Arabs Avoid U.S. for Medical Care, Look to Germany

Yahoo ^ | 28 jul 03 | Erik Kirschbaum

[white trash redneck]

When a wealthy Arab patient flew to Germany for medical treatment last year he arrived on his own jumbo jet filled with so many bodyguards, staff and family that he rented an entire luxury hotel floor for his month-long stay.

The man from Qatar was among the richest but hardly the only foreigner to get health care in Germany to avoid the rigors of entering the United States, where anti-terror vigilance since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has frightened many Arabs away.

German hospitals are reporting huge increases in the number of Arab patients since 2001 -- at the expense of U.S. medical centers such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins that they compete with in the $2 billion international patient industry.

Health care officials said Arabs patients are turning to Germany because they're fed up with hassles at U.S. airports with customs officials. They also deplore invasive interviews and what they see as degrading background checks needed to obtain U.S. visas.

"We're seeing a lot more Arab patients," said Stefan Loening, head of urology at Berlin's Charite hospital. "There is a multitude of reasons, but 9/11 and the paranoia in America about security certainly has a lot to do with it."

Loening, who worked in American hospitals for 20 years, said the level of treatment in Germany is on a par with the United States and yet the costs are often roughly one-third as high. He said the price is not the main issue for wealthy Arabs.

"They can fly in and out of Germany without any problems and don't have to worry that a nail clipper in their bag is going to raise eyebrows," Loening told Reuters. "No one is going to anger them at the airport and their privacy won't be intruded upon."

Other officials said the trend to Germany is gaining pace as Arab patients spread the word and help refute any notion of a gap in health treatment between the United States and European countries like Germany -- which was the case several decades ago.

"Germany has acquired an excellent reputation among Arabs and word is spreading fast that hospitals and doctors are first rate," said Ozan Samtimiz, medical manager at German Health, an agency that arranges treatment for Arabs. But he said the main issue for the trend to Europe was America's security obsession.

"When Arabs travel to the United States they're viewed as potential terrorists," he added. "It's very difficult, almost impossible, for them to get U.S. visas. These people may be ill and don't want delays, don't want an interrogation by customs."

GERMANS ROLL OUT RED CARPET FOR WEALTHY ARABS

German medical centers are giving Arab patients the red-carpet treatment and borrowing some of the strategies U.S. medical centers began perfecting in the 1990s to lure wealthy foreign patients to boost profits.

Berlin's five-star Adlon Hotel -- where many wealthy Arabs stay while recuperating from heart surgery, kidney transplants or cancer treatment -- also reports booming business with Arab patients. It recently entered a partnership with the Charite.

"We've seen very strong increases in demand from guests from Arab countries coming to Berlin for treatment," said Emilie Sotomayor, spokeswoman for the 336-room Adlon where suites cost up from $350 to $8,400 a night.

"It's a very important market for us," she said. One patient recently booked rooms for 100 people in his entourage.

German Health has seen its revenues triple in the last year, with 600 patients coming from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

"We've had princes, princesses and sheikhs come to Germany in the last two years," said Samtimiz.

Although no comprehensive statistics are available, it appears medical centers in France, Italy and Spain, as well as in Egypt, are also beneficiaries of America's clampdown on Arabs.

"Many are coming here, also to Italy, Germany and Spain," said a spokesman at the Saudi Embassy in Paris. "Arabs of all different nationalities are coming to France instead of the United States. They are badly treated there at the airports.

"Most go to Germany, but some to France," he said. "Before we had 10 people a year, now I deal with at least 10 a week."

[mr.pink]

And they can be a big pain in the neck.

Yup, I've heard the stories such as yours and know them to be true.

But...wealthy/powerful people of all stripes can be the most arrogant pompous "the rules don't apply to me" asses in the world.

[spodefly]

Arabs Avoid U.S. for Medical Care, Look to Germany

Good. Hopefully, they will avoid the US for everything, including murder of innocent civilians, terrorism, religious bigotry and their goal of world domination.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

"There is a multitude of reasons, but 9/11 and the paranoia in America about security certainly has a lot to do with it."

Just because we're paranoid doesn't mean somebody isn't after us.

[Roughneck]

Good, as long as they don't come here I don't give a crap where they go.

Deserves repeating!

[budanski]

Theres no love lost. My wife works at MD Anderson and can't stand patients from the Middle East. They expect RNs, CNSs, and Nurse Practitioners to go downstairs and fetch them coffee.

[forktail]

Good. Arbeit mach Frei!

[rrrod]

germans deserve the arabs!