Czech Republic promoting medical tourism

Medical tourism has been identified as a lucrative market for many Central European countries. CzechTourism,  the tourism promotion agency, has launched internet campaigns targeting Britain, Russia and other post-Soviet states, Germany, Switzerland, and several rich Arab countries. It is promoting the country’s reputation for high quality and low price surgical, dental and cosmetic treatment, with the aim of attracting more medical tourists to the country. Iveta Jakoubková of CzechTourism says: “Most of the interest at the moment is for various types of cosmetic surgery, while obesity treatment is also popular.

The latest advertising initiative follows on from the publication last year of the first comprehensive catalogue of surgical and health treatments offered, the “Medical Tourism Guide Czech Republic”, in English, German, and Russian versions. Foreigners are already attracted to the Czech Republic for various types of operation, including fertility treatment, eye operations, dental treatment, and simple surgery.

CzechTourism admits that no statistics are kept on the number of visits to the country for various medical or cosmetic treatments offered by specialized clinics or in some of the country’s biggest hospitals, but there is a clear impression that interest in the country is rising in what is identified as a booming market. Estimates put the cost of various health and cosmetic treatments in the Czech Republic at around a third or quarter of what they would cost in Western Europe, Russia or the Middle East.

HealthCzech, another medical tourism portal, provides information about healthcare services available in the Czech Republic and is part of the Treatment Abroad group of specialized medical tourism websites owned by Intuition Communication.
 

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