Brunei urged to act fast on medical tourism bid

BRUNEI will have to act fast if it intends to tap into the "medical tourism" market, said an executive from a US medical tourism agent looking at the Sultanate as a potential destination.

Geoff Moss, vice president of public relations and branding at PlanetHospital, said Brunei has a chance to enter the medical tourism market due to its cultural familiarity with other well-known medical tourism destinations such as Indonesia and Singapore, but the Sultanate will have to act soon to avoid being left out.

"I cannot tell you how many countries are developing medical tourism programmes. If Brunei waits too long, they will miss the boat," he said during an email interview with The Brunei Times.

"Countries like Australia and Japan are developing medical tourism programmes; a lot of money and support is being invested into this," he said.

Set up in 2002, PlanetHospital is the leader and pioneer in medical tourism. Since it was set up, PlanetHospital has been helping individuals, corporations, and insurers save time and money on the cost of healthcare through its vast network of high calibre overseas surgeons and hospitals.

"We currently send patients to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and India," he said.

When asked what is the potential for Brunei in the field of medical tourism, Moss replied that they will not know until they visit the country.

"However, it is our intention to help develop a very successful medical tourism programme for Brunei. We have been in business since 2002 and have a very successful track record. We feel that we can help the country of Brunei develop a successful programme," he said.

He added that PlanetHospital has been in contact with the Jerudong Park Medical Centre and is hoping to visit the Sultanate in the near future.

Moss used the opportunity to clear up misconceptions on what are the necessary ingredients in determining if a location is suitable for medical tourism.

"It starts with the doctors and surgeons and then the hospitals. We are dealing with serious health issues, we want to provide first-class medical care at a savings. This is not about cheap medical care," he said.

Moss explained that there is no such thing as cheap medical care in the world, only "affordable" medical care. "At PlanetHospital, we do not provide cheap medical care because cheap medical care is substandard care. We provide top quality affordable care."

With this in mind, he said that Brunei would have to promote medical research and development in innovative areas which can make the country a beacon for medical care.

Moss also noted how this can help boost Brunei's tourism industry.

"If a patient is strong enough after surgery, we encourage them to see the country because we feel a key to recovery is peace and relaxation," he said.

"We would also possibly be interested in filming our reality television show in Brunei," he added.

PlanetHospital has teamed up with Merv Griffin Entertainment, Inc to produce a televised reality-style series based on medical tourism.

The series will follow patients faced with desperate medical needs as they travel to exotic countries in search of healthcare that they either cannot afford or cannot obtain in the US.

The patients will be followed through various stages of their journey, including their initial research, arrival in a foreign country and visitation of doctors and facilities where they might be treated.

The Brunei Times