Alan Johnson asked:


Now a days medical field has spread its wing by offering overseas treatments at much reasonable costs for everyone to take benefits of. There are a lot of discussion going around the globe to see if there are benefits of medical tourism. Well, today we are going to take a peek in some of these benefits for us while considering any kind of medical tourism.

Medical tourism in simple term is a travel abroad to undergo any medical treatment that you would otherwise find either very costly in the your country or not as well equipped with the recent technology as the country you are traveling to receive that treatment. So if for example, you are from U.S.. and it costs you as an example GBP 20000 for an eye surgery, the same may be done say for example in India for the total sum of GBP 9000 which will not only include the surgery and hospital fees but also include accommodation, follow ups and a holiday feel all in one. This is why so many people today are attracted to this unique concept.

Thus there are many benefits for Medical Tourism. now for the patients who would like to undergo any kind of surgical treatment. Medical tourism gives everyone the opportunity to get best quality of medical treatments at lower costs. Although the costs certainly is the main benefit of medical tourism, the other attraction is the fact that other countries might perform certain treatments that are not available or are restricted in the country of their origin. And while vacation might not be the goal here, people certainly want to recuperate from any treatment while holidaying in their preferred places. There are lots of countries that offer such packages like India, Singapore, Thailand, Brazil, etc.

After information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (IEES), which are now good contributors to our Nation’s GDP, the next great thing happening could be ‘Medical tourism’, which has numerous potential, if rightly captured, to make big contributions to the Nation’s GDP. The following will show a some valid points by the way of expert’s questions vs. opinions offered, current status available with future projections and a some suggestions for making top use of medical tourism towards the development of the nation’s economic prosperity.

The offers available now a days for similar patients are specialized services ranging from cardiology and cardiac surgery (angioplasty, bypass, valve replacement), to oncology and onco-surgery, organ transplants (liver and kidney), bone marrow transplants, joint replacements, eye surgery and in-vitro fertilization. The price difference is significant, as that was for Marshall, for the patients.

Medical tourism is now a days attracting people from all over the world, from countries with comparatively poor healthcare infrastructures and, in case of the US, places with exorbitantly expensive health care services.

Medical tourists from US are generally those seeking procedures not covered by their insurers, those seeking required procedures and who are provided with incentives to find lower cost options, and those who cannot get medical insurance where they depend on the procedures and the physicians. Cosmetic surgery are locally found in South America, while complex heart and orthopedic surgery are found in India, Thailand and Singapore, and specialized in-vitro fertilization may be found in South Africa, Israel and Spain.

In the global medical tourism services, from cosmetic surgery to complex oncology, bargain prices may be found at a medical centre somewhere in the globe. Time and money provide the incentives for seeking healthcare outside the nation. In the case of general public health services with long delays, such as Britain, time is the motivation.



Singapore Hospitals

Nancy Wee asked:


Medical tourism was once something that was only done by the idle rich, looking for cheap cosmetic surgery, but now more and more Americans are taking advantage of the health care that is offered in foreign countries. Find out why, even with the cost of airfare and travel, that medical tourism has become a valuable option for Americans requiring surgery and other medical treatments!

With the costs of medical procedures and health insurance rising every year in America, the new trend of Americans seeking medical care abroad makes perfect sense. Health insurance, which was once an American’s first protection against the debilitating cost of procedures like CAT scans and surgery is now turning into more and more of a liability. Rising premiums coupled with inadequate co-pays have rendered some health insurance nearly useless and the cost that you will pay out of pocket is quickly rising to astronomical levels. Moreover, if you are one of the more than 46 million Americans without health insurance of any kind (or one of the many more whose health insurance is inadequate) medical tourism might be your path to escaping a financial burden that could follow you for years.

There are many Americans who can benefit from foreign health care, but the ones who stand to benefit the most will be those who are underinsured or lack insurance entirely. Essentially, if you fall into either of those categories, you will find a system that that is compatible with small (for Americans) cash payments and where your dollar will stretch farther. The accommodations in these hospitals are usually fairly luxurious, as most of the locals will use the public hospitals and the private hospitals will find themselves caring for tourists, who can more easily afford them.

When Americans travel abroad, one thing they quickly recognize is the completely affordable, more than competent health care that is available in countries like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippine and India. These five countries are ranked as the best one to visit for health care and it is easy to see why. For instance, in Thailand, the costs stay low because doctors pay significantly less in malpractice insurance than do their Western counterparts. Similarly, hospitals in Thailand don’t spend the enormous amount of money on processing insurance claims because most of the payments more than 75 percent) are handled via cash payments.

