Brazil in the international route of the medical tourism
“Health Trip” is the practice of travelling to another cities or countries in order to get medical assistance for diagnosis, surgeries and treatments in different medical specialties. Brazil turned to be a promising alternative in the medical tourism route, as it is a worldwide reference in several medical specialties with many hospitals and institutions accredited by non-profitable organizations that assess the models to be adopted by medical services, such as JCI (Joint Commission International) and the Canadian Accreditation.
According to data supplied by WHO – World Health Organization, the market of medical tourism moves US$ 60 billion per year, Brazil has a great growth potential in the sector. According to the Ministry of Tourism, in the last three years the Brazilian medical tourism received around 180 thousand foreigners from Angola and United States besides of countries from Europe and Latin America to get medical attendance in the country. São Paulo is the main destination, followed by Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, and Curitiba. In the city of São Paulo, medical tourism already responds by 18% of guests in hotels, and they stay an average of 3.3 days in the capital, according to the SPCVB (São Paulo Convention & Visitors Bureau). But according to analysts of the sector, these figures may still increase. It is expected that such market is going to have an annual growth between 3 and 4%, showing that the country may get a great benefit by such niche.
Such growth is a trend, when it is considered the good moment in the Brazilian Economy as well as well as the good quality of the medicine practiced in our country both in view of the technology used and the capability of health professionals.
According to Mariana Palha, organizer of the main event focusing the medical tourism in the country, the Medical Travel Meeting Brazil, among the most wanted medical specialty are plastic surgery and dental assistance. “We want to stimulate orthopedics, sports medicine, bariatric surgery, and assisted reproduction” as well, she added.
Brazil was chosen to host the next World Soccer Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, and this has generated a great interest from foreign investors in the country, since by now, the health area is one of the most promising.
It is expected that medical tourism in Brazil will have a 35% growth in the next five years, and investments destined to the accomplishment of those big worldwide events in the country will benefit that sector, which will have a more consolidated and working structure in airports and hotels, among others. “Such figure is composed not only based on investments in the sector, but also due to the growth of foreign persons coming to the country for the World Cup and de Olympic Games”, explains Mariana.
The 2nd edition of the Medical Travel Meeting Brazil was held in the city of São Paulo – SP last August 29 and 30, 2011. The pioneering event in the country gathered leaders in the sector in Brazil and in the world to present and debate advancements in the structure of the activity, and it is foreseen that it will generate business opportunities for health agencies and international brokers. It counted on the presence of several professionals of national and international markets and the major players and buyers in the sector, such as Arthur Porter, General Director of the McGill University Health Center of Montreal, Canada, Greg Lindsay, journalist and lecturer who deals with themes such as innovation and the future of cities, and a representative of the Ministry of Health of Angola, as well as guests from South America and Europe, of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Alexandre Padilha, Caio Carvalho, President of the SPTuris, David Uip, Technical Director of the Institute of Infectology Emílio Ribas, and José Luiz Gomes do Amaral, President of the AMB – Brazilian Medical Association.
Those leaders discussed in a productive schedule the medical tourism sector in the country approaching matters such as demand among the international market and solutions for the insertion into the global market, investment opportunities into the Brazilian market added to the official launching of the Brazilian Association of Medical Travel and the Brazil Health.com platform that gathers the main players in the sector in an unique portal, and regularization of the health visa.
Health Visa: the novelty presented in the event
During the second Day of the event, a representative from the Ministry of Health in CNIg – National Council of Immigration approached the Recommended Resolution nº 02/2000 that deals with the Health Visa in legal spheres. It was explained that such Resolution already exists, but its application is not fully supported, and it was mentioned the need of an awareness as to the urgency to review that resolution in order to accelerate procedures to grant in an exceptional basis a temporary visa for foreign people coming to Brazil seeking for medical assistance. This may expressively stimulate that sector in the country.
(Target - Italo Genovesi -
3063-0477)
Differentials: Medical assistance with quality and in the formation of professionals
In the field of plastic surgery, for instance, Brazil is recognized worldwide as a barn for great professionals. “We have one of the most modern technological resources, and mainly a great tradition in forming medical professionals. We are today the second country in the world’s total amount of plastic surgeries, only behind United State. Our centers of education and their professionals are recognized worldwide attracting a great amount of foreign persons seeking for learning and assistance”, pointed out the plastic surgery Ruben Penteado, director of the Integrated Center of Medicine.
