Results of the key event in the field of medical tourism “InMedtour–2023”
III International Congress on Medical and Health Tourism “InMedTour – 2023. Resort Resources of Russia – the potential of the nation’s health” was held on September 27-28, 2023 in Moscow. The official organizers of the congress were:
•The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
•The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation
•Central State Medical Academy of the Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation
•The National Association of Specialists in Physical therapy and Resorts
•The National Association of Experts in sanatorium and resort treatment
•The Union of Russian Cities
•The Association of Resort and Tourist Cities
The event is included in the scientific and practical program of events of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for 2023. The Congress was dedicated to the issues of sanatorium treatment, rehabilitation and healthy lifestyle, as well as the improvement of the sanatorium industry in the Russian Federation. It was attended by specialists from various fields, health care organizers, State Duma deputies, heads of leading universities of the country. The forum was attended by 184 live and more than 1,450 online participants – rehabilitologists, specialists of sanatorium treatment, endocrinologists, neurologists, primary health care doctors, directors of development and marketing of sanatorium organizations from more than 25 regions of Russia. Speakers from Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, Krasnodar, Stavropol, St. Petersburg, and the Crimean region were among the speakers and participants. And taking into account the meeting of the Union of Russian Cities representatives of more than 28 cities of Russia participated in the congress (in a hybrid format).
The event was opened by N.A. Daikhes, MD, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, First Deputy of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on Healthcare. He noted: “Today we sum up six years of work. In 2018, the President of Russia determined the prospects for the development of the country. Then, for the first time, the topic of medical tourism appeared among the strategic tasks. During this time, a long way has been passed, a lot has been done. But there are also tasks that need to be solved. The main one is the popularization of Russian medical organizations abroad.”
A.A. Gaiderov, Head of the Department for International and Regional Associations of the Department of International Cooperation and Public Relations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, read out the address of the Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation E.G. Kotova: “Medical tourism is an active global trend, dynamically developing in Russia. The implementation of the federal project “Export of medical services” contributes to the promotion of Russian clinics and the creation of a positive image of Russian medicine abroad. In 2022, 4.9 million foreign citizens came to us for treatment, the volume of exports of medical services amounted to 351.8 million dollars.”
I.V. Gritsun, Deputy Director General of the Union of Russian Cities, spoke at the plenary session about the role of the organization in the development of medical tourism: “14 project offices have been created in the union, among the most active is the office “Development of medical and health tourism”. Dozens of cities participate in its meetings, many of them shared their experience in the development of medical tourism. The organization’s experts are developing the concept of “The role and tasks of the municipality in the development of health tourism in the country and the development of the material and technical base of sanatorium-resort institutions”.
The topic of international cooperation in the field of medical tourism was touched upon by P.A. Ustyuzhaninov, head of the Center for Strategic Development of the Russian part of the Russian-Chinese Chamber, member of the International Cooperation Committee of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs: “Medical tourism, cooperation between universities and medical centers of teaching staff of Russia and other countries is one of the most important areas of our work. China has gained vast experience in the treatment of various diseases: cerebral palsy, pathologies of the cardiovascular system. Chinese patients have started visiting Russian medical and wellness centers for the treatment of gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases.”
A large block of reports was devoted to management and analytics in the field of medical tourism. A.A. Gaiderov told about the implementation of the federal project “Development of export of medical services”. He said that in 2023, 14.5 million foreign citizens received services in Russian medical organizations, the volume of exports of medical services amounted to 782 million US dollars. The targets of the current year have already been achieved. K.L. Girin, Deputy head of the coordination center for the implementation of the federal project “Development of export of medical services” presented a strategy for the promotion of medical services and the development of a digital platform for medical tourism.
The report “Quality and safety of medical activity: modern approaches to management” was made by D.F. Taut, Head of the Department of quality examination of medical care and evaluation of medical activity of the National Institute of Quality of Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare. She noted that in order to create a safety culture in a medical organization, it is necessary to develop teamwork; form an open community in which employees can report mistakes without fear of punishment; introduce tools of a modern quality management system (training, audits); conduct regular monitoring of undesirable events and risks of their occurrence; use a system of encouragement for employees who have declared about an undesirable event; abandon the approach of “looking for someone to blame”, identify and analyze system errors.
There were also reports on medical rehabilitation and sanatorium-resort treatment of patients after providing medical care in the oncology; creation and development of conditions in the regions for the growth of exports of medical services, trends and drivers of the development of the wellness and hospitality industry, insurance programs.
V.G. Klimin, MD, Professor, head of the project office for the development of medical and wellness tourism of the Union of Russian Cities spoke about 4 key components of the industry in the report “Ecosystem of medical tourism”: export of medical services, domestic medical, outbound medical and health tourism. The expert noted that “at present, new management concepts are needed that contribute to the development of positive social attitudes of citizens, additional reserves for the development of Russian regions and a system of relevant interdepartmental communications.”
The section “Sanatorium and resort treatment and rehabilitation” discussed: the principles of postoperative rehabilitation for degenerative spinal pathology, the possibilities of UHF therapy and electrical stimulation in the complex treatment of community-acquired pneumonia, details of oncorehabilitation in sanatorium conditions, current aspects of the training of medical staff, safety during transcerebral procedures, medical and physiotherapy treatment of neuropathic pain syndrome, prevention of the development of phantom pains after traumatic limb amputation and a number of other relevant topics.
At the same time, a round table of the Union of Russian Cities was organized at the event. It presented reports on the role and tasks of municipalities in the development of medical and health tourism in Russia, marketing approaches in promoting the services of sanatorium organizations, client-oriented service as a competitive advantage, services for foreign citizens, regulatory and legal regulation with the participation of local governments.
On September 28, a meeting of specialists in sanatorium treatment and rehabilitation was held in a closed online format.
An exhibition was held at the forum, where the developments of domestic manufacturers of medicines, medical equipment, sanatorium-resort institutions of Russia, and other organizations working in the field of medical tourism were presented.
The main organizational decisions of the Congress were the suggestion to create an Expert Council on the development of medical tourism and medical Exports under the State Duma of the Russian Federation (under the State Duma Committee on Health).
It is also planned to work with the existing professional associations for sanatorium treatment and medical tourism in the field of international events under the auspices of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Russian-Chinese Chamber in 2024. The IV International Congress on Medical and Health Tourism “InMedTour – 2024” and sanatorium treatment and rehabilitation is scheduled for May 16-17, 2024.