In light of today’s American medical health crisis, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to investigate the opportunities that medical tourism provides. Find out what so many medical tourists already know; a little research now can save you a lot of trouble and money later on!



Massage Therapist

Manoj Gursahani asked:


Tummy tucks and a visit to the Taj Mahal is not unusual, what with the escalating medical costs the world over, patients are flocking Eastwards to countries like India, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The quality of medical services is often found better than some of the care centre in the United States and the UK. Many countries have now developed official partnerships for speedy treatments in India for their residents most of whom have to wait for extended periods of time to undergo operations. In India, medical treatment is not only fast but would also costs a fraction of what it would costs in USA or Europe.

So, scale or whiten your tooth at $ 300 in the US, or do so at $75 in India. A smile designed at US$ 8000 can be yours at one eighth the cost in India. Forget, cosmetic surgery, a dialysis in the US will shortchange you for $ 300 as against $50 for the same procedure in Chennai. Bone marrow transplant, surgical oncology, cord blood transplants, transplants of the heart, lung, liver are all possible at lower costs in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India than most developed countries where health insurance continues to shoot up in a heavily taxed public health-care system.

A chance to visit India and the Far East while healing and treating ailments at affordable costs has led patients from the developed nations to utilize health services in India at a fraction of the costs in the West. Five to seven per cent of Escorts’ patients are understood to be from abroad. Most patient traffic is from West Asia, South East Asia and Africa. International health insurance companies abroad are looking to forge partnerships with renowned specialty hospitals for Non Resident Indians (NRIs) to combine their treatment in India with their annual family visits.

Most Indian states have either established themselves as destinations for health care and tourism or are building medical brand images. Add to this, Yogic healing, Transcendental Meditation (TM) along with alternate therapies of ayurveda in India has been repackaged and redefined and goes hand in hand with India’s rise in ‘Health Tourism “also called Medical Tourism. Further, impetus has come from corporate such as the Tatas, Fortis, Max, Wockhardt, Piramal, and the Escorts group who are investing in setting up of modern hospitals in major cities. Many have in fact built health packages designed for patients, including airport pickups, visa assistance, boarding and lodging. With advanced medical and biotechnological progress, India along with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are leaders in selling healthcare the world over.

With India’s infrastructure and technology quite at par with those in the USA, UK and Europe, also boasts of some of the best hospitals and treatment centers in the world. A favourite world getaway, India as a health and tourism destination is here to stay.

A joint report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) -McKinsey study on Health tourism says that at its current pace of growth, healthcare tourism alone can rake over US$ 1.7 billion additional revenues by 2012. Medical tourism is now a US$ 299 million industry, as about 100,000 patients come each year.

The biggest driver for healthcare tourism is the disparity in costs, nearly one fifth of the cost in the developed world. India is definitely capitalizing on its low medical costs and the expertise of its highly skilled medical fraternity.

· A heart surgery in the US costs US$ 30,000 as compared to US$ 6,000 in India.

· A bone marrow transplant in the US costs US$ 250,000 and US$ 26,000 in India

Lately, the Indian Government launched the six month medical Visa in 2005. The Visa allows a foreigner to stay for a year for medical treatment in India. In addition, the Government has also introduced policy measures such as the National Health Policy which recognizes the treatment of international patients as an export, allowing private hospitals treating international patients to enjoy the benefits of lower import duties, an increase in the rate of depreciation (from 25 per cent to 40 per cent) for life-saving medical equipment and several tax sops.

The ease in international travel, the improvement of technology and standards of care in many of the Far Eastern countries and in India score a point with patients in Britain or Canada who have to rely on the heavily taxed public health-care system for routine heart surgery, a hip resurfacing or a hip replacement which sometimes take years to be treated.



Visit Singapore!

Anjali Bakshi asked:


There are many reasons behind the increasing number of hotels or resorts and some of the major reasons are: emerging of globalize business, increase in aviation industry and expansion of big & good hotel groups.

Every metropolitan city in the world houses large number of hotels in every possible range (from budget hotel to luxury hotel or from cheap hotel to deluxe hotel). Singapore hotels, Las Vegas hotels and Paris hotels are pattern of categorization of hotels in the world tourism websites.

There are great numbers of big lodging chains those houses quality hotels in different parts of the world. These hotel chains provide lodging services according to their grading. Most of the hotel chains are Five Star group of hotels and some hotel chains also offer the Budget category of hotels.

