Swiss Hospitals Target Wealthy Health Tourists

Swiss hospitals and clinics are increasingly looking for patients from countries where the wealthy want high standards of medical care. Particularly attracted to Switzerland are medical tourists from Russia and the Middle East/Gulf States. China and other Far Eastern countries are future targets. The number is increasing, say hospitals, but no exact national figures exist. Up to 30,000 foreigners seek hospital treatment in Switzerland every year, making up two per cent of all patients. A further 150,000 travel for health-spa holidays. Gregor Frei of Swiss Health says, “There are an estimate

Swiss hospitals and clinics are increasingly looking for patients from countries where the wealthy want high standards of medical care. Particularly attracted to Switzerland are medical tourists from Russia and the Middle East/Gulf States. China and other Far Eastern countries are future targets. The number is increasing, say hospitals, but no exact national figures exist. Up to 30,000 foreigners seek hospital treatment in Switzerland every year, making up two per cent of all patients. A further 150,000 travel for health-spa holidays.

Gregor Frei of Swiss Health says, “There are an estimated 30,000 foreign patients who come to Switzerland every year for medical care, not counting people from the border areas. These customers demand top standards across all medical sectors.” Swiss Health was set up in 2008 by the Swiss trade promotion umbrella organisation Osec, to promote Swiss healthcare providers abroad. Swiss Health encourages its members to increase their visibility through participation in medical conferences – for example in Saudi Arabia, Russian and Oman – and by collaborating with Swiss embassies, chambers of commerce, foreign health ministers and specialists in the health sector.

Jérôme Puginier of Ars Medica with two clinics in the Lugano area in the southern canton of Ticino says, “Foreign patients account for more than five per cent of all our customers, a percentage that keeps rising compared with previous years. Our foreign patients mainly come from northern Italy, but for several years the number coming from Russia has been increasing. In addition to taking part in conferences and collaboration with foreign doctors who refer their patients, the best advertising is definitely the excellent service, as happy patients will carry out word-of-mouth advertising among their friends and family, which is efficient publicity. There are two types of health tourism, one based on getting good value for money and the other based on getting the best quality. Switzerland is already known for having one of the best health services in the world – excellent care, cutting edge infrastructure, almost total lack of waiting lists – we must still strengthen this position as a high-level health destination.”

Ars Medica has set up a centre for preventive medicine for foreign clients. The day-long health status assessment includes biological and genetic analysis, diagnostic imaging, functional testing, physiotherapy and dietary consultancy and a final report with personalised recommendations. The basic package costs around SFr3,000.

With rapidly increasing health costs, even public hospitals are seeing the benefits of this lucrative source of income – those in Zurich, Bern, Basel and Geneva are all members of Swiss Health. Conrad Engler from the Swiss Hospital Association comments, “The decisive argument in attracting patients is Switzerland’s leading-edge services, especially in the university hospitals. What counts is the reputation for quality: for example, the international reputation of the oncologist Franco Cavalli brings patients from all over the world to Ticino.”

Private Swiss clinics advertise surgery in in-flight magazines while medical tourism agencies offer a deluxe service covering everything from interpreters to visas. Wellness resorts offer a healthy living experience, involving mineral baths, massage and all kinds of relaxation and beauty therapies. Eveline Lanz Kaufmann author of a 2002 book on wellness tourism in Switzerland, ‘Wellness tourism: to decide on how to invest and improve quality’, comments,“ People who come on these visits are not usually ill. On the contrary they are still healthy and feel that they should do something to maintain their health. It is mostly women in the 40 to 60-year-old age bracket although the average age is falling. It is predominantly a German-speaking trend. Most foreign visitors who come specifically for spa breaks are from Germany and Austria.”

Jan Sobhani of medical agency Swixmed explains,”Some people choose Switzerland because they have long waiting lists for surgery in their own country, or they have a good healthcare system which is lacking in certain specialities. This latter category includes increasing numbers of couples coming from Italy for fertility treatment. They like to travel to canton Ticino because there is no language barrier.” Agencies find patients through a network of referring doctors, hospitals and health authorities as well as family representatives.