Tourists flock to Australia to be healthy

Medical tourism to Australia is on the rise, with 560,000 people visiting in January 2014.

The increase is a rise of 8.7 per cent on the same time in 2013 and Tourism Australia is pleased that its branding campaign on Instagram could have contributed strongly to this growth, Medical Tourism Mag reported. 

A number of health professionals say that the 500,000 number represents a minor but burgeoning group of wealthy Asian, American and Kiwi tourists willing to come to Australia for treatments like orthopaedic and heart surgeries.

Tourism Research Australia has also found that 10,000 medical tourists visited Australia since 2013 and spent more than AUD $12.7 million.

These strong numbers have encouraged medical centres and hospitals and governments to build more infrastructure to cater to medical tourist needs including the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

“We see inbound (medical) tourism of that type as just one part of a broader health export strategy that the state is developing and that would include conferences and would include inbound research support and inbound investments,” Victorian Health Minister David Davis said.

However, working out regulation to encourage more medical tourists, according to Epworth Healthcare’s Professor John Catford.

“We need a supportive government framework that actually encourages (medical tourism) and actually sorts out particular barriers or obstacles,” Professor Catford said.

“A typical one would be visas so people can come in easily, with their families’ support, to receive medical care.”

Source: ETB - 24 March 2014