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Dr Wei Siang Yu |
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JAKARTA: Rising affluence of Asia's younger middle class is reshaping the region's growing market for medical travel and tourism.
Each year, about 200,000 Indonesian patients head to regional medical hubs such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore for medical treatments, spending a whopping US$600 million in the process.
The bulk of such patients have traditionally been medical travellers who travel for serious medical reasons, often for better or more complex treatments that are not widely available in their home country.
But healthcare entrepreneurs said the trend is changing – there is a growing number of affluent, younger middle class patients who can afford to have elective procedures done overseas.
These yuppie medical tourists, as they are called, like to combine healthcare visits with holidays.
"We know that they also understand preventive healthcare, from aesthetic, weight management (to) lasik, so on and so forth. So this whole group at this time hasn't been targeted at all," said Dr Wei Siang Yu, developer of FlyFreeForHealth.com.
He wants to tap into this growing market, and his online platform provides medical tour packages to those seeking preventive and aesthetic treatments in Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore through tie-ups with airline companies, retailers and healthcare providers.
Laser surgery to correct short-sightedness is one of the lifestyle treatments that have grown in popularity.
"We are certainly trying to grow this segment as we enhance our lifestyle options. As we are more affluent, I think people are looking beyond simply treatment of diseases and into lifestyle options, wellness options," said Singapore National Eye Centre's chief projects officer Lee Kai Yin.
In fact, patients are being wooed not only with shopping vouchers, dining and other entertainment options, but also airfare rebates. - CNA/ac
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