with H.E.Minister of Health Dr.Hilal Al SAYER in Kuwait

Medical Travel between Kuwait & Turkey by MEDCARE Medical Travel

Medical Travel in İstanbul TURKEY

Medical Travel in TURKEY by MEDCARE

Patients from Gulf Countries in TURKEY by MEDCARE

MEMORIAL Hospital ANTALYA

Belek Tourism Center ANTALYA : "Belek Beach"

UAE: Are the UAE’s medical tourism claims credible?

Reported across the Arab press was the news that more than 4.3m medical tourists will visit the UAE this year, with the value of the industry projected to jump by 7% in comparison to 2009, according to data released by the government. The UAE is the Middle East’s biggest market for medical tourism. The local sector will be worth $1.7bn in 2010, with the second half alone seeing 13 % growth over the same period last year. Local experts have put these results down to better infrastructure, state-of-the-art medical centres, and modern technology.

But are these figures in any way believable? An analysis of these claims puts these figures in perspective.

• 4.3 million medical tourists would mean UAE attracts a million medical tourists than the combined numbers going to Thailand, India, Singapore, Malaysia, United Kingdom, USA, Poland and Hungary!
• The volume of medical tourism traffic worldwide is estimated at between 38 and 40 million people. This would give the UAE a global market share of 10%.
• There would be nearly as many medical tourists as locals, as the population of all seven states is only 4.6 million (UN, 2009)
• The organization running DHCC says that in 2009 it had 220,000 patients of which 10% were from outside the UAE - and that 10% includes expats and business travelers. So…..the total number of medical tourists is at best 20,000 a year.
• Where are they and their companions staying? According to a review of key cities in the Middle East by research firm STR Global and Deloitte & Touche Middle East, for June 2010; Abu Dhabi hotels notched up the biggest falls in revenue in the region with occupancy levels at 56.9 % and Dubai hotels at 73.1%.
• Where are locals being treated?  There is a massive hospital building programme across the region that is struggling to cope with the health needs of a local population. In the UAE, two of Abu Dhabi's biggest projects include the complete refurbishment of both Al Ain and Al Mafraq hospitals, whilst in Dubai, a report by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry anticipates as many as 17 new hospitals providing 2,325 beds will be built in 2010 alone. The increase in demand, expected to hit a massive 165,000 beds by 2025, is partly due to a growing prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and obesity throughout the region, as well as increasing populations and a fresh influx of expatriates.
• According to the World Health Organisation, on 2007 figures there are18.6 hospital beds in the UAE for every 10,000 residents. Even assuming the number of beds has more than doubled since 2007, this would give the country a total of 20,000 hospital beds. Even if we said every hospital bed is occupied by a medical tourist with an average stay of only one day there are only 3.6 million bed days….not enough beds. If the average hospital stay for a medical tourist is five days, then there are a few million beds short. Using Dubai’s figures that only one in ten hospital guests are from overseas, and assuming 3.6 million hospital bed days, and an estimated five day stay, this would mean the number of hospital bed days occupied by medical tourists is only 72,000. Put simply, for the figures to be true, medical travellers would be stacked six to a bed.
• Although widely reported in the Arab press, no government department has either admitted to being the source of the figures or been able to say how they arrived at them.
• The number of tourists to the UAE in 2009 fell slightly because of the economic slowdown, and is only slowly recovering in 2010, say reports by financial analysts Business Monitor International (BMI). But even they cannot check exact figures for Dubai as the authorities refuse to release any tourist arrival figures for 2009 or 2010.
• According to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) Dubai attracted seven million tourists in 2008. Dubai is the main attraction for the UAE, and as figures are stable, these figures would mean that more than one in two tourists to the UAE is a medical traveller.
• Comparing the number of medical tourists with the number of hospital beds is hard, as the Ministry of Health has published no statistics of any kind since 2007.

Sadly, our conclusion has to be that ‘ 4.3 million ‘ is a figment of someone’s promotional imagination. Promoting overblown figures does damage, not just to the credibility of medical tourism in the UAE, but across the world.

The ability for the UAE to compete on price is a matter of concern, as the average cost of heart bypass surgery in the UAE amounts to $44,000. This compares with an average cost of $18,500 in Singapore, $11,000 in Thailand, $10,000 in India and $9,000 in Malaysia. Although the UAE is developing its medical tourism industry region, Asian destinations such as Singapore, India and Thailand are the market leaders for providing medical treatment to foreign patients. Further competition will be forthcoming from other countries seeking to exploit the medical tourism industry such the Philippines, Taiwan and Latin American nations.

Drinking water before meals helps dieting, says study

Drinking water before meals can help people to lose weight, says a US study.

Scientists from Virginia found that slimmers can lose an average of 5lb extra if they drink two glasses of water three times a day before meals.

They tested the theory on 48 older adults, split into two groups, over 12 weeks.

