Belarus is aiming to become a major medical tourism destination according to news from the Belarus-China forum in Shanghai on 7 November. Over the past ten years, the country’s private medical centers have won recognition in the post-Soviet space. Marina Mastashova of Belarus’ Sports and Tourism Ministry says medical tourism in Belarus will benefit further from the new visa-free travel program.
Last year more than 50,000 medical tourists visited Belarus’s private healthcare centers for the relatively low cost of medical procedures Eastern Europe is noted for. Topping the list of specialists sought by health tourism visitors were the dental and cosmetic surgery specialties.
While official medical care remains free in the country private medical centers exist in equal number compared to state facilities. The state private medical centers to operate with rigorous certification as the norm. These private clinics offer paid medical services and provide a better quality of care, according to the reports from Minsk.
The centers excel so far past state hospitals that private facilities attract not only tourists but local patients as well, even though private care is still unaffordable for most Belarusians.
As a result of the country’s obvious advantages for wellness tourism, several big players have emerged on the Belarusian medical market, including such agencies as MedTravelBelarus, Wellness Travel, and Westglamur. The agencies like MedTravelBelarus conclude agreements with private clinics and health-care centres to treat foreign clients. They also provide visa support, lodging, and other services for a comfortable stay.
Many patients coming to Belarus are from other post-Soviet countries, and especially Russia, even though costs in that country are comparable. Medical experts in the country say Russians prefer Belarus become of the higher quality of care. Tourists from Ukraine and Kazakhstan make for another important group of clients for Belarusian clinics. The ongoing problems in the Ukrainian and Kazakh healthcare systems, including corruption and poor pharmaceuticals, still bring centers Ukrainians and Kazakhs to Belarusian doctors.
Belarusian private medical center offers cheap costs in comparison with the European Union and the majority of post-Soviet states. As an example, a breast-enlargement in the UK costs about $7,000 dollars, whereas Belarusian clinics charge in the neighborhood of $2,000. And the price differences for dental work are even starker. An implant in Belarus costs around $550, while the same procedure in the U.S. can cost in excess of $2,500 dollars.
Belarusian private medical centers offer different services in the fields of cardiology, gynaecology, oncology, ophthalmology, traumatology, neurosurgery and rehabilitation.