Lessons from West: University of Chicago Medicine Sponsors World Medical Tourism Congress in China

GUILIN, China - Oct. 27, 2015 - PRLog -- Aiming to improve healthcare delivery by bringing international standards and best practices to China, the University of Chicago Medicine will sponsor the World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress – Asia-Pacific 2015 -- Nov. 14-16, 2015, in Guilin, China, the Medical Tourism Association® announced today.

“China has made strides to improve the quality of healthcare, but the country’s economic boom has influenced lifestyle changes and, as a result, new and emerging challenges for providers,” said Renée-Marie Stephano (http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com/renee-marie-stephano-jd/), President of the Medical Tourism Association® (http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/en/index.html). “Medical care is a top priority to an already huge population that has now become more affluent.”

Life expectancy in China rose by an average of 8.5 years from 1990, though stark discrepancies remain between provinces, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet, which examined regional differences in health standards. The higher life expectancy was accompanied by a 25-fold increase in per capita income.

The University of Chicago Medicine sponsorship comes on the heels of an exclusive agreement between one of the nation's leading academic medical institutions and the China Century Group, which already operates in the energy, technology and real estate sectors.

The Century Group invested in the University of Chicago Medicine with the understanding that experts from the hospital -- ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report – will travel to China to support not only training and operations in clinical service development, quality, patient safety, infection control, operational excellence, supply chain, informational technology, human resources, nursing and marketing, but also help to facilitate treatment and transportation for patients who want to travel to the United States for medical care.

Stephano said the China Congress is attracting buyers of healthcare from China and private and public sector organizations seeking partners for investment, capacity-building and hospital affiliations. The multi-year event will also include a five-day, three-city B2B and B2G trade mission with top Chinese executives.

”China is positioned to be one of the largest outbound medical tourism markets in the world, with rising income and a growing demand for the best medical treatments possible, coupled with the launch of health insurance for Chinese citizens that includes travel benefits,” she said. “This event is where east can meet west to focus on creating new business partnerships and affiliations with Chinese and Asian companies.”

World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress – Asia-Pacific 2015 – is a partnership between the Medical Tourism Association® and Beijing Great-Idea Business Resources Company Ltd. To register, go to www.asiamedicaltourismcongress.com/

About Beijing Great-Idea Business Resources Company Ltd.
The pioneering business resource service provider in China promotes outsourcing and healthcare. Great-Idea has been dedicated to providing professional industry consulting and investment promotion services for local governments and enterprises since 2002. http://www.outsourcinginchina.org/; salida-liu@great-idea.com.cn

About the Medical Tourism Association®
As the first membership-based international nonprofit trade organization and think-tank for the medical tourism and healthcare industries, the Medical Tourism Association® develops and implements creative and sustainable strategies for attracting direct foreign investments. The MTA provides advisory services to investors researching the industry and matches these financiers with medical tourism-related projects. www.MedicalTourismAssociation.com