𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺?

It’s the perfect gateway for tourists to receive affordable and cheaper healthcare services without compromising quality.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗿𝗶 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

 Health tourism is a growing industry. The global pandemic (covid-19) made people more cautious and more aware of their health, and they are keen and make health & well-being a top priority. People are on the lookout for affordable holiday destinations and combine therapy, treatments, and access to medical procedures that may sometimes be unavailable in their residing country.

 Sri Lanka is a well-known and loved holiday destination and it is easy to attract tourists who seek the bliss and comfort of health tourism.

 Our country possesses skilled & specialized medical professionals who are:
Reliable and possess the required language skills
Empathetic and well-trained to care for patients

 Comparatively cheap labour than European countries

 Comparatively cheaper overhead costs and expenses

 The ability to furnish patients with comfortable lodgings

 Sri Lanka is a tropical country and the warm & sunny weather is known to be immensely beneficial for our health.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿?

 Cardiology
 ENT treatment
 Eye surgery
 Dental/dentistry
 Dermatology / Cosmetic/plastic surgery
 Orthopedics
 Bariatric surgery
 Transplants
 Fertility treatment
 Native treatment, oil therapies, and access to alternative treatment
 Spa therapy
 Medication & yoga centers
 Rehabilitation
 Weight loss or healthy eating retreats

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄?

I must frankly admit that to cater to the health tourism sector, the government hospitals may need more time to implement structures, more disciplined procedures, and patient-friendly lodgings & environment. With the lack of funds, this might seem a difficult task at a time like this, but health tourism is easily accessible to private hospitals & treatment centers.

With a bit of “out of the box” thinking, the private sector has the resources and the capability to cater to a professional health tourism industry.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴!

 Highly specialized medical professionals & well-trained staff
 Internationally accredited, state-of-the-art medical facilities
 Personalized care – The comfort and the convenience of a private room, interpreter & support staff while receiving treatment and other tailor-made services designed for the patient’s comfort.
 Round-trip-travel-support – The team can offer services from medical treatment to travel assistance to a hotel of the patient’s choice, reservation assistance, visa procedure, etc;
 Significant cost savings for the international patients
 Immediate access to treatment – no waiting lists
 Aftercare programs

𝗔 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆!

No matter how skilled or specialized our professionals are, there are a few obstacles we are yet to overcome for us to open our beautiful country for health tourism. We need to get together as a team and turn a new leaf, ensuring that we are confident and offer professionalism in every aspect that assures the patient’s convenience and comfort.

1. The country should offer a simple visa procedure and allow hassle-free entry for the visitors.

2. Over the years as a medical practitioner, I have noticed that the private hospitals in Sri Lanka don’t quite meet the required standards & quality of patient care. I sometimes wonder if the private sector is far too commercialized and concerned only about earning money and not patients’ welfare. Are the medical support staff trained and experienced enough to care for patients, and to assist with their wants & needs? Are the patient rooms comfortable and clean? Does a patient still need to complain about the available facilities even after paying money to obtain services? The specialized skilled services surely require to be more structured and organized.

3. Of course, I understand that private hospitals are a business aimed at earning profit. But, are the managements utilizing enough profit to benefit the patients and their comfort? Most private hospitals are not equipped with modern or advanced technology on par with standard treatments, especially when it comes to cardiology and perhaps in other areas too. Shouldn’t we address this? Our private hospitals need improvement in comparison with neighboring countries like Maldives, India, Singapore, etc, that have excelled in health tourism.

I kindly urge relevant tourism authorities, the Ministry of Health, medical professionals, and private health caregivers to consider these views and create opportunities to implement a growing and nourishing health tourism sector in Sri Lanka that will enable to bring the much-required forex to the country.