During a visit to St. Mary's Medical Center, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said Florida's 3.8 million uninsured residents could have the option to purchase low-cost, low-coverage and state-approved health plans from private insurance companies. The state Legislature has been slow to debate the proposal, however, despite it being the governor's top 2008 legislative initiative. Crist noted during the visit that St. Mary's alone paid $102 million in uncompensated care last year.
Now that its sale to Holy Cross Hospital has been finalized, Oakland Park, FL-based North Ridge Medical Center is phasing out daily operations. All emergency rescue units already are currently being redirected from to Holy Cross, which is about 2 miles away from the North Ridge Campus. Holy Cross purchased the 332-bed hospital from Tenet Healthcare Corp. for about $20 million. North Ridge is scheduled to be empty by the end of July 2008, but current and scheduled patients will still be treated there.
Hospital owner and operator Health Management Associates Inc. has sold a 27 percent stake in seven of its hospitals in North and South Carolina to Novant Health for $300 million. Health Management will use the deal's proceeds for general corporate purposes. The company expects net after-tax proceeds greater than 90 percent of the purchase price. Health Management and Novant have formed a joint venture to share responsibilities in corporate operations of the seven hospitals, but Health Management will continue to manage the facilities.
The Philippine Department of Health will ban commercial sales of kidneys of the Filipinos to foreigners under the guise of medical tourism. The Department has asked hospitals to strictly follow the existing rules on kidney donation and transplantation that limit to 10 percent the number of foreign transplant patients. The government will investigate and punish members of the medical community who promote commercial organ donation and violate the rules, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
NuWire Inc. has selected its "Top Five Medical Tourism Destinations," which the company says present the most attractive opportunities for medical tourists and foreign investors. The destinations were selected based on quality and affordability of care, as well as receptiveness to foreign investment. NuWire notes that medical staffs in the countries chosen are largely English-speaking, and thus language barriers do not pose a major obstacle for foreign patients.
One of the India's top health officials calls medical tourism a "waste of resources" if the money earned by private hospitals is not used to treat the poor. "I am not very keen on medical tourism," said Health Secretary Naresh Dayal. "It's a wastage of resources that I think should be utilized to better the health condition of our own people." Statistics show India's medical tourism market is growing and is expected to become a $2 billion a year business opportunity by 2012.