São Paulo – Brazil wants to win more space as a destination in the medical tourism sector. To promote the medical excellence of the country, company Medical Travel Brazil should promote its first international medical tourism meeting, Medical Travel Meeting Brazil, at the Grand Hyatt hotel, in São Paulo, from August 25th to 28th.
“The objective of the event is to be a window to show the world what we have best in medicine," said Mariana Palha, the person responsible for the event at Medical Travel Brazil. According to her, the event is turned to international health operators, management companies, professionals in the sector and medical service providers.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that medical tourism should generate a turnover of US$ 60 billion between 2012 and 2015. According to Mariana, Brazil does not yet have concrete figures as to the sector turnover, but is working on competing with countries that are strong in the sector, like Thailand, for example, where medical tourism revenues reach US$ 500 million a year.
To insert Brazil in the global market, Mariana said that it is necessary to develop long-term work. "The strategy of Brazil is going to be in the quality of services provided. This should be our differential," she said. According to Mariana, Brazil should promote abroad the state-of-the-art technology it offers and the good relations between doctors and patients.
At the event, Brazilian and international speakers will talk about globalisation of the health sector, the part played by buyers of services, the insertion of Brazil in the global health sector and the part of insurance companies, among other themes.
According to Mariana, Brazil is an international highlight in several specialties of medicine, among them cardiology, orthopaedics, neurology, dermatology, sports medicine and several surgical procedures.
One example of how hospitals and services in Brazil are being structured to receive foreign patients is in the number of institutions accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), a non-governmental organisation that certifies medical institutions following the strictest quality standards. There are currently 22 institutions accredited by the organisation in Brazil.
To promote Brazil in the sector, Mariana said that it is important to bring international buyers of services to visit Brazilian installations and to check the quality offered. The organizer of the event also said that, to assist certain foreign patients, like the Arabs, for example, it is necessary to be prepared, as the culture is very different and that may stress relations between doctor and patient.
Apart from that, institutions should be prepared to have bilingual employees, to adapt the menu and the environment should be prepared to receive patients with quality.
Service
Medical Travel Meeting
Date: from August 25th to 28th
Site: Hotel Grand Hyatt São Paulo
Address: Avenida das Nações Unidas, 13,301
Site: www.medicaltravelmeetingbrazil.com
*Translated by Mark Ament
