TMC Leads Nationwide Push To Create Medical Visa HOUSTONóThe U.S. governmentís post-9/11 efforts to make it harder for non-Americans to enter the country has had an unintended consequence: a sharp drop in foreignersóparticularly wealthy Arabsóseeking medical treatment in the United States. At the Texas Medical Center, for instance, only 15,352 international patients were treated in 2001, down from more than 19,000 the year before (2002 figures are not yet available). Major medical institutions covet such patients because theyíre generally not covered by health insurance and tend to pay in cash, up front. Wendeline Jongenburger, director of international programs at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said the number of Saudi patients alone fell by 65 percent after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacksóand has yet to recover. Following the attacks, many patients ranging from Mexicans to Moroccans couldnít get visas to the United States and simply canceled their scheduled operations and checkups. Now, said Ruthy Khawaja, director of international services at Methodist Hospital, fewer foreigners are canceling for that reason, but it could be that they simply are not bothering to apply. ìWith all the difficulties in get ting a visa, Middle Easterners are not coming here,î Khawaja said. ìWhen there isnít difficulty in getting visas for patients, there are delays in getting visas for companions. And if youíve just been diagnosed with cancer, every moment is an eternity.î She added, ìAirport procedures have become tedious and sometimes really frightening to patients, so thatís been a deterrent. When I visited the Mid East last year, there were all kinds of horror stories, urban legends about the things that can happen to you in the airport here. Even those who have visas are reluctant to come, if itís not an acute situation.î That translates into untold millions of dollars in lost revenues for Texas Medical Center (TMC), the worldís largest medical complex. It has also caused headaches for physicians coming to TMC to do fellowships and residenciesóoften forcing them to miss classes at the centerís various teaching hospitals. To remedy the situation, TMC is lobbying hard for the creation of a medical visa that will give priority to foreigners seeking medical treatment. ìWe are working right now with the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department just to make certain the notion will be acceptable,î said Kathryn Stream, senior vice president of TMC. ìThe creation of an additional visa type requires the approval of Congress. Weíre not trying to bypass any security measures. We are just trying to get prioritized screening for our international patients.î Last October, TMC invited the heads of the nationís largest medical centers to Houston to discuss the medical visa issue and then lobby their senators and representatives. The effort is being coordinated by TMCís International Affairs Advisory Council. ìWeíve sent a proposal to Washington, and itís being looked at,î said Doug Abel, TMCís government affairs manager. ìWeíve also had discussions with members of the Texas legislature.î The creation of a special medical visa wouldnít come a moment too soon for Memorial Hermann Hospital, which served 300 foreign patients last year, down from 450 a year before 9/11. ìIt currently takes six to eight weeks [to get a visa], and there are severe cases that cannot wait,î said Kareem Botani, the hospitalís manager of international affairs. ìFor example, I have a patient from Saudi Arabia who was supposed to arrive yesterday because he needs a liver transplant. Unfortunately, he wasnít able to obtain a visa.î Before 9/11, it took between 24 hours and three days for most prospective patients from the Middle East to obtain a U.S. visa. Now, itís five to six weeksóa little better than last year, but still too long, said Nagib Mustafa, international attachÈ at Texas Childrenís Hospital. ìParents still say their first option would be to come to the States,î said Mustafa. ìBut if their child is sick, they wonít wait three or four months to get a visa, especially when it takes only a week to get a visa for most European countries.î óLarry Luxner