Some big hotel chain groups of the world are: Hilton Groups of hotel, Marriott groups of hotel, Hyatt hotels, ITC hotels, ITI hotels, InnSide Residence hotels, Kimpton hotels, Le Meridien hotels, Macdonal hotels, Park Plaza hotels & Resort, Radission hotels & resort, Barceló Hotels & Resorts, Domina Hotels & Resorts, Etap Hotel, Husa Hotels, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, Pestana Hotels & Resorts, Riu Hotels & Resorts, Sol Meliã and many more.

The hotels have improved their services in all segments from room services to dining facilities and others. These hotels provide all facilities to their guests like well appointed rooms with all possible amenities (According to their grading), business services, outdoor indoor swimming pool, high speed internet access, shuttle services, dining facilities, and others.

To find good Singapore hotels of Paris hotels or any other hotel in any corner of the world, is not a bid deal now. These hotels give real worth of your money by providing best hospitality and lodging services. You just need to do little enquire about the hotel before going to tour, so that your tour could be easier and convenient.



Massage Therapist

Singaporemedicine.com asked:


Singapore healthcare industry has achieved fame with a series of breakthrough medical procedures including the following events.

· In 1995, Singapore doctors carried out the world’s first successful peripheral blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.

· In 2000, Singapore doctors performed Asia’s first unicompartmental arthroplasty.

· In 2001, Singapore doctors carried out Southeast Asia’s first heart transplant using an Electronic Heart Assist (Left Ventricular Assist Device) on a 36-year-old patient suffering from severely impaired heart function.

· In 2001, Singapore doctors successfully separated a pair of craniopagus, conjoined (joined at the head) twins from Nepal in a milestone operation that lasted more than 90 hours.

· The world’s first successful cord blood transplant from an unrelated donor on a patient with Thalassaemia Major, was performed in 2001.

· In 2002, Singapore doctors performed Southeast Asia’s first Adult Living Donor Liver Transplant.

· The revolutionary procedure of tooth-in-eye implant was performed successfully in 2004.

· Singapore doctors successfully separated conjoined twins at the stomach in 2005.

· In 2005, Singapore performed Asia’s first kidney cum bone marrow transplant.

In addition, Singapore has the most JCI-accredited hospitals in Asia. With internationally accredited hospitals, Singapore offers medical facilities that match the international healthcare standards at lower rates. This is one of the major reasons behind the booming medical tourism industry in Singapore. The following statistics will give you an idea of the medical travel scenario in Singapore.

· Every year, more than 300,000 healthcare visitors come to Singapore to seek medical treatment.

· In 2005, Singapore attracted 374,000 patient visitors.

· Asia’s medical tourism market will worth up to US$4 billion by 2012 and Singapore is focused to attract one million patients by year 2012.

Patients from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Middle East, Bangladesh, India, Australia and even from U.S. and U.K. are coming to Singapore in large numbers. So many patients from all corners of the world are flocking the hospitals in Singapore to seek specialist care in the areas of cardiology, gynaecology, orthopaedic surgery, oncology, otorhinolaryngology, urology, neurosurgery and opthalmology, along with general surgery and general medicine. There are a number of reasons behind this phenomenal increase of patients opting for medical travel to Singapore. Here, we are sharing just some of the key points with you that we think have been instrumental in making Singapore a hot spot in international healthcare scene.

· Specialized Centers – There are specialized centers of treatment including neurology, cardiology, ophthalmology, oncology and much more. These centers provide highest level of healthcare service that caters to patients coming from all across the globe for health screening as well as treatment.

· Experienced Professionals – There are wide pool of expert doctors to take care of the simple to most complex health problems. Besides, there are expert professionals working at the Singapore healthcare establishments to ensure optimum healthcare solution.

· Cutting Edge Technologies – Hospitals at Singapore have state of the art infrastructure to ensure top class treatment of the patients. The most advanced technologies puts Singapore at par with the US and UK hospitals.

· Advanced Treatment Procedures – Singapore is the biomedical research hub of Asia. There are extensive R&D facilities to explore new and more advanced medicines and treatment procedures.

· Peace of Mind – Singapore is a multilingual and multi-cultural city with truly cosmopolitan sprit. So, while you are in Singapore for medical reasons, you will never feel out of place. Your companions will be safe too as Singapore is well-known for its low-crime environment. Moreover, the organized travel and tourism industry is ready to take care of your travel and accommodation requirement in Singapore.

