Cost effective Transurethral needle ablation in India with high quality healthcare

The prostate is a male reproductive gland that produces the fluid that carries sperm during ejaculation. It surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine passes out of the body.  An enlarged prostate is often called benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or benign prostatic hypertrophy. Transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) of the prostate is a procedure used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Patients are offered transurethral needle ablation in India with a comprehensive range of suitable treatment consultation at an effective cost, using high quality healthcare, modern technology and state-of-the-art equipment, accredited by internationally approved Indian prostate surgery hospitals. People from countries such as the US and UK seek cheap expenses transurethral needle ablation in India because the cost of this treatment in these countries is high and there are long waiting periods for many patients to receive treatments.

Transurethral needle ablation in India is provided by Avon surgeons of Mumbai and Delhi. Transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) is a globally approved technique which can be done with a local anesthetic on an outpatientbasis, and uses low energy radio frequency energy delivered through two needles to ablate excess prostate tissue. A catheter that deploys the needles toward the obstructing prostate tissue is inserted into the urethra directly through the penis under local anesthetic before the procedure begins. It is performed by placing interstitial radiofrequency (RF) needles through the urethra and into the lateral lobes of the prostate, causing heat-induced coagulation necrosis. Some clinical studies have reported that TUNA improves the urine flow with minimal side effects when compared with other procedures.

Transurethral needle ablation in India is carried at hospitals of Mumbai and Delhi with the highest standard of qualitative medical treatment and patient care at a cost which is affordable and enjoyable to all.  Medical tourism in India provides foreign patients with excellence that is otherwise unaffordable or inaccessible in their health care and marketplace. Medical tourism in India is quickly becoming recognized as a spectacular and fascinating destination that can provide a wonderful experience, whether it is on relaxing beaches, scenic mountains or in magical forests. To get more info on transurethral needle ablation in India at Mumbai and Delhi visit us at http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com or mail your queries at enquiry@forerunnershealthcare.com

Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare – Where Are You Going?

The American Medical Association (AMA) defines medical tourism as “the organized travel outside of one’s health care jurisdiction, usually one’s country, to enhance or restore health through medical intervention.” A less technical definition comes from Harvard Business School, which defines medical tourism as the act of “traveling far and wide for health care that is often better and certainly cheaper than at home.” The practice is also known as health tourism, medtrotting, or cross-border health tourism.

Medical tourism is booming and has now become a $40 billion dollar industry. An estimated 10,000 Americans engage in medical tourism annually, not including cosmetic surgery and dental procedures. Other estimates range from 50,000 to 500,000, including all procedures. In 2005, about 150,000 people worldwide were medical tourists. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India are the leading countries in the medical tourism industry.

Though it has become very popular only in recent years, medical tourism is not a new phenomenon. Indeed, hundreds, even thousands of years ago, people have been to known to visit areas known for their healing powers. In England, the World Heritage City of Bath got its name from the numerous heated mineral springs and roman baths that became quite popular with the rich and famous of Europe of the 17th and 18th century. The word “Spa” is taken from a little Belgian town of that name, famous for its thermal springs. The French Riviera has also a history as a wellness getaway for English and Russian nobilities escaping the cold winters of northern Europe,

In more recent history, medical tourism followed advances in medicine as rich people from developing countries travelled to more developed countries such as the US and the UK. Other countries (e.g. Switzerland) specialized in boutique health services, such as cosmetic surgery and rehabilitation clinics.

Globalization and widespread air travel have triggered the rise in medical tourism, bringing about two major trends in health tourism.

(1) Medical tourism has gone mainstream. Whereas before, only the rich and the famous could afford to be medical tourists, medical tourism is now accessible to everybody. Hundreds of travel agencies have specialized in this rather lucrative niche. In Europe, where crossing national borders now have fewer restrictions with the inclusion of eastern European countries to the European Union, medical tourism has become widespread. This is aided by the short distances and the fact that the health care destinations are reachable by car, by train or a short flight. For Americans, medical tourism may entail travelling long distances but with cheaper flights, Central American countries have become favorite destinations.