The physician told he attends in his clinic patients of multiple nationalities: Swede, Mozambicans, Japanese, Germans and even North Americans seeking for the most varied treatments in esthetic and repairing surgeries. He has no doubts that Brazil can still get a great advancement in this field. “We are aware that nowadays, money is not a preponderant issue to make such choice. I believe that Brazilian physicians develop great ability in solving problems. This is added to the humanitarian way Brazilian physicians deal with foreign patients, a feature not always found in their country of origin, and the presence of highly capable clinics and hospitals make Brazil an excellence pole in the medical area”, said the plastic surgeon.
The ophthalmologist Virgílio Centurion, director of IMO, abbreviation for Brazilian Institute of Eyes Diseases, believes that Brazil may open new economic and social horizons by exploring medical tourism, mainly due to the high qualification of Brazilian professionals. “Despite of Ophthalmology is of the most well practiced specialty in a global way, there is no doubt about the high level of each specialty in major Brazilian centers. Ophthalmology has 12 subspecialties recognized by the Brazilian Medical Association, and in every other areas, Brazil is in an outstanding position at global level. This is due to the excellent background its professionals has been attaining (Medical Residency of the specialty) and the investment in state-of-the-art equipments”, says the physician.
The gynecologist Joji Ueno, director of the GERA Clinic endorses the statement of the ophthalmologist. “The choice of Brazil as the site to get medical assistance is more related to the quality of our professionals than to any currency issue. In my field of action – human reproduction – Brazil is a reference. Today, the good practices in Medicine need to be based on three pillars: the continuous improvement of its professionals; researches on new medications, and the advancement in technology that allows attaining more accurate medications, follow-up and diagnosis. These three aspects that together facilitate the decision-making by part of the health professionals, propitiating more accuracy in the treatment provided to the patient. In Brazil, these three variables are balanced in this very moment”, points out Ueno.
(se necessárias fotos, Márcia Wirth - (11) 93943597/37913597 – faleconosco@marciawirth.com.br)
Brazilian hospitals confirm the growth in the attendance of foreign patients
Hospitals are improving more and more their processes searching for international certifications and accreditations that assure a quality and safety medical assistance, as for instance the Joint Commission International accreditation. Undoubtedly, this is an important differential in the Health Tourism sector.
Another attractive for the Health Tourism is the price. Developing countries as Brazil invest in new technologies, searching for an spreading in new treatments. A prove of this is several clinical researches performed in the country which are applied locally and recognized worldwide. In its big majority, treatments are considered cheaper, and they bring in their baggage the same quality applied in other countries.
The increasing demand by patients coming from other countries looking for different types of treatment Brazil has made Hospital Sírio-Libanês, a philanthropic Brazilian institution developing integrated actions of social health assistance, education and research to create in 2005 an area to provide assistance to International Patients. In that same sense, the institution has also made some investments to train a team prepared to host those people and by putting signals in several languages throughout the hospital.
From 2006 until the end of 2010, the amount of admissions of international patients had a higher than 500% increase attaining 1900 internments, with the same trend observed for 2011. Patients come from the United States (8%), Germany (6%), Spain (10%), France (14%), Africa (24%), Paraguay (19%), Argentina (14%), and others (5%).
“The good reputation and excellence of the Brazilian Medicine that comes from its health professionals and our hospitals is one of the major points that attracts foreign patients to our country. Today, foreign patients represent an important portion of the HSL revenue”, explains the Commercial, Communication and Marketing Superintendent of Hospital Sírio-Libanês, Dr. André Alexandre Osmo.
HCor – Hospital do Coração [Hospital for the Heart] in São Paulo recorded a 150% growth in the assistance of international patients. To handle with such demand, it counts on a specialized department to attend and follow such patients in their passage by that hospital. Allocated in the Commercial Management, the Relationship Coordination to International Patients helps dealing with cultural issues such as language, adaptation to the hospital environment and feeding, among other needs.
According to the Commercial Manager for HCor, Fernanda Crema, there has been an increasing demand for specialized assistance in Brazil, due to the quality of the medical procedures performed in the county. “We are convinced that the recognition of HCor and its clinical staff also comes from our scientific contribution in a worldwide level, including publication of papers, researches and presentations in international congresses”, she explained. “Our goal is to keep and increase the international recognition both as a highly qualified hospital and to the state-of-the-art technology and differentiated assistance to patients”, concluded Fernanda.
Assessoria de Imprensa do Hospital Sírio-Libanês:
WN&P Comunicação / Mirtes Bogéa / 3155-1090 / 3155-1180 / 9135.1217
Assessoria de Imprensa do HCor – Hospital do Coração:
Target - Rita Barão / Thais Souzza / Italo Genovesi / 3063-0477