Russian doctors are among the best in the world. Our country is proud of experienced, qualified specialists. But will medical tourism develop in Russia in the near future?
The medical tourism market is constantly changing. A few years ago, countries such as the USA, Germany and Israel were the first in the list of leaders of medical tourism. Now the situation has changed. Patients prefer treatment in Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, Australia. Eastern countries such as Thailand, India, and Malaysia have also become popular.
This list includes Russia. The country guarantees high-quality and profitable treatment for both tourists and its citizens.
Much more profitable
The factor that attracts foreigners the most is the inexpensive cost of treatment. In Russia, compared to other countries, patients manage to save money, because Russian medicine is 2-3 times cheaper.
The budget price does not mean a low level of service provision. The quality of medicine in Russia meets international standards, and sometimes it is even better than in Europe. Russian doctors are highly qualified and have an individual approach to each patient.
Foreign citizens are primarily interested in innovative medical technologies and areas: hip replacement, heart surgery, vision correction, dental services, IVF, oncology treatment and so on. As for IVF, Russian clinics are the most developed in this area compared to Europe. In vitro fertilization procedures are 40% more effective in the Russian Federation. Patients from Italy perform IVF procedures in Russia, because it is prohibited in their country (Artificial insemination in Italy is allowed only to two categories of citizens: if the spouses are sterile, and if one of them has AIDS). Some British women prefer IVF in Russia not to stand in a long queue. Israeli citizens choose the Russian Federation because of age limit for IVF procedures in their country. There are no such prohibitions in Russia and this medical field is developed.
Now the Russian Ministry of Health is working on attracting foreign patients. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the medical infrastructure and introduce medical visas for foreigners.