The medical tourism industry in the Middle East is experiencing vigorous growth. This is despite the slowdown in the global economy. The Middle East is in a unique position because it has many well-developed hospitals. But because there are many affluent citizens from the region, many nations are targeting the Middle East for their own medical tourism industries.

The very first cochlear implant surgery procedure to be performed by a government hospital in Southeast Asia was recently performed at the Universitiy Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (PPUKM) in Malaysia. The surgery was performed on a 36-year old patient named Dewiseri Taib. Taib was partially deaf. The surgery is allows patients who are hearing-impaired to hear.

According to a new report by Research and Markets, the medical tourism in India will continue to grow through the year 2012.  The report, entitled “Booming Medical Tourism in India”, reports that medical tourism remains the fastest growing segment of the economy in India.

Every year, over 2 million tourists from Japan and China go to Taiwan. This is why Taiwan is targeting Japanese and Chinese patients for its medical tourism industry. Other Asian countries are looking to attract patients from America and Europe.

Private hospitals in Jalisco Mexico are gearing up for medical tourists as they expect more US Citizens to travel to the country for medical treatments. The state government of Jalisco said it would invest up to 4.35 million pesos on the medical industry in Jalisco to make the private hospitals in the area to be up to the standards to qualify them for certifications under the Joint Commission International (JCI).