Originally published June 23 2005
Social, health services starting to follow globalization trend
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Globalization tends to refer to financial services, but health and social services are catching on to the trend with advances in cross-border electronic delivery, such as telediagnosis, teleconsultations and transmission of medical images.
In speaking on globalisation of services, there is a tendency to highlight sectors such as IT, finance or telecom, sectors with high commercial orientation and well-recognised players.
Increasingly, however, various social services are experiencing growing cross-border transactions and beginning to draw attention.
Globalisation of these services is, in many ways, more interesting and complex, given their overall non-commercial orientation and the associated welfare, equity and public-private considerations.
It is among the most rapidly growing services in the world economy, estimated at $4 trillion yearly in the OECD countries alone.
As well as traditional shipments of medical reports and samples and, more recently, outsourcing of clinical trials.
It also involves cross-border movement of consumers to avail of healthcare services in another country, often because such treatment is not available, or is too expensive in the patient's home country.
These may also be combined with tour packages, giving rise to the term 'medical tourism,' and focusing attention on countries like Thailand, aggressively marketing it.
Globalisation of healthcare is also evident from the growing foreign equity participation in this sector and establishment of joint ventures, alliances and management tie-ups among care establishments, resulting in the transfer of technology, skills and practices.
Finally, there is the global movement of doctors, nurses and technicians, and the resulting networks of healthcare professionals that are sources of investment and knowhow.
Investment flows into developing countries and the setting up of state-of-the-art healthcare establishments there will attract overseas patients for quality care at low cost.
Which may, in turn, be supported by telehealth services and cross-border movement of health personnel.
In India, all these channels are pertinent.
For example, the Indian market for medical tourism has been growing at over 15% in recent years.
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