Wads of cash leave Brunei via growing medical tourism

MILLIONS of dollars is going out of the country and spent on medical tourism that Brunei nationals and residents patronise in countries like Singapore over the past two years, The Brunei Times learned yesterday.

"We do not have the exact figures but I believe it is in the millions very significant for a small country," said Micheal Lee, managing director of local travel agency Freme Travel Services, which arranges medical tourism packages for locals and residents intending to avail of such services outside the sultanate.

Freme Travel is currently the only travel agency in Brunei offering medical care packages, having been appointed to do so by the Overseas Associate of Raffles Hospital, Singapore in August 2006. The packages include return airfare, accommodation and the preferred hassle-free medical arrangements with appropriate physicians at Raffles hospital.

The service assures clients of a high level of patient satisfaction; Information exchange is strictly on a patient confidentiality basis.

"There has already been 120 cases including elective cases," he added.

People tend to go in groups of threes or fours as a family staying in Singapore from three to six days, within which time they are able to review their medical exam results with the doctor before returning home.

"Our customers generally purchase our medical packages combined with their leisure holidays and can spend between $3,000 to $6,000 per family for five days," he said.

There is a growing trend in medical tourism among Bruneians, he said, due to increased public health awareness.

Singapore is also a familiar place for Bruneians and is trusted as a world-class health care destination, he said. Patients nowadays, he added, seek medical treatment at affordable costs combined with leisure.

"Health is a growing market worldwide, and the battle against ageing is never ending," he said, adding that improved diagnosis and early detection of health risks cause people to act on their susceptibilities.

In Singapore, out of nearly 10 million visitors last year, some 410,000 came for healthcare with an additional 89,000 people accompanying them.

The Brunei Times