Bali plans special economic zone for local health tourism
The goal is to convince Indonesians to seek treatment in the country
The tourist island of Bali has selected an area in Sanur to establish a special economic zone to attract top hospitals in hopes of boosting its medical offerings and infrastructure , Bloomberg reported .
Companies that set up shop in Bali should benefit from fiscal and other incentives , with world-renowned providers like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic partnering with the Indonesian government to reverse a trend that has been seeing Indonesians go overseas for their medical care .
Estimates are that some two million Indonesians travel to countries like Singapore , Malaysia , and the US for medical treatment because they don ’ t trust their local healthcare system or due to limited capacity . This translates into 97 trillion rupiah ( US $ 6.2 billion ) in healthcare revenue losses .
“ It is hoped these international health facilities will absorb 4 % -8% of Indonesians who usually seek treatment abroad ,” said Elen Setiadi , acting general secretary at the SEZ National Council , according to Bloomberg .
The owner of the economic area , PT Hotel Indonesia Natiour , and the public hospital holding company , Pertamina Bina Medika , together with other companies , will provide funds amounting to about 10.2 trillion rupiah ( US $ 657 million ) to build healthcare facilities , hotels , and a convention centre .
Setiadi added that Indonesia should earn US $ 1.25 billion from health tourism by 2045 by attracting patients from other countries .
Global Accreditation Initiative in aesthetic medicine
The initiative aims to improve patient safety in selected facilities
The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery has partnered with the accreditation organisation QUAD A to launch the Global Accreditation Initiative — a move that will provide patients with essential information to pick the safest providers of aesthetic treatments .
“ International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery ( ISAPS ) membership combined with QUAD A accreditation provides a clear and easy-to-understand statement to patients that a center is staffed by highly qualified and properly trained surgeons and is run in accordance with global standards to promote safety ,” reads a joint statement by ISAPS and QUAD A .
ISAPS members commit to follow the highest standards of care through accreditation in addition to receiving proper qualifications in plastic surgery , a move that will reassure patients they are receiving safe treatments . The partnership will allow QUAD A accredited facilities to have qualified staff who are expert in adverse outcome reduction .
The initiative will see some of the best plastic surgeons among ISAPS members train clinical and administrative staff to make clinics the safest locations possible to carry out surgery .
“ Our shared philosophy is that accreditation should support superior physician training with education , helping facilities and their support staff rise to the highest standards of care . This includes training nursing staff and technicians on proper processes and systems throughout the facility . The best care begins with the best training ,” the statement adds .
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