So, if you are suffering from any health problem or you want a proper health screening, come to Singapore and experience truly international quality healthcare facilities at unbelievable cost.

http://www.singaporemedicine.com

Contact Us

http://app.singaporemedicine.com/asp/fee/fee01a.asp



Singapore Hospitals

Dr. Umakanta Dash asked:


Introduction: The early history of tourism says people traveled from one place to another mainly because of food , shelter or just for curiosity. But in due course large scale mobility of people were caused by the natural elements of human pressure, entertainment or forced man to move to other location. Due to the absence of roads and other transport facilities, travel and tourism was a hard way to think of. This led to the emergence of  land routes , river or sea navigation.

 Now with dismantling of national boundaries, the tourism scenario is also changing. There is a steady growth in the number of tourist arrivals and more satisfactorily the average spending of foreign tourist has gone up.

Tourism Product:   In the earth today any thing can be promoted as the tourism product anywhere.. It is not location specific as the agriculture and manufacturing sector do. India in particular has a 5000-year –old heritage and thousands of monuments and archeological sites for the tourists to enjoy. The country abounds in attractive and well preserves historical sites and ancient monuments of architectural grandeur. India offers enormous diversity in topography, natural resources and climate. There are land- rocked mountainous regions, lush valleys and plains, arid desert regions, white sandy beaches and islands. Central India has numerous wildlife sanctuaries with countless varieties of flora and fauna. The country has unparallel cultural diversity, languages, religions, customs and traditions.

  The major adventure tourism activities are trekking, and skiing in the Himalayas, river running in the Gangas, water sports in Goa, trout fishing in the Himachal Pradesh and many more. We have some of the best beaches of the world, many of which are still unexplored in Andaman and Lakshadweep islands.

Tourism Contribution: The impact of tourism in our country is multi dimensional. It is reflected on the economic, social, cultural, political and environmental issues and aspects of the country. In a more generic sense it develops understanding among the people, create jobs both directly and indirectly, augments foreign exchange reserves and helps in the overall economic wellbeing of the people.

Earnings from foreign tourist arrivals had grown strongly in the nineties and contributed to over Rs21,828 crores a year in the recent past.  According to the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) the industry provides direct employment to 262 million people who constitute 10.5% of the global workforce. These numbers are expected to grow to 383 million by the year 2007. Tourism also accounts for 8% of the world exports making it the largest internationally traded products or services.

Tourism in Global View:  Tourism is the largest industry in the world next to the oil industry. In terms of earnings it has left automobiles and information technology industry behind. Tourism is the largest employer.

Table-1

Growth of International Tourists from 1948 to 2004

Sl No

Year

No. of Tourists

(in million)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1948

1964

1990

1996

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

14.0

144.0

458.5

591.9

687.3

684.1

702.6

694.0

760.0

Source: 1. WTO Statistics- Published in Tourism and Travel Management, p. 64.

             2. India : Tourism and heritage Challenge, Communiqué: a Journal of Confederation of Indian Institutes, November 2001,p.3

The table shows that the 760 million international tourist arrivals during 2004 is the biggest increase since 1984 which shows the best growth in the past 20 years. There is an increase of 69 million of tourists during 2004 compared to 2003 with an increase of 10% growth. This is mainly attributed to the countries like China and USSR those who recognized the importance of  tourism in their national economy. A study shows the leading advanced countries particularly the fourteen countries namely, USA, Germany, the UK, France, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Spain accounted for 78 percent of the world visitor arrivals.

Market Position of Tourism in India: For centuries India has been the centre of attraction for different people for different reasons. Ancient invaders viewed it as a gold mine with unlimited wealth to plunder. Where as others attracted to it because of its mystic spiritualism, sheer beauty of its natural manifestations and amazing variety of flora and fauna. These inherent advantages could have made India as an ideal destination. But various constraints have hampered the growth of tourism in India at the expected levels.