(2) Medical tourism has changed directions. Medical tourism of 50 years ago mainly consisted of trips from a less developed country to a more developed and medically advanced country. Nowadays medical tourism goes in both directions, but mainly in the direction of developing countries where good quality but affordable healthcare can be found.

The current trends in medical tourism may be due to the following factors:

(1) Rising health care costs. Rising health care costs in developed countries especially the US are forcing their citizens to seek affordable health care elsewhere. Charges for common procedures such as heart bypass can be $11,000 in Thailand compared to $130,000 in the United States. Knee replacement can cost $40,000 compared to $13,000 in Singapore. This is even encouraged by health insurance companies and employers offering coverage of medical tourism expenses. One case is that of the insurer WellPoint Inc. and a self-funded, Wisconsin-based specialty graphics business called Serigraph. According to reports, “Serigraph will waive co-pays and coinsurance for any of their 650 employees to fly to India for certain non-emergency medical procedures such as major joint replacement and upper and lower back fusion. In addition, Serigraph will pay for all travel expenses for the employee as well as a companion”.

(2) Cross-border medical training. More and more doctors from developing countries have studied and specialized abroad. India, for example, has many doctors trained in the US and the UK who speak excellent English and fully understand the medical needs of medical tourists from Western countries. The same is true for Mexico in relation to the US and Australia in relation to Thailand.

(3) Holistic approach to medicine. The last decade also witnessed the popularity of alternative medicine. More and more people seek out alternative health care such as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda (India), Unani (Arabic), homeopathy, and herbal medicine, among others. Many countries in Asia offer these types of medicine for Western tourists.

(4) Accreditation. To overcome the scepticism of patients, many medical tourism facilities apply for accreditation. Several American organizations conduct inspections, evaluations of and grant accreditation to medical facilities outside the US. One of these is the Joint Commission International (JCI). More encompassing is accreditation by the International Society for Quality in Healthcare which is the umbrella organization for accreditation agencies in many countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and Ireland.

The most popular destinations are in Asia and Latin America. However, it is estimated that about 50 countries in all continents engage in the industry.

India is on top of the list of favorite medical tourism destinations. According a University of Delaware article “India has top-notch centers for open-heart surgery, pediatric heart surgery, hip and knee replacement, cosmetic surgery, dentistry, bone marrow transplants and cancer therapy, and virtually all of India’s clinics are equipped with the latest electronic and medical diagnostic equipment”. “For example, hip surgery patients in India can opt for a hip-resurfacing procedure, in which damaged bone is scraped away and replaced with chrome alloy–an operation that costs less and causes less post-operative trauma than the traditional replacement procedure performed in the U.S”. Heart bypass goes for $10,000 and a hip replacement for $9,000, compared with $130,000 and $43,000 respectively in the United States”.

Aside from the additional attraction of its holiday destination facilities the beaches of Phuket, Thailand is actually well-known for sex-change surgery, which “is one of the top 10 procedures for which patients visit Thailand”.

For Americans, Mexico and Costa Rica are appealing because of their proximity. Arizona retirement communities now organize regular bus tours for Mexican dental work and inexpensive drugs. And tiny border communities, some about an hour from Ciudad Juarez, are becoming dentistry boomtowns to handle an ever-growing flow of American patients flying in from as far away as Alaska”.

Despite the boom in medical tourism and global healthcare the industry remains controversial in several respects.

(1) Health care disparities. A main objection by those who are opposed to medical tourism is the disparities of care delivered by private facilities catering to medical tourists and public health care for local residents. It is estimated more than half of India’s primary health care facilities are not equipped with a labor room, laboratory, or a telephone or stocked with essential medications.

(2) In Vitro Fertilization. In January 2009, a Canadian woman made headlines when she delivered twins at the age of 60. Under Canadian law, the age limit for a woman to have in vitro fertilization (IVF) is 45 to years old. India is the home of the world’s oldest first-time mother who delivered a baby girl last November at the age of 70. Laws governing fertility treatments are almost nonexistent in India, and unlike in many countries, there are no regulations limiting the age of the mother or the number of embryos implanted.

