Global Health Asia-Pacific Issue 2 | 2023 | Page 49

Emirati hospital joins forces with leading Indian provider
The partnership will facilitate clinical collaboration and advances

RA� Hospital has reached an agreement with Indiabased Apollo Hospitals �roup to collaborate on training and telemedicine services as well as academics and laboratory referrals in order to make medical advances through cutting-edge technologies .

The Executive �irector of RA� Hospital , �r Ra�a Siddiqui , said that international partnerships were crucial for providers to expand their clinical capacity , according to �AE News 2�7 . He added that the collaboration with Apollo would benefit Emirati patients as they would be able to get a consultation with Apollo ’ s medical experts without the need to travel overseas .
�r � . Hariprasad , �roup President of Apollo Hospitals , said that the scope of such collaboration would also allow Apollo ’ s super speciality team to provide care at RA� Hospital .
RA� Hospital is a private provider under Arabian Healthcare �roup and just one hour away from �ubai International Airport . It provides treatment for a large number of overseas patients who seek care in the �nited Arab Emirates ( �AE ).
Founded in 1��3 in Chennai , Apollo is one of the largest hospital groups in Asia , with more than � , 500 beds in 50 hospitals , 100 primary care and diagnostic clinics , and 100 telemedicine units in nine countries .
Medical tourism in South Korea on the rise
The government aims for half a million medical tourists by 2026

The number of international patients seeking care in South �orea is rebounding nearly to pre-pandemic levels , according to recent data by the country ’ s Ministry of Health and Welfare , reports Koreabizwire .

About 2�� , 000 non-resident foreigners were treated in �orea last year , marking a 70 percent increase from 2021 and roughly 50 percent of the total reported in 201� before the COVI�-1� pandemic broke out . Americans comprised the largest national group , reaching 17 . � percent of patients , while Chinese individuals made up 17.7 percent , followed by the Japanese at � . � percent , Thai at � . 2 percent , and Vietnamese at 5 . � percent .
The biggest surge was seen among Japanese patients whose numbers increased more than sixfold compared to the previous year mostly due to the popularity of plastic surgery and skincare services .
Though the number of international patients rose in all medical specialities , dermatology and plastic surgery recorded the highest surges at 201 and 177.7 percent , respectively . However , the most sought-after services were integrated internal medicine treatments , which include general internal medicine , infectious diseases , and gastroenterology .
The South Korea government plans to attract half a million medical tourists from abroad by 2026 through the Second Comprehensive Plan to Support Overseas Expansion of Medical Services and Attraction of International Patients , which will empower local authorities to pursue the goal while supporting agencies working with international patients . It will also crack down on illegal brokers to improve care quality and safety .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com ISSUE 2 | 2023
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