There was a time when Asia’s elite would jet off to the United States for their medical needs. Mayo Clinic is renowned for its Executive Health Program, the last word in 'yearly physical', and the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Fertility at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornel Medical Center offers struggling couples a higher pregnancy rate than other centers with its intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment.

But while the United States has been on the cutting edge of pioneering medical diagnosis and treatments, it also has some of the highest medical costs in the world, and clinics and hospitals in Asia are starting to offer competitive prices for often comparable services. So much so that many U.S. and other Western citizens are now starting to travel here for their surgeries. 

Bumrungrad International Hospital.

No pennies pinched

Fanny Shem’s clients are not the penny-pinching type. They pay a premium for her range of medical and hospitalization insurance plans that come with global coverage. Even so, her clients are not beyond a bit of comparison shopping. 

“Some may choose to go to Bangkok while they are on vacation since Bumrungrad International Hospital is quite expedient in service. It takes half a day to do a check-up with a report available in two days, while the cost is 30-40% lower than that in Hong Kong,” explained Shem, who is managing director of Healthcare-One in Hong Kong.

Most of her clients, however, draw the line at surgery, opting to stay closer to home where their consulting physician is based and is more likely to refer a local surgeon.

“As Hong Kong’s hospitals have acquired more advanced medical equipment, less people are going to USA for hospital treatment, even though many still consider leading hospitals in the United States such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland or Stanford to be among the best in the world for specific kinds of serious illnesses,” Shem says.

Playing catch-up

As Asian doctors and hospitals catch up, more and more Asian patients who could afford to travel to the United States if they wanted, are instead opting to stay home. Indeed, the tide appears to be reversing and many Asian hospitals are actively marketing their services to cost and quality-conscious Americans. Singapore, for example, has been promoting the city state as “The World’s Choice Healthcare Destination” through Singapore Medicine, a government-industry partnership, since 2003. Singapore has attracted well-known names in medicine such as Johns Hopkins to set-up satellite centers in a bid to become “Asia’s Leading Medical Hub”.

A key stamp of quality and approval for hospitals is the JCI accreditation (Joint Commission International, a U.S.-based organization that aims to ensure healthcare delivery standards by providing internationally-recognized evaluation and accreditation). Singapore has 13 JCI-accredited hospitals including three of Parkway Health’s hospitals (East Shore, Gleneagles and Mount Elizabeth) and Raffles, which have dedicated departments to assist international patients during their stay. 

South Korea, too, has jumped on the medical tourism bandwagon. Following Singapore’s lead, the Council for Korean Medicine Overseas Promotion is a government and private sector initiative to attract medical tourists. In the case of South Korea, where teenage girls are often given double eyelid surgery as a gift, their area of expertise is perceived to be cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.

But cost is not always the only factor. With U.S. legislators stumped over the ethics of stem-cell therapy, Asia is taking the lead in this area. Bangkok Heart Hospital, a branch of Bangkok Hospital, is known for its use of stem cell therapy to regenerate damaged heart tissue.

So for those willing and able to travel, there is no shortage of quality healthcare in the region. And best of all patients are much more likely to have money left for a bit of beach-side R&R after too.

A few other noteworthy JCI-accredited hospitals in the region:

Phuket, Thailand: Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Research shows that patients recuperate faster in sunny surrounds. The well-known Bangkok hospital’s beach resort branch just gained accreditation this year and is sure to be a hit among those seeking cosmetic surgery. Their website touts their top six services as: breast augmentation, face-lifts, liposuction, dental surgery, teeth whitening and porcelain veneers.

Quezon City, Philippines: St Luke’s Medical Center. An international affiliate of New York Presbyterian and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Mumbai, India: Wockhardt Hospital. Wockhardt has the branding of Harvard Medical School behind it with its association with Partners Harvard Medical International. In addition to their hospital in Mumbai, they have many other centers of excellence specializing in areas such as such as heart care, brain and spine care and hip resurfacing.