Interview with Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso Rathe, president of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism.

Dr. Cambiaso, from your point of view, what is the current situation of Health Tourism in the world and in particular in the Dominican Republic?

The COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionized the tourism and health industry with the advent of strict biosafety protocols, quality standards, vaccines and technological solutions that give us new experiences, expectations, opportunities and challenges.

Health tourism does not escape this new reality and requires innovative offers and attractive promotions to recover. According to data from Patients Beyond Borders, the pre-pandemic medical tourism market was around $74-92 billion, based on approximately 21-26 million health tourists spending an average of $3,550 per visit.

For its part, the Medical Tourism Association (MTA) estimated the global market for medical tourism at around 100 billion dollars. Statistics for the sector vary quite a bit depending on the source and there is little data on the figures for medical tourism in 2020.

However, its marked decline is evident, with few exceptions such as diaspora patients traveling to the Dominican Republic for dental and plastic surgery treatments.

According to data from the Study and Diagnosis of Health Tourism in the Dominican Republic, during 2018 medical tourism in the country grew by 15%. In this sense, it is inferred that approximately 47,725 international patients were received by health tourism and 69,550 tourists were assisted by tourism medicine, for an estimated total of 117,275 international patients, a figure that does not include wellness tourists.

According to the 2020 Medical Tourism Index (MTI), our country is the main destination for medical tourism in the Caribbean, second in Latin America and number 19 in the world.

In 2018 health tourism generated an average income of US$265,132,500.00, according to estimates and inferences made with the primary information provided by healthcare service providers and specialized associations.

Photo: Marko Milivojevic / Pixnio

The MTI or Medical Tourism Index, prepared by the International Healthcare Research Center, is a biennial ranking that surveys more than 3,000 people, consumers and experts; reviews 41 criteria and three main dimensions that include the attractiveness of the destination, quality and safety of medical services and aspects related to patient experience, costs, reputation and culture.

According to this metric, the most requested treatments are plastic surgery, dentistry, orthopedics, cardiology, fertility treatments, weight loss, ophthalmology and oncology, among others.

What is the destination’s strategy to develop health tourism?

Currently, the nation is betting on public-private alliances and new projects, and the Dominican Association of Health Tourism is leading the initiatives to include this modality as part of our country brand, as well as the implementation of the proposed national strategy for the development of health tourism, proposal for a local quality standard and promotion of international accreditations, as well as the launch of the National Council for Health Tourism.

The nation, together with the Dominican Association of Health Tourism, is currently focused on strengthening the quality and safety of the offer, promoting international certifications and accreditations, as well as centers of excellence and the implementation of a local quality seal. We are also promoting public-private alliances and the development of new projects based on international standards.

We are working on including health tourism in the national export strategy and as part of our country brand and in international promotions together with Prodominicana and the Ministry of Tourism.

In the same way, we are promoting a proposal for a national development strategy of health tourism and the startup of the National Council of Health Tourism, as well as the 5th International Congress of Health Tourism and the launch of the Health and Wellness Destination Guide of the Dominican Republic.

In this context, what is the role of the Health and Wellness Tourism Guide, whose third edition will be presented next June?

The Health and Wellness Tourism Guide is a publication of the Medical Tourism Association that allows us to show the world the main attributes of the Dominican Republic in terms of health and tourism, which strengthens the nation’s positioning as a safe destination.

This important digital edition, in English, will be launched within the framework of the 5th International Congress on Health and Wellness Tourism. It is an ideal instrument to guide international patients in the process of choosing a reliable healthcare, transportation and lodging provider, showing details about medical, dental, aesthetic and wellness centers; international accreditations, hotels, airports and financial institutions.

It will be available in Apple Books and Amazon Kindle eBook format. Likewise, its content will remain in its entirety on the websites of the Medical Tourism Association, ranked number one in the world in Google searches on health tourism topics.

In addition, it will be on the website of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism and through the digital channels of the Dominican ministries of Tourism and Foreign Affairs, consulates and embassies abroad.

It would be interesting if you would outline how the preparations for the 5th International Congress on Health and Wellness Tourism are going.

The 5th International Congress of Health and Wellness Tourism is an activity organized by the Dominican Association of Health Tourism and Strategic Communication AF. It will be held on June 9 and 10, 2021, at El Embajador, Royal Hideaway Hotel in Santo Domingo.

The event has become the main activity of the medical tourism sector in the Central American and Caribbean region, by bringing together important local and international decision makers in an environment designed to carry out synergies and business between healthcare centers, insurers, pharmaceutical companies, investors, airlines, tour operators, hotels, financial sector, government, transportation, legal and educational.

Planned to be held in person, the long-awaited congress will have a robust biosafety protocol and topics will be addressed in conference formats and panels related to the present, future and regulatory framework of health tourism, as well as lessons learned from the international accreditation process and COVID-19 safe standards.

Likewise, ideas and experiences on health and medical tourism will be exchanged as part of the country brand, health passports and the role of vaccines in the recovery of tourism and the economy, challenges of innovation and digital transformation in the field of health, key factors in the patient experience and public-private alliances in the health and tourism sectors, among other interesting topics.

Within the framework of the event, a Private Investment Lunch will be held together with the Banco Popular Dominicano, where the new projects in the sector will be presented to local and international investors, in order to promote the attraction of foreign direct investment, job creation and transfer of new technologies.

In the last two years, the Congress has gathered approximately 800 participants, around 70 exhibitors and more than 110 sponsors, who have been a boost to continue raising innovation, competitiveness and quality standards in health services.

Do you want to refer to any other aspect?

Just add that for more information and registration you can enter the portal www.congresoadts.com.

Profile of Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso

Doctor of Medicine, with a specialty in Family and Community Medicine from the Universidad Iberoamericana and the Plaza de la Salud General Hospital; Master of Business Administration (MBA) concentrating in Hospital Management (UNIBE-Florida International University); specialist in Quality in Health Care (UNIBE and Organization for Excellence in Quality Health Care of Colombia); ISO 9001 Certified International Quality Auditor in America; specialist in Medical Tourism certified by the Medical Tourism Association; has an update in Internal Medicine from Harvard University; and is a member of multiple national and international organizations.