scholarly journals A Neglected Dimension of Medical Tourism Destination Impacts: A Synthesis of Observations and Convictions

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-28
Author(s):  
Sindhu Joseph

Medical tourism based on transnational journeys for health care, cure, and well-being is being widely discussed in the literature. As a fast-developing phenomenon, there are different views and perspectives on the concerns of medical tourists and various impacts created in destination areas. This paper critically observes the exertions of medical tourism on destination areas in the light of economic and socio-cultural influences. This paper tries to bring out the muddles of the phenomenon based on empirical research. The paper suggests that the socio-cultural impact of medical tourism on the health care of the poor local people must be viewed seriously and calls for rigid and efficient legislation from the authorities to enable and strengthen the public healthcare system.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Wael Omran Aly

For many decades, the Egyptian people have suffered from deplorable public healthcare service featured by indolence, malfunction and traditionalism. Although, healthcare is a distinctive service industry concerning various complicated responsibilities; but the consecutive government of Egypt had badly handled such issue. Then, the apathetic performance of the public healthcare service becomes a dilemma for the people of Egypt; especially the poor among them. Therefore, the foundation of an adequate public healthcare service system, that respect the dignity of the people and respond to their arising health care needs; was frequently on the agenda priorities of the Egyptian governments after the 2011 and 2013 uprisings. Hence recently, the government -after reaching political and economic stability- seeks to build an ambitious newly public health care system to meet the expectation of the people to acquire high standard inexpensive and hasty public healthcare services. Consequently, in order to realize such aim; the Egyptian government had established the public agency for accreditation and quality control according to law no.2 of comprehensive healthcare insurance system issued at 2018. Then, it urges a national campaign to reform the public healthcare sector and to develop the efficacy and quality of its services. Hence, this paper aims to propose how the public healthcare organizations in Egypt can tackle various challenges and enhance adequately its capabilities; in order to be able to adopt the proposed Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology effectively; which can then provide an adequate framework for creating organized improvement exertions in healthcare; necessary to bestow guidelines on how to manage a quality service system to patient satisfaction by decreasing waste, variation and work disparity in the service processes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 574-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Lewis ◽  
Fran Collyer ◽  
Karen Willis ◽  
Kirsten Harley ◽  
Kanchan Marcus ◽  
...  

This article reports on a discourse analysis of the representation of healthcare in the print news media, and the way this representation shapes perspectives of healthcare. We analysed news items from six major Australian newspapers over a three-year time period. We show how various framing devices promote ideas about a crisis in the current public healthcare system, the existence of a precarious balance between the public and private health sectors, and the benefits of private healthcare. We employ Bourdieu’s concepts of field and capital to demonstrate the processes through which these devices are employed to conceal the power relations operating in the healthcare sector, to obscure the identity of those who gain the most from the expansion of private sector medicine, and to indirectly increase health inequalities.


2020 ◽  
pp. 159101992096537
Author(s):  
Luis A Lemme Plaghos

Brief commentary about implications of the Pilot Study of Mechanical Thrombectomy in the Public Healthcare System of Chile.


Author(s):  
Habib ALIPOUR ◽  
Hamed REZAPOURAGHDAM ◽  
Banafshe ESMAEILI

Given concerns over the public and individual health status of modern society and the scarcity of research on mobility and the health nexus, taking a personalist perspective grounded in spillover theory integrated with broaden-and-build theory, this study uses preventive science ideology and explores the links between tourism and public health through the illustration of the effects of travel on people’s personal, mental, and social wellbeing (PMS-web). A comprehensive review of the literature which is based on themes initiated from WHO (1948) statement: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” was adopted. Physical, mental, and social (PMS) well-being and tourism/travel keywords were used to search top tier journal articles via the Web of Science and google scholars’ search engines. Findings revealed that a positive linkage exists between travel/tourism and the PMS well-being of individuals that contribute considerably to their state of health per se and is vital to the public health in societies. Although the reviewed tourism literature includes plentiful studies on health/medical tourism or the health issues of host/guests, the lack of focus on the nexus of tourism and public health is sensible.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (30_suppl) ◽  
pp. 192-192
Author(s):  
Doreen Anuli Ezeife ◽  
Joshua Morganstein ◽  
Sally C Lau ◽  
Lisa Le ◽  
David Cella ◽  
...  

192 Background: Financial distress has been established as a clinically relevant patient-reported outcome (PRO) associated with worse mortality and quality of life, but remains under-recognized by health care providers. Our goal was to define factors associated with financial toxicity (FT) in a public healthcare system. Methods: Patients with advanced lung cancer were recruited from outpatient clinics at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto, Canada). FT was measured with the validated Comprehensive Score for Financial Toxicity (COST) instrument, a 12-item survey scored from 0-44 with lower scores reflecting worse financial well-being. Data on patient and treatment characteristics, total out-of-pocket costs (OOP) and extended insurance coverage (EIC) were collected. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit for COST score and each variable, to determine factors associated with greater FT (COST < 21). Results: Of 251 patients approached, 200 (80%) participated. Median age of the cohort was 65 years; 56% were female, 64% immigrants and 77% employed or on pension. Median total OOP while on treatment ranged between $1000-5000 CAD. Median COST score was 21 (range 0-44). FT was associated with age, with patients < 65 years reporting greater FT than older patients (COST 18.0 vs. 24.0, p < 0.0001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, younger age was associated with greater FT, when adjusting for income, employment status, OOP and EIC (OR 3.6, [95% CI, 1.5-9.1]; p < 0.0001). Total OOP > $1000 and EIC also were associated with greater FT (adjusted OR 5.0 [95% CI, 2.0-12.1] and 3.7 [95% CI, 1.5-9.1], respectively). Conclusions: Age is significantly associated with FT in the Canadian (Ontario) public healthcare system, with younger lung cancer patients reporting greater financial distress. This study highlights priority patient populations where FT should be routinely assessed and appropriate resources for support offered.


Author(s):  
Lars Thorup Larsen

Danish health policy is dominated by a national health service that combines a tax-financed universal health insurance with healthcare delivery through public hospitals and primary care physicians operating in private practices. This basic structure has been stable for almost half a century and is likely to remain so due to a strong consensus among voters and the political parties about the public system. Underneath the wide consensus, however, there is a ‘submerged’ political conflict and party competition between the left and the right about the degree to which the public healthcare system should use private providers and marketized patient rights. In part because of party competition and strong patient rights, there has been a significant drive towards higher total health costs over the past two decades. The Danish healthcare system is thus hardly challenged from political contestation since few politicians would dare to propose a real alternative. Nonetheless, the healthcare system is challenged by structural factors similar to what other countries face, such as an ageing population, as well as difficulties in controlling costs related to both pharmaceuticals and a scarce supply of healthcare professionals.


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