Challenging first-mover Asian countries
In an effort to create jobs in the health care sector, the Japanese government has reportedly proposed competing with Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and India for medical travelers. For months, a panel of experts has been secretly discussing how to attract wealthy patients from Asia and Russia to Japan for advanced treatments that would add revenue to the country's tourism industry and economy.
Fujimoto, head of services at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), said they hoped that the development of medical tourism would help many of the country's money-losing hospitals to increase their revenues. The METI will oversee a small-scale medical tourism program that will be piloted at 10 of Japan's largest hospitals starting in September. Travel agencies and translation service companies will be involved in the 1-2 year medical tourism program, which is expected to cost about $1 million.
Analysts say Japan's timing is not favorable for attracting patients from overseas. Some countries, such as India, Singapore and Thailand, are already popular destinations for medical tourism for U.S. and European patients, as well as for Japanese patients who seek specialized medical procedures but don't want to pay the high costs. Japan cannot compete on price with the aforementioned Asian countries. After all, a heart surgery costs $100,000 in the United States or Japan, but $10,000 to $20,000 at the best private hospitals in other Asian countries, such as India.
Playing to the strengths of Japan's medical services
But Japanese hospitals believe they have an even greater advantage in cancer treatments, genetic analysis, and other high-tech medical services that are not available in some developing countries. A team of researchers from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry found that even Americans are considering traveling to Japan for treatment. The cost of treating certain conditions in Japan is about 60 percent of the cost of similar services in U.S. hospitals. But its reputation for safety and high level of service is part of its appeal. What patients cannot enjoy or are otherwise inconvenienced by medical care in their home countries is perfect in Japan.
There is no guarantee that the medical tourism program will be successful. For one thing, only a handful of doctors in Japan speak a foreign language. Hiring translators would be a major expense. It's not clear how patients from overseas will pay their medical bills or whether insurance companies will help. Also, before Japanese hospitals can provide services, they may need some kind of accreditation from the International Federation for Hospital Accreditation. In general, hospitals that provide services to medical travelers should be approved by the International Federation for Hospital Accreditation.
Actively Addressing the Shortage of Doctors
Another difficulty in developing medical tourism in Japan is the shortage of doctors. According to the "Health Care Data 2009" released by the OECD, the number of doctors per capita in Japan is less than in most developed countries. In 2006, there were only 2.1 doctors per 1,000 people in Japan, which is lower than the average of 3 doctors per 1,000 people in OECD countries. (The United States also has a low number of doctors per capita, at 2.4 doctors per 1,000 people.) Part of the reason for the lack of doctors is that the Japanese government limits the number of doctors that hospitals can accept from medical schools each year.
Many Japanese doctors complain that paperwork and clinic shifts are not relevant to their area of specialization. In an effort to recruit more doctors, Japan has lifted the restriction and plans to invest more public ****ing money into the field of physician education and recruitment.
Of course, in addition to excellent medical facilities and services, Japan has its own unique advantage in developing medical tourism, which is that it has many long-lived people, which gives a sense of security to those who wish to receive medical care in Japan, as these statistics clearly reflect the high quality of health care in Japan.