Medical tourism as a new growth point for the region’s economy — KBSU expert’s opinion
The topic of the issue of the Vestnik Ekonomiki magazine was investments in health. The KBSU expert presented an analysis of the economic potential of medical tourism in the North Caucasus Federal District.
Ramazan Ligidov:
Great interest in the development of medical tourism is associated with its prospects and the possibility of stimulating sustainable socio-economic development of regions.
Experts note the high potential in the republics of the North Caucasus in the field of medical tourism and predict favorable prospects for the development of healthcare in general.
Ramazan Ligidov, director of the Institute of Management, Tourism and Hospitality Industry of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov, spoke about this at an online conference on the topic «Tourism industry of the North Caucasus Federal District: new points of attraction for Russian and foreign travelers».
— Significant interest in the development of medical tourism, including high-mountain medicine, is associated with its prospects and the possibility of stimulating sustainable socio-economic development.
Despite the growing interest, the topic of medical tourism in Russia remains understudied. There are different approaches in the expert community, which negatively affects the development of the industry. It is necessary to integrate medicine and tourism into a single system that meets international standards and has investment attractiveness.
In modern conditions, medical tourism is becoming an organized form of health preservation. Currently, there is no consensus on the interpretation of this term.
An analysis of the definitions of medical tourism shows that it is:
— a connection with maintaining and restoring health;
— providing medical services on favorable terms;
— implementing medical and health programs.
The following interpretation is proposed: travel outside the permanent place of residence in order to combine rest and receive qualified medical care, as well as economic activity based on comprehensive services.
The development of medical tourism contributes to the emergence of specialized travel agencies and stimulates the development of related industries.
Medical tourism is an increasingly popular trend. The forecast for the global market size by 2030 is more than 300 billion dollars. According to the Russian Ministry of Health, medical tourism brings in about 100 billion rubles with a growth potential of 2.2 times by 2030.
Research results show that there is serious potential for the development of medical and health tourism. Tourists are attracted by unique healing resources and natural objects.
The greatest demand is for services in the field of dentistry, vascular surgery, allergology, ophthalmology and others. Cooperation between medical service providers and travel agencies, as well as online booking platforms, is important.
One of the main problems is the identification of medical tourism with the healthcare system. It is necessary to distinguish between these concepts, since medical tourism is based on private investment.
The key difference is independent decision-making about the trip and the ability to combine treatment with rest.
In a competitive environment, medical tourism contributes to the development of medicine. The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic should actively participate in this process by training personnel, increasing the level of accreditation and developing a system for promoting medical services.
For effective development, a clear role for each participant is necessary: doctors are responsible for treatment, and the tourism industry is responsible for organization. The state should support this interaction.
The development of medical tourism and high-mountain medicine in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is a promising area. To successfully realize this potential, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for attracting investment, developing infrastructure, improving the quality of medical services and promoting the KBR as a medical tourism destination.
The implementation of the proposed recommendations will allow the KBR to take a leading position in the medical tourism market in Russia.