While drinking water can make you feel full on zero calories, say researchers, too much water can also lead to serious health problems.

The researchers presented their findings at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

All adults who took part in the study were aged 55 to 75.

The first group followed a low-calorie diet but did not drink any extra water before meals.

"..People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks. It's a simple way to facilitate weight management”

The second group followed the low-calorie diet but also drank two glasses of water before each meal.

'No calories'

Over the course of 12 weeks, those drinking water lost about 15.5lbs while the others lost about 11lbs.

A previous study found that middle-aged and older people who drank two glasses of water before eating a meal ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during that meal.

Professor Brenda Davy, senior author of the study, from Virginia Tech, said it was the first randomised controlled trial looking at water consumption and dieting.

She said the reason water may be so effective is because it fills up the stomach with a liquid that has no calories.

"People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks. It's a simple way to facilitate weight management," Professor Davy said.

Diet drinks and other drinks with artificial sweeteners may also help people reduce their calorie intake and lose weight, researchers said.

However, Professor Davy advised against drinks sweetened with sugar, because they are high in calories.

A regular can of fizzy drink contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar, she explained.

The study was funded by the charity, The Institute for Public Health and Water Research.

Fifth of the Gulf population affected by arthritis

Around a fifth of the population in the Gulf is affected by some form of rheumatic disease and climate is one of the main causes, experts due to attend a conference on the subject in Dubai on October claimed on Monday.

Environmental conditions such as heat and humidity can also have an adverse effect on rheumatoid arthritis, claimed Dr. Humeira Badsha, consultant rheumatologist at Al Biraa Arthritis and Bone Clinic (ABABC), who is due to attend the Emirates Rheumatology Conference in Dubai from October 10 to 12.

"Heat and humidity can also cause the joints to swell more and can worsen the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis," Dr Badsha told the WAM news agency.

"In addition, being in an air conditioned environment can worsen problems of vitamin D deficiency. When patients stay indoors all day they do not get vitamin D from the sun and this can cause vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency leads to osteoporosis, weak muscles and autoimmune diseases," he added, claiming that around twenty percent of the population in the Gulf is affected by some form of rheumatic disease.

However, Dr Badsha said there are many new treatments available for rheumatoid arthritis and “the aim of the treatment is to completely halt the progression of the disease and to prevent deformities and joint damage."

The Emirates Rheumatology Conference takes place from October 10 to 12 at the Al Murooj Rotana Hotel, Dubai.

Obesity rate among Saudi men and women hits 70%

The growing number of fast food restaurants across Saudi Arabia has been blamed for the country’s rising obesity rate, the Saudi Gazette reports on Sunday.

Figures released by the Saudi Diabetes and Endocrinology Society said 70 percent of the kingdom’s local population are classed as obese.

A recent study found that among middle-aged people, 34 percent of men and 45 percent of women were obese.

Top eight cancer signs pinpointed

The eight unexplained symptoms most closely linked to cancer have been highlighted by researchers.

The Keele University team also points to the age at which patients should be most concerned by the symptoms, which include blood in urine and anaemia.

The other symptoms are: rectal blood, coughing up blood, breast lump or mass, difficulty swallowing, post-menopause bleeding and abnormal prostate tests.

Cancer Research UK said unusual changes in a person's health should be checked.

"..There are more than 200 different types of cancer, which cause many different symptoms”

End Quote Cancer Research UK spokesman

The researchers were looking for symptoms which gave a one in 20 or higher chance of turning out to be cancer.

Although this still represents a relatively low chance of anyone with the symptom having the disease, any suspicion of cancer can mean that the patient is sent for tests more quickly, in order to catch the disease as early as possible.

The figure for each symptom was calculated by combining the results of 25 previous studies.

They found that, if the patient was below the age of 55, there were only two signs which reached the 'one-in-20' threshold.

These were a rectal prostate examination which gave abnormal results, and a breast lump.

After 55, but only in men, there was evidence that difficulty swallowing could be a sign of oesophageal cancer, while blood in the urine was highlighted as a particular concern for men and women aged over 60.

'Not the only signs'

Dr Mark Shapley, who led the research, said: "GPs should audit their management and reflect upon these cases as part of their appraisal to improve quality of care.

"There should be more open public debate on the level of risk that triggers a recommendation for referral by a GP."

Professor Amanda Howe, honorary secretary of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "It's useful to see these well-known 'red flag' symptoms and signs validated in primary care research, and reinforces the importance of encouraging patients to discuss worrying symptoms early with their GP."

However, a spokesman for Cancer Research UK said that these were by no means the only potential warning signs for cancer.

"The particular symptoms this study has highlighted are already thought of as important potential signs of cancer, but there are more than 200 different types of cancer, which cause many different symptoms.

"So if you notice an unusual or persistent change in your body it's important to get it checked out. When cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, treatment is often more likely to be successful."

MANICI Kasri Assos Canakkale / TURKEY