Table-2

Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India

S.No

Year

Arrivals

Changes

1

1991

1677508

——

2

1992

1867651

10.1%

3

1993

1764830

-05.8%

4

1994

1886433

6.4%

5

1995

2123683

11.1%

6

1996

2287860

7.1%

7

1997

2374094

3.6%

8

1998

2358629

-6.5%

9

1999

2481928

4.9%

10

2000

2641157

6.4%

11

2001

2536978

-4.0%

12

2002

2384384

-6.0%

13

2003

2726214

14.3%

14

2004

3367980

23.5%

 Source: 1. Ministry of Tourism Annual report 1994-95

              2. Dept . of Tourism Annual report up to 1999.

              3. Economic Time  6.1.2002 Page 13

              4. Business Line, New Delhi-09.01.2005

The travel and tourism business in India constitutes a pathetic 0.40 percent of the trillion-dollar world tourism industry and it remains stagnant over the past two decades. The above table shows since the beginning of the nineties the growth rate in the foreign tourist arrivals in India has recorded a highly fluctuated and erratic trend. The trend is mainly attributed to the terrorists attacks in USA  and its subsequent apprehension on the security of the tourists. But surprisingly in 2004 , the foreign tourist arrivals crossed 3 million with an increase of 23.5% in India.

In contrast our neighboring countries are able to attract more foreign tourists. The Asian countries have increased their foreign tourist arrivals drastically in the last three years; Singapore 7 million, Thailand 11 million, Malaysia 14 million and above all China 36 million foreign tourists.

  

Contribution of Tourism to the Foreign Exchange Earnings:  Tourism industry in India is thriving due to increase of foreign tourists arrivals during 2003-2004. This has significantly added to the foreign exchange reserves of the state.

Table-3

Foreign exchange earnings through tourism  from 1998 to 2004 by India.

Sl No

Year

Amount (in US $)

Change over the previous year.

1

1998

2948

—-

2

1999

3009

2.1

3

2000

3168

5.3

4

2001

3042

4.0

5

2002

2923

3.9

6

2003

3533

20.8%

7

2004

4810

36.0%

 Source:  1) Incredible India Figure-2003

               2) Business Line New Delhi- 09.01.2005

 During 2003  and 2004 the foreign exchange earnings from tourism was recorded US$ 3533, ( Rs 16,429 crore) and US $ 4810 (Rs 21828 crores) respectively. It was 20.8% and 36.0% increase over the previous respective periods. The tourism department anticipates a further hike in foreign tourists arrivals in the successive years.

Reasons for the growth of tourism:  There are several reasons responsible for the growth of tourism in India. Among them the first one is our dramatic achievement in IT industry to make it as one of the major global IT hub. The second reason is attributed to the government effort. The nation wide publicity campaign “ The Incredible India”  strategy during 2002 to 2004 proved successful of attracting more tourists. The advertising campaigns on the prominent TV channels and in magazines is a further step towards it. The initiative of public-private-participation for the development of tourist infrastructure is another reason. The intense competition in the airline industry between private and government airline companies in the form of cutting air tariffs and expanding their network increase the flow of tourist to India. In addition to the above the task force set up by the government to promote India as a prominent health tourist destination also attracted approximately 1,50,000 patients during 2004.

Problems: In spite of its growth rate during 2004, Indian tourism market constitutes around 0.4% of its world market share. India is unable to attract the expected number of foreign tourists despite extensive marketing efforts. The term India has not been sending the correct signals to travel enthusiasts across the glove. The image of India is portrayed to the world community is that of mysticism, political instability, grinding poverty, illiteracy, terrorism, unemployment, communal discord, lack of social services and corruptions.  This image plays a very crucial role for de-motivating tourist to visit India and to visit the neighboring Asian countries.

Table-4

Government Expenditure on Tourism and Travel in 2001

Sl No

Name of the Country

Amount incurred in percent

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

India

Thailand

United Kingdom

Germany

China

USA

Sri Lanka

France

Malaysia

Honk Kong

Singapore

Spain

0.9

2.8

2.6

3.3

3.8

3.9

4.0

4.7

5.1

7.4

9.1

9.5

 Source: Economic Times, October 28,2001, p.7

The table shows the investment in travel and tourism, in terms of Indian government expenditure is 0.9 percent of the total budget allocation in 2001 and in subsequent years it is very low compared to other countries. Though India has much to offer in terms of tourist attractions, there are major constraints on the growth of tourism particularly in terms of lack of sufficient airports facilities, international and domestic air- seat capacity, surface transport facilities, accommodation, restaurants shopping and recreational facilities, trained labor force and other support services. The beggars, touts, and unhygienic waste in important tourist places are the other stumbling blocks for the free movement of the foreign tourists.

Table -5

Country wise Comparison of Rooms Available in Hotels in the Year 2002

Country

Rooms available in hotels

China

8,97,206

Thailand

3,20,565

Malaysia

1,30,757

India

85,481

Singapore

35,989

Source: World Tourism Organization

The country wise comparison shows that India has a sheer insufficiency of hotel rooms for the tourists.

