourists visiting South Korea for treatment tend to come from China (31%%), USA, Japan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Vietnam, and the Middle East. South Korea benefits from established trade links with Japan and China. Moreover, the future development of Jeju Island as a medical tourism destination will make it easier and quicker for Chinese and Japanese customers to fly for treatment. The latest number one destination for medical tourism is Seoul, around Gangnam area in Seoul, there are as many hospitals as there are coffee shops. Many medical tourists come to Korea to enjoy “Hospital Shopping” in Seoul. Coupled with trusted medical facilities and practices, documented affordability and value, proven infrastructure, and the glitz and glamour associated with both an exotic and flamboyant travel capital, only a Seoul in Korea might be pressed to look beyond the city as a destination for medical tourism. This is in addition to the relaxation of visa restrictions related to healthcare, establishment of around-the-clock treatment call centers, and the operation of the one-stop service centers. There are several organizations, in addition to the Ministry of Health, facilitating the topic of medical tourism such as: The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) It is a government-affiliated institution which carries out the systematic and professional support for the improvement of public health and enhancement of the international competitiveness in the health industry. Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) It is an organization, established in 1962, agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MCST). It is commissioned to promote the country’s tourism industry including sustainable tourism. The organization promotes Korea as domestic tourism and a tourist destination to attract foreign tourists. Medical Tourism Information Cente It is recognized as a healthcare leading institute of Korea significantly contributing to medical services, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, beauty service & cosmetics, senior-friendly industry, inbound and outbound of global medical services… This Center ensures that tourists feel safe when using Korea’s health-care services; shares knowledge about medical tourism in Korea; provides information about registered hospitals and agencies; accepts complaints about medical tourism; recommends wellness travel destinations; and offers medical device and Korean medicine zones. Medical Tourism Association It is a global non-profit association for the Medical Tourism and International Patient Industry. The MTA works with healthcare providers, governments, insurance companies, employers, and other buyers of healthcare with a focus on providing the highest quality transparent healthcare. Medical Tourism Association will be working alongside the New York office of Korea Tourism Organization to generate key international partnerships in healthcare and promote South Korea’s world class medical treatments, highlighting its safety as an international medical destination, particularly during this global health pandemic. Medical Tourism Association has worked with South Korea in the past on other medical tourism initiatives; Korea Tourism Organization, and Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) are regularly represented at MTA’s annual conference, the World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress, most recently held in Abu Dhabi. 8 COVID-19 in SouthKorea Medical travel was one of the hardest-hit industries by the coronavirus pandemic. While airlines, medical tourism agencies, and other stakeholders were operating at low capacities at the pandemic, many medical treatment providers suspended all elective procedures to free up hospital resources to deal with the pandemic. This created a pent-up demand for these healthcare services across the world. Currently, Korea should relax quarantine directives for foreigners to attract more international patients and revive the medical tourism industry, hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, South Korea is recognized for its handling of COVID-19 and its success in quickly flattening the curve. After reaching a peak in February 2020, Korea contained the virus and flattened the curve in just 6 weeks, and the country was able to contain the virus in the first wave notably without shutting down the economy completely. South Korea strategic and decisive COVID-19 response became a model for the rest of the world and set the stage for a more rapid economic recovery during the pandemic, and it is now one of the safest countries and few that are open for business in a medical tourism industry essentially shut down for international patients looking for health and wellness services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for life-improving and critical care remains the same, if not more heightened by chronic conditions and financial complications; heart procedures, transplants, and cancer doesn’t go away. South Korea continues to leverage to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, assure safety, build trust for prospective patients, and show how the impact will affect the industry globally. The government launched a $230bn stimulus program to shore up the economy, which includes cash handouts, credit card points, and many other forms of benefits for people affected by the decline in the economy. Patients are seeing this moment as an opportunity to get cosmetic work done, as they are drawn by the appeal of discounts being offered by cosmetic surgeons, together with the fact that they can conceal their cosmetic work under a mask and recover while working from home. Popular treatments during the pandemic have included facial contouring, breast surgery, rhinoplasties, breast enhancements, botox injections, and more. With COVID-19, Korean medical centers have already had a strict set of rules. The protocols are designed to prevent infections from spreading inside their facilities. Hospitals and clinics have installed temperature cameras at all entrances. On top of that, most of the Korean institutions provide free masks and sanitizer gel, and give free counsel about COVID-19 in Korea to those who wish it so. Others have even built temporary rooms outside their main buildings for further examinations. COVID-19 regulations are the “new normal”. The Government of South Korea has implemented several protocols for visitors. The first protocol is at the airport, acting as a check gate into the territory. Foreigners will have to go through different control points. To understand these steps, there is a succinct guide for the clients traveling for medical treatment to South Korea. As part of its longer-term plan to revive the economy, South Korea designed the Korean New Deal, which would foster partnerships and investments across all facets of the economy including its medical travel industry. As part of the project, the Korea Tourism Organization, partnered with the Medical Tourism Association to expand healthcare offerings to a wider international patient base. The partnership is aimed at building key international collaborations in healthcare, securing investments in its medical industry and technology industry, and promoting the country’s model COVID-19 containment strategies. Experts urged the government to come up with new strategies to attract foreign patients at Medical Korea 2021, a conference on global healthcare and medical tourism hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and sponsored by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI). The years from 2021 to 2025 are called “Medical Korea 3.0 Era,” which includes all times with ongoing Covid-19 and post-Covid-19. 9 Korea and UAE enhance healthcare ties to ght COVID-19 Deok-cheol Kwon, President, KHIDI explained that the key areas of cooperation in health between the UAE and Korea can be medical tourism, hospital operation, and provision of medical devices. These include treatment of government-funded patients, the consignment operation of Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital (SKSH), and cooperation in K-prevention such as emergency provision of Korean diagnostic kits and clinical virus transport medium (CTM). KHIDI signed contracts in medical services with the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH) in 2011 and the UAE Armed Forces in 2013. Until the end of 2019, 5,451 government-funded UAE patients visited Korea for medical treatments, based on those contracts. The number of governmentfunded patients recorded was the second highest, following the US. Annually about 1,000 government-funded patients from the UAE do visit Korean medical facilities. Bilateral cooperation in healthcare between Korea and the UAE continues to strengthen. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Arab Emirates government, Abu Dhabi Health Services (SEHA) in October 2020, to enhance the bilateral ties in healthcare amid Covid-19. SEHA owns and operates all of the public medical institutions and clinics in Abu Dhabi. Under the MOU, the two countries will boost the exchange of medical education and clinical research, the supply of medical devices and medical supplies, cooperation in medical tourism, and collaboration in new medical technologies, including AI, IoT, and cloud. For Korea, the UAE is a strategic regional partner to help Korean firms enter the Middle East and Africa’s healthcare market. In cooperation with the health authorities, Korea will cooperate with the UAE so that the know-how of ‘K-Quarantine’ and the nation’s excellent medical infrastructure are delivered. 본 기고문은 필자 개인의 주관적인 의견으로 언급된 기관, 단체와 공식 입장이 다를 수 있습니다 말렉 엘후세니 전문위원 Ecole Polytechnic of Montreal (Master Biomedical Engineering) 現 SEE CAPITAL Asset Manager 前 Byrne Medical Equipment Rental LLC CEO

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