New Book Release by GHTC Senior Advisory Board Member Dr. Asaad Riad
"We are proud to congratulate our esteemed Senior Advisory Board Member, Dr. Asaad Riad, on the publication of his new book, 'THE INTERCULTURAL SURVIVAL GUIDE for Medical & Wellness Tourism'. As GHTC, we celebrate this significant contribution to global health tourism literature and are honored to continue showcasing his impactful work—alongside his publication Vital Bridge—within our Global Sectoral Health Publications."
‘’After two decades in international patient services, healthcare management, and accreditation leadership across some of the most complex cross-cultural environments in the world, I can tell you this with certainty: the professionals who excel in global healthcare are not simply technically skilled. They are culturally intelligent. They are emotionally adaptive. They understand that excellence is not a universal language — it must be translated.''
‘’Intercultural communication in healthcare is not about memorizing cultural trivia. It is about managing fear. It is about building trust at speed. It is about knowing when silence speaks louder than words, when touch is invasive rather than reassuring, when a simple question — 'How are you feeling?' — lands completely differently depending on who is asking, who is listening, and what both parties expect to happen next.''
‘’The modern medical tourist is informed, digitally empowered, and culturally assertive. They have researched their condition on international medical forums. They have compared pricing across five hospitals on three continents. They have read reviews not just in their own language but through Google Translate. They arrive with expectations shaped by a global media landscape — and a very specific idea of what world-class healthcare looks, feels, and sounds like.''
‘’The language of medicine is a dialect unto itself. Even patients who speak English as a first language may be unfamiliar with clinical terminology. For patients communicating in a second or third language, medical jargon creates a cascade of anxiety and misunderstanding that can lead to non-compliance, delayed consent, and dangerous outcomes''
A sincere apology is one of the most powerful trust-recovery tools in healthcare. However, apologies are culturally complex. In some cultures, an apology is an admission of guilt with legal implications. In others, it is simply an acknowledgment of emotional pain. In still others, the manner of the apology — its formality, its audience, and its timing — matters as much as the content.