Measures to be taken: After analyzing the above drawbacks we can say that India has the ability to capitalize  on its rich product composition to attract a higher proportion of the international tourists at least to 1% of the world market share. For this the above measures are suggested.



Significant improvement in transport network: Efforts have to be undertaken to improve the efficiency of Indian airline services along with the domestic air transport system. The airports , railway stations, bus stops and the roads have to be up graded to the global standard. Air connectivity has to be improved through public-private –partnerships.

Liberalize the Visa restrictions:  Another major inhibitor of growth of tourism is the difficulty of obtaining visas for India. Government must liberalize visa restrictions to ensure a larger flow of tourists to the country which do not pose any political or security problems. Visas should be issued easily on entry at the airport in respect of visitors from such countries.

Engage local communities to develop their cultural heritage: It is seen in India that the ancient tourist’s destinations are in the way to destructions. This is mainly because of non- involvement of the local communities. The economic benefits of tourism must be shared by the local people who are mainly the preserver of it. Therefore a kind of consciousness should be developed among the masses to preserve the flora and fauna, the ancient monuments, scriptures and other archeological beauties.

Need for a strong marketing approach: Increased competition from the neighboring countries and a poor perception of the Indian tourism product need a strong marketing approach. The Incredible India campaign should be strengthened  mainly targeting to the competitors of the overseas countries. The promotional expenditure of Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia far exceeds the promotional expenditure of India. India needs a vigorous effort to improve its image as an attractive tourist destination of global standard.

Develop tailor-made packages:  Many of out tour packages do not respond to the tourists requirements. This is mainly because of erroneous development of the tour packages. Instead of a mass production and mass consumption approach , the tour operators must have flexible packages to provide life time value to the visitors looking into their profile.



Conclusion: India is no doubt a fascinating destination with an outstanding mix of ancient monuments, delightful jungles, virgin beaches, scenic beauties, colorful folk and classical dances and above all hospitable people. What it requires a more vibrant approach of welcoming tourists and sends them back as friends with enormous happy and living memories. The thorough implementation of the concept “ Atithi devo Bhovo” in each level of tourism will definitely achieve our target of global tourism market of India.

 

References:



Anand, M.M., Tourism and Hotel Industry in India, Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi.

Batra, G.S. Management of Tourism Corporation (A Case Study of Punjab), National Seminar on Tourism, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, 1994.

Tourist arrival in India- FHRAI- Newsletter, July-August 2005

Incredible India Figure- 2003

Business Line, New Delhi-09.01.2005

Economic Times, October 28, 2001, p.7





Medical Clinics

Nancy Ho asked:


When we are under stress our nerves first fire up in response to an outside stimulus we instinctively feel threatens our survival. This affects the brain centers causing the heart to beat faster, blood pressure to rise, and organs to go into high chemical production.

The adrenal glands release high quantities of adrenaline and cortisol which are the main stress hormones we produce in times of danger. We feel tightness in our stomach, sometimes nausea. Our heads pound. Our minds race. We start to breathe faster and shallower. Our muscles and heart start to take more oxygen and blod away from the rest of the body.

This whole operation of organs and chemical systems in overdrive induces our flight or fight response, and is an outward expression of what we fear.

The Effects of Stress

When we experience stress for short durations it can be beneficial for us, to some extent. Stress keeps us sharp and focused, and we are also capable of great physical and mental feats. Stories of amazing strength abound. For instance, a mother working on her farm, drives a tractor and runs over her daughter in an accident. She was able to lift the tractor by herself and pull her daughter out from the tractor, then rush her to the hospital. She collapsed from complete exhaustion afterwards.

The truth is we just cannot sustain stress for a long time. Like the mother who saved her daughter we will eventually collapse, or worse, die from the stress. African bushmen hunt deer over long distances, a stress which the deer cannot sustain. The prey will eventually die from the stress and its resulting exhaustion. The bushmen kill their prey as an act of mercy.

Long term stress for humans is an unhealthy condition. We need a lot of energy to cope with those short bursts, and our bodies only have so much capacity to produce stress hormones. We are literally draining ourselves of the very sustenance we need to live. The same mental clarity and physical prowess we can achieve in short burst of stress dissipates very quickly after the danger is over.

The pattern of survival in our evolution was to forage for our food, face dangers for short periods of time, bring the food home and feast with our clan. Once the danger was over we could feed, rest and let tomorrow bring us another day. We were never meant to sustain stress over long periods of time.

