Did anyone watch 60 minutes tonight? They highlighted hospitals in India and Thailand. These hospitals look like resorts and cater to the patients like they are celebrities. The cost of surgery is a fraction of what it is here. A man had heart surgery in thailand for $12,000, which would have cost him $100,000 here in the u.s. A woman had hip "resurfacing" surgery in India for $5,888 which would have cost $20 - 30,000 here. Another woman had an eyelift for $1500 in Thailand. Not only are the prices cheaper, but the man who had the heart surgery said he had 8 RN's on his floor, and complained about having orderlies and aids here in the u.s., so, he got better quality care in Thailand. The hospital in Thailand was absolutely beautiful, was built to look like a 5 star hotel complete with restaurants like mcdonalds, etc. The rooms were nice too, looked like resort hotel rooms, and many of the patients go to resorts after their surgery to recooperate, and the lady in India only spent $140 a day at the resort for both her and her daughter.
So, do you think this can compete with our health care system down the road? They certainly don't seem to have a nursing shortage in these countries. How do you think this will affect us? and our jobs in the future?