(3) Commercial surrogacy or reproductive outsourcing. This is another form of assisted reproduction connected with medical tourism and again India is in the front line. Women whose uteri are not capable of carrying a baby resort to paying other women to be surrogate mothers. In India, women consider this as a respectable way of making money and at the same time help childless women. Commercial surrogacy has been legal in India since 2002, as it is in many other countries, including the United States. But India is the leader in making it a viable industry rather than a rare fertility treatment.

(4) Organ transplantation. One of the shady dealings of medical tourism is organ transplantation. People who are not willing to wait and can afford to pay a lot of money may find other means of getting an organ in developing countries. “Transplant tourism” as it is sometimes called, is thriving in developing countries. In 2006, The Guardian reported that British patients travelled to China to have transplants with organs taken from executed prisoners, “without the prior consent of either the prisoner or their family”.

Medical tourism is on the rise and is expected to become more popular and acceptable in the future. According to the American Medical Association, “the global economy and changing rules of trade provide opportunities and challenges for the medical profession and public health”. Like in any industry, medical tourism is ruled by supply and demand. There is definitely a lot of demand in developed countries that developing countries willingly supply. However, limits and regulations need to be set in place in order to protect the patients as well as the labor force of the service providers. Only then can the industry be worthy of the term “global healthcare”.

A Modest Proposal For Healthcare

(Based on the Essay “A Modest Proposal”, by Jonathan Swift in 1729)

A new organization has been created on the West side of Manhattan. This is an organization dedicated to the betterment of humanity, the cleanliness of the earth and the causes of equality within and between all nations. The organization is called the Bastion of Urban Renewal and Progress (BURP).

This is a community organization which is staffed by people from all walks of life, as well as by experts in all areas of importance. We will be speaking to a variety of subjects throughout the coming months and years. The first issue that we wish to address is that of healthcare.

Our goal is to have universal healthcare for all people. People should not be without basic care, no matter what their circumstances. The biggest obstacle to this is money. Our President, Barack Obama, seemed to recognize this in his press conference in July when he spoke about healthcare. In that press conference, the word “money” was stated 21 times. Only four nouns were said more. Those were “health” – 72 times, “care” – 69 times (although the word “care” wasn’t always used as a noun), “insurance” – 34 times, and “people” – 31 times.

We are a bit disappointed about the obsession with money as we always felt that it was the republicans who were more obsessed over issues concerning money while our side was more concerned with issues dealing with quality of life, morality, and fairness. However, we recognize money as the necessary evil it is, at least for now, until we can put in place a more fair system and eliminate the need for this exchange of capitalistic greed.

So how do we provide healthcare for all people and how to we pay for it? We, at our organization (BURP) have devised a plan that will not only provide healthcare for all, but at the same time will not cost a cent! In fact, we expect our plan to make money! As a side benefit, we also expect our plan to go a long way toward cleaning up the environment and stopping the green house gasses that are heating our planet to such dangerous levels.

80% of healthcare costs is spent on the elderly. President Obama spoke to this issue when he said that he wasn’t sure if it was in everyone’s best interests that his grandmother got a hip replacement – we agree. Couldn’t the medical resources that went toward her hip replacement have been better served going to a child or a person with more years to live and contribute to society?

Much of the currently proposed healthcare reform comes from Tom Daschle’s book “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis”. Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free. Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them.” We agree with that statement as well, but we have some qualms about this and think that we can improve on its basic premise.

It is immoral to ask an elderly person to suffer. We don’t want the elderly to live with painful and debilitating conditions. At the same time, we don’t have the money to treat them because they will bankrupt the system and cost too much money. We can’t continue to spend 80% of healthcare costs on people who have nothing left to contribute but stories of bygone eras. We are a progressive nation and we must move forward.

