Shrink Your Stomach in Malaysia

Obese Patients Consider Medical Tourism

According to a recent article in the New York Times, a third of American adults are obese.  Considering this, it might not be surprising that the article also notes that more than 200,000 weight-loss operations will be performed in 2007, ten times more procedures than just a decade ago.   

Because obesity contributes to many other ailments (type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, etc.), doctors will sometimes recommend surgery to help with weight loss.  For many obese people, gastric bypass or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding procedures improve the overall quality of life.  But with the cost of gastric bypass surgery and lap-band procedures running in the US at about $20,000 and $30,000, respectively, many who lack health care insurance are looking for other options.  One such option could be a medical tourism vacation to Malaysia. 

Malaysia's Booming Health Care Business

According to Oxford Business Group, 1.3 million travelers visit Asia each year on medical tourism trips.  By 2012, health travelers are predicted to generate over US$4 billion a year in revenues in Asia.  Malaysia is expecting its share of the medical tourism pie to increase, as new figures show that the country can anticipate bringing in US$590 million per year from people looking to cut the cost of expensive procedures like gastric bypass surgery.  As Malaysia finally starts to aggressively market its health care facilities to foreigners (something that Singapore and Thailand have been doing for years), the number of patients is increasing, according to a Malaysian newspaper.  In fact, 110,000 patients from abroad sought treatment in Malaysia last year, a 10% increase in numbers from 2005.  And with the US health care system continuing to deteriorate due to inflated insurance costs and malpractice lawsuits, these favorable numbers will only increase for Malaysia in the coming years. 

UK Hospitals Refer Patients to Malaysia

Another reason for the rise in patients is steady referrals from overseas.  Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) in Malaysia, for example, receives weekly referrals from the UK.  Dr. Jacob Thomas, a medical advisor, told the Edge Daily that before 1985, Malaysians were forced to fly to the UK or Australia for specialized care.  Today, there is rarely a reason to refer a patient to another country.  The situation is "quite the opposite," says Thomas.  "People are being referred to Malaysia for nearly every possible procedure needed."