The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| One in three open to being ‘medical tourists’ poll finds Posted: 13 Nov 2012 07:48 AM PST  An Ipsos poll has found more people are open to the idea of traveling abroad to enjoy cheaper medical or dental treatment. — AFP pic Nearly a third of people surveyed around the world say they are open to the idea of medical tourism — traveling abroad to enjoy cheaper medical or dental treatment, according to a new Ipsos poll of 18,731 adults in 24 countries. Indeed, 18 per cent said they would definitely consider it. "The concept of medical tourism is well accepted in many countries," said Nicolas Boyon, senior vice president of Ipsos Public Affairs. "With the exception of Japan there are at least one third of consumers in every country we covered that are open to the idea," he said in an interview. Whether for economic reasons or perceptions of superior treatment elsewhere, for treatments ranging from cosmetic to life-saving surgeries, Indians, Indonesians, Russians, Mexicans and Poles were the most open to the idea of being medically mobile. Thirty-one per cent or more people in each of those countries said they would definitely consider traveling for a medical or dental treatment. Conversely, people in Japan, South Korea, Spain and Sweden were least likely to be medical tourists. Boyon said it was not surprising that men and women from emerging nations would be medically mobile if the treatments were cheaper. "This probably reflects perceptions of medical care in other countries that is superior to what is available at home," he said. But he was intrigued by the per centage of people in developed nations such as Italy, where 66 per cent said they would definitely or probably consider medical tourism, along with Germany (48 per cent), Canada (41 per cent) and the United States, where 38 per cent of people were open to the idea. "It is a reflection that the medical profession is no longer protected from globalization," Boyon said. Risks vs benefits Although medical tourism spans a range of treatments, the most common are dental care, cosmetic surgery, elective surgery and fertility treatment, according to an OECD report. "The medical tourist industry is dynamic and volatile and a range of factors including the economic climate, domestic policy changes, political instability, travel restrictions, advertising practices, geo-political shifts, and innovative and pioneering forms of treatment may all contribute towards shifts in patterns of consumption and production of domestic and overseas health services," the report said. Various studies using different criteria have estimated that anywhere between 60,000 to 750,000 US residents travel abroad for health care each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Along with variations among countries, the Ipsos survey showed that younger adults under 35 years of age were more likely in most countries to consider medical tourism, than people 50 to 64 years old. In India, 86 per cent of young adults said they would consider medical tourism, along with 77 per cent in China, and 71 per cent in Italy. Boyon suggested that the cost of travel, proximity, borders and quality of care may also be factors considered by potential medical tourists. In both Italy and Germany, about 20 per cent of adults said they would definitely consider medical tourism. Both countries are near Hungary, a popular destination for health treatments. Ipsos conducted the poll in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States. — Reuters |
| Flu, fever in pregnancy tied to autism risk Posted: 13 Nov 2012 07:01 AM PST  A study finds that women who had the flu and fever during pregnancy might result in autistic child. — AFP pic The study was based on a survey of mothers of nearly 97,000 children aged eight to 14 and born between 1997 and 2003 in Denmark. Only one per cent (976) of the children were diagnosed with autism Researchers said that mild and common respiratory, sinus, urinary tract or genital infections, as well as feverish episodes or use of antibiotics in mothers during pregnancy were not a strong risk factor for autism. But children whose mothers reported experiencing a bout of influenza during pregnancy had twice the risk of being diagnosed with autism, while those whose mothers had a fever lasting more than seven days before gestational week 32 were three times more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder. Pregnant women have a weakened immune system during the nine months of gestation. The study, published in the US journal Pediatrics, also noted a small increase in the risk of autism after the mother used different antibiotics during the pregnancy. However, the researchers stressed that, "we do not know whether the antibiotic treatment itself caused the observed association or whether the antibiotic use functioned as a proxy variable for an underlying disease." They also stressed that the link between fever during pregnancy and autism could be a "coincidental finding," and required further study. Given the link found between autism and fever or the flu during pregnancy, the study's authors recommended that pregnant women get a flu shot. — AFP/Relaxnews |
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