Medical tourism: Is it rolling out the red carpet or slamming the door shut?
By 2005, the total output value of the global medical tourism industry had already reached 20 billion US dollars. It is predicted that by 2010, the annual turnover of the international medical tourism industry will increase to 40 billion US dollars.
In 2007, the combined annual income of the medical tourism industries in five Asian countries - India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore - reached as high as 3.4 billion US dollars, with approximately 2.9 million foreigners traveling to these five countries for both sightseeing and treatment.
At an ophthalmology department of a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou city, the nearly 100 square meter suites, plasma TVs in each room, luxurious bathrooms, and high-end reception rooms make you forget that this is hidden away in a corner of a hospital.