Long term stress produces very toxic side-effects in our bodies. Under stress our appetites are poor so we tend to eat poorly. A poor diet results in fewer nutrients and energy, essential to a good immune system. Because stress shuts down our immune system, we are wide open to opportunistic infections from viruses and bacteria.

Our circulatory system is also prey to degeneration. Stress is a major contributing factor to high blood pressure, heart disease and arteriosclerosis.

Because our breathing tends to be shallow we are not getting enough oxygen, and so our brain is affected. The combination of poor oxygen supply and increased pressure damages cells throughout our body, especially our brain.

Prolonged stress also results in mental lethargy – we just don ‘t want to work nor can we think clearly. The quality of our sleep is poor because our minds cannot slow down.

Some Symptoms of Stress

Are you:



aggressive on the road?

snapping at people, over minor things?

irritable?

impatient?

sleeping poorly?

unable to concentrate?

not productivite at work?

easily distracted?

depressed?

experiencing ‘acid stomach’?

tired and lack energy?

having low self-esteem?

having low sex-drive?

having no interest in things outside of work?



 

If you chronically experience some or all of these symptoms together you are very likely under stress. You should realise that chronic stress is not something you can sustain for a long time.

Sooner or later you will either blow up and lose the respect of people around you, or you will simply have a nervous breakdown. You have to develop an outlet to neutralize the stress from your everyday living.

To know more about stress, visit our site: http://hypnosisoneonone.com/oneonone/category/stress/



Medical Clinics

Alfred Anderson asked:


The US healthcare system is the best in the world! — Only if you can access and afford it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a good healthcare system should ideally comprise of state of art medical facilities being fairly distributed across the entire population at fair and affordable rates. Contrary to this, the healthcare system in the United States is not only the most expensive in the world but also is unfairly distributed among its population. People who have access to an insurance cover may have some respite, but the scenario is hopeless for the poor, uninsured and the underinsured. The rising costs of technology and high administrative costs have escalated the overall medical expenses to such an extent that it has become too expensive for the people at large. On the other hand, the availability of similar medical facilities at fair rates in some of the offshore countries has made them a promising medical destination for the US citizens. This has led to the emergence of a phenomenon called medical tourism.

The recent years has seen an upsurge in the number of US citizens opting for medical treatment at offshore locations such as India, Singapore, Bangkok and Thailand. Most medical procedures in these countries are conducted at one-tenth of the cost of a similar procedure at the United States. The low cost of medical facilities in these countries may raise a few eyebrows regarding the quality of the medical services being offered. These countries offer world-class medical facilities that are at par with the best. Some of the doctors administering the patients have even been trained in US. The success rate and medical achievements has also been a major draw among the medical tourists. In the year 2005, around 3,74,000 medical tourists opted for a treatment at Singapore; a Bangkok hospital admitted over 1,50,000 foreign patients and approximately 1,00,000 tourists chose India as their medical destination.

However, among the various medical tourism destinations, India is on it’s way to becoming the most preferred destination among the medical tourists. The Indian healthcare industry with employee strength of over four million is among the largest service sectors in the economy. The government and the private hospitals are working together towards the objective of making India the leader in this sector. Well-trained and experienced doctors, state of art medical facilities and personalized care have helped India to register the fastest growth rate in this Industry. The number of patients seeking treatment in India has gone up from 10,000 in the year 2000 to 100,000 in the year 2005. If the estimates are to be believed, the medical tourism industry in India has the potential to be a 2 billion dollar industry by the year 2012.

Medical tourism is the best alternative for people belonging to countries such as the United States, where the entire healthcare system is unfair both in terms of cost and accessibility. The situation has become so precarious that it seems beyond repair. However, on the other side of the Pacific, the Asian countries have succeeded in offering a combination of world-class medical services, good care and prompt attention that has made them an instant favorite among patients throughout the world.



Massage Therapist

Nancy Eben asked:


 

Blessed with modernity and nature in the form of towers of concrete, amusement parks, fantastic islands and ancient heritages, Singapore is one of the fantastic destinations. Diversity is imparted by cosmopolitan population of Malays, Indians and Chineses. The hospitability shown to visitors by inhabitants is fascinating. The entire land of Singapore is adorned colorfully to make the place livelier. The most beneficial to visitors is the location of Singapore hotels in proximity to these attractions. Some of the common attractions for visitors are:-

Arab St- Arab Street is the traditional textile district developed by Muslim population. Sarongs, batiks, shirts and silks from Indonesia are easily available here and have earned the name from all over the world. There are some more trademarked products like rattan goods, flower essence and hats that are easily seen on this street. The top most attraction on this street is the Grand Sultan Mosque, which is Singapore’s liveliest and biggest mosque. Singapore hotels around it have attracted fashion conscious and people and much of the Muslim community.

