The market of transboundary medical and health services has become more popular and led to the new type of tourism – health and medical one (Health and Medical Tourism). Due to the fact that patients are not satisfied with the level, quality or cost of medical services which are available within their national health care systems, a new global competitive confrontation of national economies has evolved, so, in recent years, medical tourism has received a status of one of the basic competitive elements of effective service-based economy. The Medical Tourism Association assessed global medical tourism market worth of billions of dollars and forecasts annual market growth in the next decade by 25%[1]. United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) indicates health and medical tourism as one of the most promising areas of industry development having high growth rates which will recover quickly after the decline in the tourism industry caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the crisis in the health care system and the imperfection of the legal framework, Ukraine has already become the health care service provider with a rather competitive correlation price/quality: every year almost 60 thousand of foreign patients come here to receive medical services, and about 120 medical centres are focused on foreign customers[2]. The most attractive directions of medical tourism in Ukraine for foreign patients are: plastic surgery, dentistry, sanatorium treatment, use of auxiliary methods of treatment, rehabilitation, treatment of ophthalmic diseases, cardiac surgery, cell therapy, cryobanks[3]. Ukraine is able to emerge as an active participant in international medical tourism both in treatment and rehabilitation as resorts with mineral waters and healing mud have significant potential for the development of foreign and domestic medical tourism. As well, foreign patients are interested in rehabilitation medicine. Kyiv has hosted Global Healthcare Travel Forum for two consecutive years (2020 and 2021). At the regional level, Lviv region and Dnipropetrovsk region actively promote the potential of their regions and the individual institutions Lviv medical tourism cluster and Dnipro medical cluster have been established. In August 2020 the First Lviv Region Healthcare Tourism Forum took place attended by professional suppliers of medical services of Lviv region and providers of medical tourism from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, countries of Central Asia and Caucasus.
National Economic Strategy of Ukraine until 2030 (vector 14. Creative industries and hospitality industry) medical and health tourism (Health) were considered some of 5 priority vectors for world-class projects which will be financed under a new state special programme on the basis of competitive procedure.
Vinnytsia region has been found to have a high potential for economic transformation based on smart specialisation in the field of health and medical tourism. In addition to the unique natural and recreational resources (deposits mineral waters and clay), the region has a well-developed network of sanatoriums, health resorts (in particular, the resort complex Khmilnyk includes 8 sanatoriums and health facilities and annually hosts almost 50 thousand patients), there are highly differentiated tertiary health care institutions and a powerful scientific and medical educational institution – National Pirogov Memorial Medical University, Vinnytsia which is one of 6 best medical educational institutions in Ukraine. And as a result of the World Bank and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine’s subproject "Component of the development of the health system in Vinnytsia region aimed at improving medical care for patients with cardiovascular disease[4]" will create modern conditions for training highly qualified cardiac surgeons and provision of emergency and planned medical care.
In order to form health and medical tourism in the region, it is important to have a complex approach to the creation of high-quality competitive product and related services, offer the framework for professional growth in accordance with the best national and international experience, active promotion and marketing of medical services on the target markets.
The institution "Vinnytsia Regional Development Agency", while expressing understanding of this vector’s priority and its strategic influence on various spheres of economic and social life, provides its expert support and creates a communicative platform for improving interaction and coordination of the activities of all participants of this industry aimed at accelerating development of this vector in the region.
On this information resource in the section Library there will be available various analytic and information materials on issues of studies undertaken and the results of the discussions of all participants of the process which will be implemented within the framework of the Project.
Please, send your proposals on cooperation within the framework of this vector to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
[1]https://www.magazine.medicaltourism.com/article/4-medical-tourism-trends-to-watch
[2]https://loda.gov.ua/news?id=46424
[3]https://uamt.com.ua/UA/medturyzm-v-ukraini-innovatsii-ekspertnist-i-dostupnist.html