英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

VOA标准英语2009年-'Health Tourism' Increasingly Popular

时间:2010-01-15 05:42来源:互联网 提供网友:李霄云   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Medical tourism brought in $1 billion in 2007 and that is expected to triple by 2012, when the Health Ministry1 expects more than two million medical tourists.

Ron Corben | Bangkok 22 December 2009

 
Photo: AP
James McLaurin of the United States recovers from surgery at Bumrungrad International hospital Friday, Oct. 20, 2006, in Bangkok, Thailand

Asia is being seen as a growth center in the globalization of health services thanks to rising demand from developed countries as well as the region's expanding middle class. But there are concerns that so-called medical tourism will shift resources away from public to private health care systems.

Over much of the past 10 years Thailand has led the growing medical tourism market, as foreigners sought lower cost health services and ready access to treatment.

The services available range from complicated cardiac surgery, to cosmetic2 surgery to dentistry and even alternative care, such as Chinese medicine, yoga and traditional Ayurvedic treatments.

Rising international travel and the availability of information on the Internet have boosted the number of travelers seeking treatment.

In Thailand, as many as 1.4 million visitors arrived seeking medical care in 2007, the most recent year numbers are available - up from half a million in 2001. Medical tourism brought in $1 billion in 2007 and that is expected to triple by 2012, when the Health Ministry expects more than two million medical tourists.

The largest numbers come from the European Union, followed by the Middle East and the United States.

Kenneth Mays, international marketing3 director for Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, says the high standard of care has been a drawing card.

"Thailand offers a very ideal combination of medical quality and service quality. There are both private and public hospitals and it's very consumer driven because most people pay for their own medical care. Americans will come here because its 60 to 80 percent less expensive for equivalent treatment," said Mays.

But Thailand faces growing competition as more countries invest in medical services. Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines are all promoting medical tourism.

Ruben Toral, chief executive officer of health industry consulting firm Medeguide, says more people will weigh low cost against quality guarantees when choosing destinations for treatment.

"You will pay for Singapore but you absolutely know what you will be getting. If you want absolute guarantees, you go to Singapore. If you want absolute price, you go to India. Thailand and Malaysia right now represent the value plays - good quality, great service, good product," said Toral.

He says medical tourism is likely to grow.

"Asia will be and will continue to be the dominant4 force in medical tourism. Why? Because this is where you find number one the world's biggest chunk5 of population - really between India and China there you have it, two-thirds the population just settled in this area. And this is also where you have a major emerging middle-class market," he said.

Toral says that aging patients from North America, Europe, Australia and Japan also will look for places with plenty of access to low-cost care.

But there are concerns that increased investment in medical services for the wealthy will draw resources from the region's public hospitals.

Critics say many public health facilities already are under strain and fear more professionals will abandon the public system for private practice.

Viroj Na Ranong, an economist6 with the Thailand Development Research Institute, a policy research agency, fears that shift is under way.

"When you compare the purchasing power - the foreign purchasing power would be much higher than the middle-class or upper-class purchasing power in Thailand. This is a fundamental issue whenever there is a burst of foreign patients then the doctor would be drawn7 to the private sector," said Viroj Na Ranong.

Thailand's National Health Commission reports that scores of medical specialists have moved from the state system to private health care.

The National Institute of Development Administration says medical tourism has exacerbated8 shortages of physicians, dentists and nursing staff in public facilities.

But Bumrungrad's Mays doubts those claims.

"It doesn't hold up to serious mathematics because Thailand sees about 1.4 million medical travelers from outside. That is a fraction of the total visits to doctors and admits [admissions] from Thais themselves," said Mays. "It's very important to the country's economy and has a lot of advantages to the country - but we don't think it's taking a lion's share of resources or too many resources from Thais themselves."

May says that due to expanding private health care in Thailand - and limits on foreign doctors working in the country - there has been a reverse brain drain; Thai medical workers employed overseas are returning home.

Other medical professionals say many work part-time at private hospitals and also serve in public hospitals.

Several medical industry analysts9 say Asia's rising economic strength and increasing investment in health services will be able to meet demand for affordable10 care both for people in the region and for world travelers.
 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ministry kD5x2     
n.(政府的)部;牧师
参考例句:
  • They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
  • We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。
2 cosmetic qYgz2     
n.化妆品;adj.化妆用的;装门面的;装饰性的
参考例句:
  • These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
  • Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品,所以请尽情微笑吧!
3 marketing Boez7e     
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
参考例句:
  • They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
  • He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。
4 dominant usAxG     
adj.支配的,统治的;占优势的;显性的;n.主因,要素,主要的人(或物);显性基因
参考例句:
  • The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
  • She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。
5 chunk Kqwzz     
n.厚片,大块,相当大的部分(数量)
参考例句:
  • They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
  • The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。
6 economist AuhzVs     
n.经济学家,经济专家,节俭的人
参考例句:
  • He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
  • He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家,自以为什么都懂。
7 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
8 exacerbated 93c37be5dc6e60a8bbd0f2eab618d2eb     
v.使恶化,使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
  • The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 analysts 167ff30c5034ca70abe2d60a6e760448     
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
  • I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
10 affordable kz6zfq     
adj.支付得起的,不太昂贵的
参考例句:
  • The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
  • There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
TAG标签:   economic  economic
顶一下
(0)
0%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