THE Florida-based Medical Tourism Association (MTA) believes Guyana is well positioned to become a medical tourism destination because of the country’s robust economic performance and having other key ingredients for success in this rapidly growing tourism niche market.

The Association’s Executive Global Program Manager Cristina Cardona was upbeat about Guyana’s potential to attract significant medical tourism business when she addressed a recent “Invest Guyana” Forum in Florida recently.
In an insightful presentation on the growth and benefits of medical tourism, she detailed the steps needed to develop medical tourism and said Guyana was ideally suited for this because, among other things, the country is an “emerging economy with enormous potential”
“Medical and Wellness Tourism represents a great opportunity for Guyana to attract more tourists. The country already has many advantages such as its geographic position, English speaking population, specialized doctors as well as beautiful tourism attractions. These represent a competitive advantage for Guyana to become a leading medical and wellness tourism destination which will result in more tourists, increased revenue and economic growth for the country in the long term,” Cardona said.
The Medical Tourism Association, a global non-profit organization, focuses on Transparency in Quality and Pricing, Communication and Education. The MTA offers educational training, certification, and other brand-development programs to hospitals, healthcare providers, and governments who actively work towards developing a sustainable medical tourism program and increasing patient volume.
In her presentation, Cardona also emphasized that Guyana has stable macroeconomic policies, attractive investment incentives, a regulatory environment and corporate tax regime that do not discriminate against foreign investors and also provides investors with favorable conditions to do business.
The MTA official explained that many people do not distinguish between medical and wellness tourism, which are two different products.
Medical Tourism refers to patients traveling to a different destination in search of lower cost of care, higher quality of care, better access or different care than what they could receive at home. On the other hand, Wellness Tourism involves people who travel to a different place to proactively pursue activities that maintain or enhance their personal health and wellbeing.
To succeed in developing and sustaining medical tourism services the following are critical: Creating an attractive and safe product, enhancing quality and investing in branding.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Irfaan Ali, who was in  Miami for the Invest Guyana Forum and Guyana independence celebrations, told me he was encouraged by the medical tourism presentation and that Guyana was definitely moving in that direction with the Guyanese Diaspora as the initial target market.
The Specialty Hospital, being constructed with funding on concessionary terms from the Indian Government, will be foundation for Guyana’s medical tourism strategy. When completed, the services of the 250-bed facility are expected to include cardio-related and cosmetic surgeries and organ transplant. These services will be offered within the public health system, with the aim of allowing Guyanese at home to access upgraded quality health care at an affordable cost.
Among the issues that Minister Ali identified to be addressed, are steps to ensure that comprehensive medical delivery services are effective and efficient and competitively priced. In particular, Ali stressed that after-care costs must be affordable.
In addition, the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister advised that facilities will be created for medical studies to attract students.
Ali noted Jamaica’s investment in a “five star” 200-bed specialty hospital, which will be constructed at an eventual cost of US$200 million. Under the first phase of the project, a 50-75 bed facility will be constructed to offer plastic and cosmetic surgery, bariatric (obesity surgery) services, and dental specialties. The project, which is headed by Jamaicans from their Diaspora, is integrated within the government’s Health and Wellness Tourism Policy, which seeks to lay out the framework for positioning Jamaica as the newest destination for medical and wellness tourism.
The Bahamas is also in discussions with American World Clinics (AWC) on the establishment of a $U.S. 200 to 400 million dollar medical tourism facility that will create about 200 jobs post construction. AWC, which is already operating in Barbados, uses primarily U.S. trained physicians.
The Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) will be focusing on growing the medical tourism market in its member countries during the Caribbean Week June 1-8 activities in New York.
CTO’s Director for the Americas Sylma Brown Bramble told me the development of medical tourism is on its radar as several of its member countries are talking about taking advantage of this particular niche.
She said many people who are recuperating from medical treatment find the Caribbean an attractive environment in which to do so. The CTO is promoting both medical and wellness tourism and sees this as, not just a revenue earner for Caribbean countries, but also a way to help their local communities.
One of the speakers at the CTO events in New York is Linden Schaffer, Founder and Director of the New York-based wellness company Pravassa, which brings together travelers who are looking to “rejuvenate, restore and restart their way of life.”
More Caribbean countries could gain considerably from participating in the annual Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress, which is being held this year from November 3-5 in Las Vegas. The Forum brings together Ministers of Tourism and Health, Health attaches from around the globe, healthcare providers, employers, government organizations and insurance companies.
Two of the key events are the Ministerial Summit and the Medical Directors Summit, both of which Guyana and other Caribbean countries that have not participated before, should tap into.
Six CARICOM countries – The Bahamas, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis – participated in the last Congress. Bermuda, Puerto Rico, the Cayman Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands were also represented at the last medical tourism forum.
The 2012 World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress was host to over 1,500 attendees from 90 countries. “Given the challenges that most countries and global industries are facing with the economic crisis, medical tourism is more important than ever before, creating more economically viable healthcare solutions,” the Medical Tourism Association said in its promotional material.
It listed among the benefits for Ministerial Summit Attendees the opportunity to provide a Country Medical Tourism Report, receive a practical Guide to prepare for Medical Tourism, learn about Best Practices in this sector, network between Buyer and Provider Countries and get an update on new technologies and education in Healthcare and Tourism.
(Sandra Ann Baptiste is a Business Consultant and Specialist in Caribbean Affairs).