As mentioned earlier in this proposal, we at our organization (BURP) have experts from all walks of life. One such expert is a chef in France by the name of Jean Aymard. Mr. Aymard assures us that an old person, if seasoned properly, can be cooked in a variety of ways to provide a most delicious and healthy meal. Old people provide a very tender meat because the muscular structure of their meat has diminished; creating a texture that is exquisite.

Old people can be served in a variety of ways. According to Mr. Aymard, the hips can make a T-bone steak that would be the envy of the finest steak house. Because there is so little muscle left on old people, a good portion of the meat can be made into an amazing filet mignon, far more so than in a cow, which contains a larger percentage of gristle and muscle.

There will be many ways of using this fine quality meat. Dipping an old person’s fingers in barbecue sauce will be a treat on a Friday night after a hard week of work. Boneless toe nuggets, either fried or baked, will be a tasty appetizer or hors d’oeuvres. Mr. Aymard also assures us that the breasts of an older woman can create a pâté that could be served at the finest cocktail parties. This pâté, served with green salad and potatoes, will be a delicacy to be envied and longed for. Other parts won’t go to waste either. There will be granny cold cuts sold in every supermarket. These cold cuts, we are assured by our resident expert, are lighter in fat content than turkey or chicken cold cuts.

Now we understand that this plan, however well intentioned it may be, could be criticized on certain moral grounds. So let us then look at the benefits of this plan. As Barack Obama said, we have to look very carefully at “end of life” decisions. We clearly can’t afford to give elderly people endless care and also provide universal care to everyone else. We don’t want our elderly people to suffer but we can’t afford to give them care. So by turning them into food, we are allowing them to do one last great thing in their life. Instead of becoming a burden to society, they become a benefit to society.

Old people, at the age of 70, can be taken to “Environmental Contribution Centers”. These centers will be located in beautiful beach front areas so that the old people can enjoy a last hurrah of life. They will be given only the finest foods, which will not only give them a great sendoff, but will fatten them up for the dinner table. They can enjoy a few rounds of golf (not too many, though, because we don’t want them to develop hardened muscular structure), ping pong, shuffle board and whatever else they wish to do. When their time comes, there will be a wonderful ceremony. Relatives will be invited to share in the gift of an elderly person sacrificing his or her life for the betterment of our country and our planet.

Putting this proposal into practice will not only free up 80% of healthcare costs for other, more productive members of society, but it will create a new enterprise that will make money. The Old People Meat market will be a multibillion dollar industry that will provide money for schools, infrastructure improvement and new jobs. It will be an economic boom!

The cruel and dirty business of slaughter houses will come to an end. There will be no need to raise turkeys, chickens, cattle, pigs and other livestock when we have an endless supply of healthy, wholesome meat. The environment will be better off. It takes a huge amount of space and resources to raise cattle. The grain to feed the cattle and the land that they take up can be used for our benefit, or it can go back to nature. In either case we will be better off for it as the raising of cattle takes up far too many resources. Cow flatulence, which is a huge contributor to global warming, will also be a thing of the past.

Animal activist groups, a number of which we have right here in our organization, such as PETA, will be happy that chickens and turkeys are no longer raised for food, suffering through their short lives to have a cruel destiny as food for some person’s selfish needs.

Of course there will have to be some exceptions to what we will affectionately refer to as “The Rule of 70″. For example, we have many resident experts right here in our organization (BURP) whose knowledge is invaluable to shaping the course of events and in creating the progressive society that we all yearn for. Because of the need for their skills and expertise, these people, despite their age, will be provided the full health care that will be provided to the society as a whole.

And so, dear comrades, you see how this proposal benefits society in so many ways. Sometimes it takes a good community activist organization to shine the light and show how to get things done. Our organization (BURP) is about making America a kinder, fairer and just country. Providing universal health care for all is just the beginning.

Healthcare Tourism In Kerala

Kerala, the southernmost state of India is renowned world wide for its scenic beauty, picturesque beaches and tranquil backwaters. All these things very well attracts the both national and international tourists. But a new added feather to Kerala’s crown is the booming of health care facilities in the state. Both Government and private enterprises collaborated to enhance the health care sector.

