VP and Health Tourism Association advocate for regulation and quality

Public-private alliances will allow strengthening the regulation and quality of health tourism in the country, which in turn will impact investment, competitiveness and job creation.

This was established in a meeting between the Vice President of the Republic and Coordinator of the Health Cabinet, Raquel Peña, with representatives of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism.

In the meeting, held at the National Palace, the Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Raquel Peña, highlighted the importance of this segment to offer quality services and that doctors benefit from the transfer of knowledge and technology, as well as more job opportunities.

The Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS) was represented by its president, Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso; its vice president, Amelia Reyes Mora; Dr. Héctor López, Director of Quality; and businessman José Natalio Redondo, member of the advisory board.

The meeting took place after President Luis Abinader issued, on December 6th, 2021, decree 787-21, which instructs to elaborate, after carrying out the pertinent studies, the policies and strategies aimed at the sustainable development of tourism in Health & Wellness.

In the same decree, the president provides that the Vice President, in her capacity as president of the Health Cabinet, be presented with a report containing a survey of the current situation of health and wellness tourism in the Dominican Republic and proposals for its strengthening.

In the Republic, more than 100,000 patients are treated each year in this niche, both international patients who travel to the country to receive care and tourists on vacation who need to attend to their health.

The main patients served are Dominicans residing in the United States, Americans and Canadians, as well as patients from the Caribbean islands.

The Dominican Republic Health Tourism study, from 2019, revealed that each patient spends an average of 7,500 dollars.

The global medical tourism market moves about 90 billion dollars annually and about 26 million patients.