British NHS wants to open hospital branches abroad

The presence of hundreds of nurses in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in London made the National Health Service (NHS) known worldwide. The country now wants its NHS brand to be exported worldwide, establishing NHS clinics abroad. Renowned as world leaders in many areas of treatment, the intention is for NHS hospitals to open offices in the Middle East, the USA and beyond. Through this programme the government is planning, additional money would flow into the health service. An agency has been set up, and will begin communicating between hospitals and the respective governments from autumn 2012 onwards.

Investments made into the clinics must be financed by private patients. Any excess profits made would then be paid back into the NHS in Great Britain.

Commentary: The success of this idea depends on the ability to export a hospital successfully another market. Both the differences of the various health care systems, as well as the financing and thus the ability to generate profits, are very different. Simply planning to ensure stability in government-controlled health care systems is not always enough, and private hospitals have to face the competition. Overall, the idea is therefore not without question marks, particularly as the investment – and therefore the risk – are saddled with the hospitals. The open question for all areas of health care in Germany, then, is similar: Do I have a chance of exporting my business model or my supply expertise to other countries?