The state government has prepared some ambitious planning to merged the tourism industry of the state with the medical facilities. The term given to this collaboration is Health Care Tourism or Medical tourism.

From the ancient times, Kerala is synonymous with the magical world of Ayurveda known as to be the “mantra or science of life”. But with the rapid changing world scenario, Kerala now emerges as a modern health care provider. To attract the foreign tourists and projects itself as a international destination for health care tourism, Kerala government has established some world class hospitals equipped with all modern technologies and well qualified doctors. Even the State government organizes some road shows in some South Asian countries like Sri lanka, Maldives and also in some West Asian countries to showcases the possibilities and major attractions of Kerala’s health care tourism.

Thanks to the scenic beauty of verdant valleys, sandy beaches and placid backwaters, every year more than 15000 tourists from across the globe, choses Kerala over other tourists locales as a destination for health vacation. And the state government is hoping that by the year 2010 this number could be rises to 100,000. Most of the foreign tourists who throngs to Kerala for health care belongs to the U.S, the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the Maldives. Even the NRI’s who stays in other countries prefer India especially kerala for treatment. Due to the excessive health care cost and long queues for medical treatments, these bulk of tourists opt for Kerala as because here in Kerala the medical expanses like cost of surgery and hospital charges are very cheap in compare to other countries.

Kerala government is offering various kinds of medical tourism packages which includes various services that come in affordable prices. This kind of tour package provides facilities like –
? at first the medical history of the patient is emailed and discussed with the related doctors.
? on receiving airport the patient is received by the representatives.
? he is than escorted to the hospital for treatment.
? on being discharge, a recuperative holiday at a resort is offered to the patient.
? before the final departure, a post treatment check up is done.
This are the inclusive facilities which are included in the package for the patient and the accompanying person.

In the coming years, it is for sure that India especially Kerala which has immense potential may attain the top slot in the country as well as in the world i n terms of health care sector.

Cameroon Has a Healthcare System

The Republic of Cameroon is a unitary republic of central and western Africa. It borders Nigeria to the west, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south.

Cameroons coastline lies on the Bight of Bonny, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. The country is called Africa in miniature for its geological and cultural diversity.

Natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests and savannas.

The highest point is Mount Cameroon in the southwest, and the largest cities are Douala, Yaound, and Garoua.

Cameroon is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups.

The country is well known for its native styles of music, particularly makossa and bikutsi and for its successful national football team.

English and French are the official languages.

Cameroon is diverse with predominantly French cooking in hotels. Hotels remain opened so long as there are guests. If you visit Buea or Limbe, you can visit Atlantic Beach hotel which is a stone throw from the Botanical Garden. The hotel has a black and white night club. Most hotels have night clubs within the hotels. There are shopping centers, fishing centers and even hunting parks. You need a special license and special instructions before you can hunt in Cameroon. In Yaounde, the story is different.

Cameroons healthcare system is fairly developed in Douala and Yaounde. Hospitals in these cities have nationals who are trained both in Cameroon and overseas. There are also many expatriates working in various private hospitals and clinics in the cities. Elsewhere rural NW region of Cameroon, there are dilapidated buildings constructed by the former colonies of the country that have been abandoned. A typical case is Presbyterian General Hospital Acha Tugi that has medical equipment dating 1964 when the hospital was constructed.

Common diseases included malaria and cardiovascular diseases and HIV/AIDS. Infectious diseases are rampant in rural areas especially where there is neglect as evident by the lack of roads and other basic living conditions such as clean water supply, food and electricity.

This is a rich culture, but as most of rural Cameroon regions is plagued by diseases and suffering. Maybe the best the world can give them is hope through this healthcare initiative, which has a potential of revolutionizing how we assist humankind suffering all over the world. Maybe from sorrow and pain and grief rises the sun on a forgotten region.

Healthcare Reform Town Hall

A Community Town Hall Meeting was held August 29, 2009 at Sipology in Long Beach, California. Attending were about 75 concerned citizens from all over the 37th Congressional District.

After repeat…