IT'S big business in Asia, and despite the fact thousands of Australians are taking part, medical tourism is still very much in its infancy in Australia.
But given its rapid growth, it's not surprising one of the the country's first forays into the multi-million dollar industry is attracting attention from tourism orgainsations.
Cairns Fertility Clinic expects to open its doors in March in a purpose built clinic in the Cairns Central Plaza building on the corner of McLeod and Apiln Sts on the edge of the city centre.
The clinic is being set up by West Australian IVF pioneer Dr John Yovich, his wife Jeanne and financial controller Doug Yek.
The difference between their new venture and their existing PIVET Medical Centre in Perth is that this will essentially be a one-stop for couples undergoing IVF treatment.
Not only will they undergo their IVF treatment in the clinic, they will also be able to stay in one of the five-star resort apartments above it.
And if they want to, the patients could even have cosmetic surgery work done during their stay in one of the associated medical businesses which will be co-located in the 12-storey building.
Mr Yek, who was in Cairns last week to monitor progress on the building, said the clinic was aiming for a 50 per cent Australian and 50 per cent international market.
It is this international market that has the support of tourisnm organisations who see the potential of medical tourism.
Links have already been established in China and India where Mr Yek said the rising middle class wealthy would be the target market to come to Cairns for IVF treatment and a holiday in a tropical location at the same time.
"Medical tourism is big business in South-East Asia and hopefully this sets the benchmark in Australia and starts the ball rolling for other projects,'' Mr Yek said.
Recently Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Matt Hingerty pointed to medical and health tourism as an area that could be a market to put Australia back on the tourism map.
Mr Hingerty said predictions were for as many as six million Americans flying overseas for medical treatment by 2010.
Queensland Tourism Minister Desley Boyle is a major supporter of medical/health tourism.
Ms Boyle said the IVF clinic "was a great opportunity" for government and industry to look seruiously at opportunities presented by medical and health tourism.
"In the early 1990s a group in Cairns looked at similar opportunities and did studies, but in the end it lost momentum,'' Ms Boyle said.
She said beyond the IVF and cosmetic procedure tourism, Cairns presented an ideal opportunity to provide mining companies throughout the country and Pacific basin with a destination for annual health checks for workers as well at the same time as their holidays.
"The reason I am so keen on this is it would more business for the town but it would also bring more private sector involvment in the city's health industry.''
