Regional medical tourism in the spotlight
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Medical tourism is still a niche when it comes to the region. There are several factors that play a role in the continuity of care in the GCC. These include location of the medical facility, availability of virtual consultation and follow up, as well as factors related to the patient’s age, medical condition and possibility for travel.
All of these factors dictate the current climate for medical travel, and medical facilities and health authorities need to address these issues in order to facilitate medical tourism across GCC borders.
Dr Bariah Dardari, head of paediatric department, Al Zahra Hospital in Dubai will shed light on the solutions and obstacles of continuity of care in the GCC. These issues will be debated and discussed at the International Medical Travel Exhibition & Conference (IMTEC 2014). The event is scheduled to take place on 5-6 March at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
Dr Dardari, “The continuity of care across GCC is available currently on a small scale, especially for patients seeking medical attention and travelling between Saudi Arabia and UAE, or Oman and the UAE. However, more can be done to encourage patients to use proximity of the GCC countries for their continuous medical care.”
Dr Dardari believes that any difficulty in the efficiency in the flow of crucial information and the continuity of care in a cross-border setting must be overcome, in order to further facilitate the process of medical travel.
The second International Medical Travel Exhibition & Conference (IMTEC) is relocating from Monaco to Dubai.
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