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<\/A><\/EM>Tonight, 60 Minutes<\/A><\/EM> showed medical tourists getting treatment at sleek new hospitals in Thailand and India. By showcasing ordinary Americans, the segment amounted to a giant infomercial for this practice. It’s especially salient given 60 Minutes’<\/EM> demographic, older folks who are significant consumers of health care.<\/P>\nDownload the video<\/A> (49 MB; you need a BitTorrent downloader: Windows<\/A>, Mac<\/A>).<\/P>\n The Thai hospital they showed is designed like a hotel, with restaurants and boutique shops in the lobby. They also showed better<\/EM> treatment in India than in the U.S.: an advanced procedure, hip resurfacing, which is not yet available in the U.S.; a high ratio of nurses to patients; personal service; post-op recuperation at nearby resorts; and all for a tenth of the cost. A British medical tourist said that in the UK’s national health system, some women are pressured to leave the hospital just five hours after delivering a baby. In India there was no such pressure. On the flip side, the show noted that suing for malpractice in Indian courts is quite difficult.<\/P>\n The segment also interviewed Indian doctors returned from practicing in the U.S. who say they make only a tenth the money they used to make. One was quite earnest in wanting to help people: he said in the U.S., there are 1,500-2,000 pediatric cardiologists, but in India there were only four. I’ve also heard similar reasoning from eye surgeons.<\/P>\n The more video clips of modern India’s islands of quality<\/A> are shown, the more respect<\/A> desis in America will receive. Conversely, desi American doctors will face the same cost competition from India on high-end procedures that desi American programmers do now.<\/P>\n Previous posts: 1<\/A>, 2<\/A>, 3<\/A>, 4<\/A><\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tonight, 60 Minutes showed medical tourists getting treatment at sleek new hospitals in Thailand and India. By showcasing ordinary Americans, the segment amounted to a giant infomercial for this practice. It’s especially salient given 60 Minutes’ demographic, older folks who … Continue reading