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Ministry of Commerce And Supplies - Enhanced Integrated ...

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N T I S201016) Health ServicesBackgroundThere is no doubt that international trade in health services will gain importance in the future. With ageingpopulations in rich countries and steadily increasing health care costs, more and more people are seeking healthcare services abroad. Several countries, for example Thailand or India, are already attracting large numbers <strong>of</strong>foreign patients. Whether this will become a significant export sector for Nepal remains a question.As other services, trade in health services can occur in different forms: Mode 1: cross-border (e.g. telemedicine, laboratory services) Mode 2: consumption abroad (e.g. patients travel to another country for treatment) Mode 3: commercial presence (e.g. foreign company opens a hospital), and Mode 4: presence <strong>of</strong> natural persons (e.g. doctor travels abroad to treat patients).Most <strong>of</strong> these modes occur in Nepal, and some <strong>of</strong> them as both export and import. There is ‘consumptionabroad’ (mode 2) between Nepal and India, with Nepalese seeking treatment in India and vice versa. Manytourists are receiving treatment in Nepal, though they usually do not travel to Nepal for that purpose. SomeIndian health providers have opened hospitals in Nepal (mode 3), with some Indian doctors and nursesworking in these hospitals (mode 4). These hospitals are usually linked to medical colleges. There are also alarge number <strong>of</strong> Nepalese doctors and nurses who are working abroad. However, we will not focus on thelatter aspect <strong>of</strong> health services export.Despite numerous problems in the healthcare sector, Nepal has at least two significant advantages: a tradition<strong>of</strong> Ayurvedic medicine and a moderate climate. The climate makes it very suitable for Indian medical collegesto open branches in Nepal.The Three-year Interim Plan (TYIP) <strong>of</strong> Nepal recognizes the potential for health service trade and incorporatesstrategies like establishing, promoting, and expanding telemedicine, developing and expanding Ayurvedic andother alternative health service systems, providing computers and internet access to facilitate telemedicine,collecting information regarding herbs and intellectual property, and enhancing research activities. However,no concrete strategies have been delineated for mode-specific supply <strong>of</strong> this service.Information on trade in health services is scarce. There are no reliable statistics and, therefore, our assessmentrelies mainly on the information obtained on the ground. One study was undertaken in 2008 to assess thepotential for health services export (SAWTEE, 2008).Index 1: Export PerformanceExport Value: No reliable statistics exist for the export value <strong>of</strong> health services. The NRB data seems togrossly undervalue even the assumingly existing low health services export (SAWTEE 2008). SAWTEE (2008)undertook a survey in several institutions that receive foreign patients (all <strong>of</strong> them being from India and <strong>of</strong>tenwith family links to Nepal). An estimate <strong>of</strong> export value was only given for one institution, Birat NursingHome (US$22,000 annual income). Scattered information collected during the fieldwork from several otherinstitutions suggests very low export values as well (see below for more details). Data for some <strong>of</strong> the leadinghospitals, which may also treat foreign tourists, are not available. 112112For example Norvic International Hospital.NEPAL TRADE INTEGRATION STRATEGY 2010BACKGROUND REPORT105

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