Change village- Change village, lying on the east coast, offers relief from town’s hustle and bustle. The beautiful beach offers excellent avenues to spend good time. There are some cheap hotels in Singapore that are located around the beach. The discount offered by them is the mode to attract visitors to the beach and gain popularity. The cheap hotels in no way are lagging behind in providing basic room facilities like private bathroom, hair dryer, television, telephone, room keeping services etc…

Little India- little India presents the Indian establishment in the city. It takes you towards the Indian culture, Indian stuff, and Hindi movies. Famous prints of Indian god Krishna can be found around the area. There are many discount hotels in Singapore around it to attract people towards Indian ambience and culture in foreign land. Almost every kind of Indian food specialty dishes are served in such hotels. They offer discounts to people on extended stay, senior citizen offers and children offers to attract travelers towards them.

Modern facilities, personalized guest services and warm hospitality are provided to visitor in cheap hotels in Singapore in such a way that they never get disappointed for unaffordable expensive hotels. Many Singapore hotels provide the added advantage in accommodation for the visitors exploring bustling markets, scenic beauty, modern architecture and theme parks. They provide several facilities for business travelers in their well equipped conference rooms. These are highly recommended accommodations in the country as they have pleasing lodgings, commendable services and modern facilities.



Massage Therapist

Paul Hata asked:


Outsourcing is the concept or the idea of transferring internal company function performance to external firms, especially those that operate from countries that offer quality services at cost saving prices.

Data conversion is the most challenging factor for any large company.The quality, accessibility and diversity of information that a company possesses, directly reflects on its customers as well as on its accountability. To make the data to be usable in the best possible way for anyone, it needs to be properly processed or converted into some suitable format.Swamped with data that requires long processing time, companies turn to data outsourcing as a solution.

The common types of enterprises employing and taking advantage of this means are mostly financial institutions, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, publishing houses, law firms and court houses, oil companies, transportation companies, and even Ivy League universities.

Principle of the Practice

This serves as a means where in companies could increase their sales immensely while at the same time allotting a less for labor expenses. In fact, it is a great solution for companies to sell various domestic products to a larger market range reaching even the most distant consumers. Through this an approximate of 35% to 40% overhead savings has taken effect.

The essential elements for data outsourcing are open communication, strong business relationship, and ongoing management. Software houses, outside consultancy, or service agencies are being contracted to handle the company’s data bank through the performance of systems analyses, operations of data centers, and programming. Basically, this principle is especially rooted from the necessity of hiring qualified computer machinist at a considerable lower cost.



Scope of Practice

More often than not, the data being outsourced are those that generally consume a relatively longer time of handling. Outsourcing of data entry operations encompasses conversion of data, processing of documents, and catalog development services. Image processing is also one area being outsourced through the manipulation and editing of photos.

Catalog management involves the conversion of traditional paper based type into online, digital ones. Production cost for the latter type is lower than that of the former. The expense is largely spent on paper handling and maintenance. In addition to that a big chunk of time is needed to come up with the output.

With the technologically advanced kind, necessary changes and updates can easily be made and in a lesser amount of time. Technically, all that is needed is to click a button once data entry has been accomplished.

An accumulation of data is an influential management resource. Through the availability of low cost data entry outsourcing, there is an underlying possibility that the amassed information could be to be depleted and be better used and applied by the company. With this there is a constant need for data entry especially for those organizations that are doing day to day decision making.

In cases like this a regular and continuous data entry and processing is required. The necessity for data that could easily be accessible, accurate, and up to date is preferred by everyone.

Benefits

This new trend in business that makes use of outsourcing agencies, advantages goes more than the company in need of the services. Mostly, these companies are founded in first world or industrialized countries. Through this, third world or developing countries benefit with the mass employment being provided by outsourcing.

With the relatively easy to practice principles more people are given the opportunity to become contributory members of society. In addition to that, the countries where most agencies are located receive a larger sum of money from taxes and revenue.

The world of business has become localized in terms of being a global community working together to come up with a much better output.



Singapore Hospitals