A round table took place in the Rixos President Astana Hotel on the 26th of August, where the measures for the development of a new tourism direction for Kazakhstan of medical tourism were presented.
The participants were the representatives of leading medical organizations of Kazakhstan, business structures of the tourism and service industry, as well as interested government agencies. The main purpose of the round table was to discuss the current situation in the medical tourism industry, problematic issues, and development prospects.
Discussing the prospects of medical tourism in Nur-Sultan, the Head of the Department for Investment and Entrepreneurship Development of the Mayor’s Office of the Nur-Sultan - Yerzhan Baltayev highlighted dentistry first. Furthermore, among the main directions for medical tourists, he mentioned cardiac and neurosurgery, organ transplantation, IVF, and plastic surgery.
He also noted that seven medical organizations in Nur-Sultan city provide services according to international quality standards and have JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation. About 5 thousand foreign patients receive services in them annually: these are tourists from Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Now Kazakhstan aims to expand the list of countries to attract medical tourists.
Within the framework of the event, the idea of opening the Kazakhstan Medical Tourism Association was presented. The Association will promote the development of inbound tourism and unite all areas that are significant for its development.