The media continues to highlight the UK's National Health Service (NHS) in the health care reform debate. In a previous post, Compare and contrast the NHS with the US Health System, we highlighted our observations of the NHS. Sg2's global work has given us valuable insights into other health care systems that may provide a less radical perspective in the health care reform debate. In particular, Australia may have elements of health care provision that some Americans are worried will be lost with reform, including patient choice and provider autonomy in service provision.

 

Boston University has announced a $10 million global health investment as it launches its Center for Global Health and Development that is designed to bolster research and education to improve health in developing countries.

The CGHD is a team of clinicians, social scientists, and economists based at BU's School of Public Health "that strives to improve health and quality of life of people throughout the developing world by conducting applied research that treats health as a medical social development and economic issue," according to the CGHD Web site.

Korea’s local governments build health care clusters to attract foreign patients

The South Korean government announced medical tourism as one of its 17 next-generation growth engines. It set the goal to create a medical tourism boom following countries such as Thailand, Singapore and India. Following suit, local governments including Jeju Island plan to build health care clusters for medical tourism to attract foreign patients. Last year, South Korea earned about US$48 million from medical tourism, attracting 40,000 foreign patients.

SINGAPORE'S healthcare system is well-positioned to capture the upturn in medical tourism when the region recovers from the economic downturn, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament on Monday.

Besides having a competent healthcare system, with world-class facilities and a well-deserved reputation for high medical and ethical standards, he said efforts to expand the capacity and raise the capabilities of healthcare services are continuing.

Despite the economic slowdown, Singapore had to turn away foreign patients last year because the 'market was bigger than we can cope,' said Mr Khaw, responding to questions from MPs.