Sources inform ''Globes'' that leading medical tourism companies have established a trade organization, the Israeli Medical Tourism Association to formalize and foster the business, amid the public debate over the controversial practice. The organization, which has been officially registered with the Registrar of Associations, could put more pressure on the German Committee, which is reviewing Israel's healthcare, including medical tourism and private healthcare. A clear majority of the members of the committee, chaired by Minister of Health Yael German, favor formalizing medical tourism with few restrictions.
The association's founders say that several hospitals and many senior doctors support its establishment and activity. The association's leading members include ISI - Israel Scientific Instruments Ltd., Top Ichilov Clinic, and Kiryat Sapir Medical Center Ltd. However, one of the largest companies in the business, Noam Lanir's Life Tree Marketing Ltd. is not a member.
This week, German reiterated her support for medical tourism, provided that it does not harm Israeli patients. "The basis and foundations are that no Israeli patient should be harmed, but medical tourism is positive, enriching the experience and the coffers of public hospitals," she told the Knesset plenum.
Top healthcare officials counter that this is an empty slogan, because so long as the occupancy rate of wards is 98%, compared with the OECD average of 77%, every medical tourist who is hospitalized for even a couple of days is at the expense of an Israeli patient.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 2, 2014
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