Global Health Asia-Pacific September 2020 September 2020 | Page 38

Medical Tourism News
Airline organisation suggests
alternatives to quarantine
A fine balance between public health and economic priorities is needed
he International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recommended
T countries implement a series of mitigation measures to minimise the risk of
importing COVID-19 cases while avoiding quarantine restrictions, which have a
devastating impact on tourism and air travel.
“Imposing quarantine measures on arriving travelers keeps countries in
isolation and the travel and tourism sector in lockdown. Fortunately, there are
policy alternatives that can reduce the risk of importing COVID-19 infections
while still allowing for the resumption of travel and tourism that are vital to
jumpstarting national economies. We are proposing a framework with layers
of protection to keep sick people from traveling and to mitigate the risk of
transmission should a traveler discover they were infected after arrival,” said
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO, in a press release.
IATA recommends testing travellers for COVID-19 before they arrive at the
departure airport to avoid congestion and minimise the risk of infection at
airports.
IATA also suggests requesting online health declarations through
government web portals or mobile applications.
In addition, symptomatic passengers should be discouraged from travelling,
and airlines can nudge them to �do the right thing� by providing extra �exibility
when changing their bookings.
�ven if temperature checks are not particularly effective in identifying
COVID-19 cases, they should be implemented because “they can act as a
deterrent to traveling while unwell.”
“Safely restarting the economy is a priority. That includes travel and tourism.
Quarantine measures may play a role in keeping people safe, but they will also
keep many unemployed. The alternative is to reduce risks through a series of
measures. Airlines are already offering �exibility so there is no incentive for
sick or at-risk people to travel. Health declarations, screening and testing by
governments will add extra layers of protection. And if someone travels while
infected, we can reduce the risk of transmission with protocols to prevent the
spread during travel or when at destination. And effective contact tracing can
isolate those most at risk without major disruptions,” said de Juniac.
Malaysia will soon
accept some
medical travellers
In September, patients from six countries
should be allowed in
hile some international patients can
W already enter Malaysia for medical
reasons, the Southeast Asian nation will
further open up to medical travellers
from Australia, Brunei, Japan, New
Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea by
September, according to a press release
from the Malaysia Healthcare Travel
Council (MHTC).
Medical travel has seen spectacular
growth in the country over the last several
years, with the sector recording RM1.7
billion (US$400 million) in revenue in
2019, when the country treated 1.3 million
medical tourists.
With the pandemic blowing a hole in
this growth, Malaysian authorities have
rolled out a first recovery phase that
allowed critically ill foreign patients who
require intensive care to enter the country.
To qualify, patients needed to receive
an approval letter and get tested for
COVID-19. Only certain hospitals under the
MHTC were approved to treat them.
In the second phase, more patients will
be allowed to enter the country for medical
reasons. Malaysian borders are closed
until the end of August, but the �ow of
travel with Singapore is expected to restart
earlier.
The reopening of the sector, however,
could be hampered by restrictions in
other countries. Australia, for instance,
has banned overseas travel unless an
exemption is granted.
36 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2020 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific.com