Health tourists for private hospitals

Lamp, The, July, 2008

While NSW public hospital waiting lists grow, private hospitals have been advised to seek out wealthy foreign patients to fill beds left vacant by recent Medicare levy changes.

Two reports released in May recommend that the industry exploit the estimated 19 million medical trips made world-wide each year in order to stay profitable.

One report by the Australian Tourism Export Council suggested Australia should court wealthy people from Asia, the Middle East and US wanting anything from cardiac surgery or IVF to a facelift.

The council's managing director Matthew Hingerty told Sydney media that Australia had everything needed to take advantage of the boom in global health travel, including world-class doctors and facilities, but the Federal Government had refused to take the idea seriously.

'No one wanted to be associated with the headline "Foreigners to take Aussie beds",' he said.

Medical tourism is estimated to be worth at least $21 billion a year and Mr Hingerty believes it could boost Australia's ailing tourism market.

The Federal Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, refused to be drawn on the issue stating through a spokesperson that it was not a matter under active consideration by the Government.

A separate report by Jones Lang LaSalle suggested medical tourism could use similar principals to universities, which opened to full-fee paying international students last decade.