Recipe for profit – Is health tourism development in Serbia a myth or future?

Serbia could easily position itself as a wanted country in the health tourism sector in Europe and build a national brand, it was concluded at the international Balkan Health Forum conference hosted for the first time in Belgrade. But, what is the news?

Numerous spas, preserved nature, quality doctors and favorable prices are more than a good starting point for mixture of medical treatment and tourism. On the other hand, the story about what and to what extent is halting us is as almost old as some of these medical centers. The lack of funds, lack of laws, lack of quality staff…Lack of ambition and governmental involvement.

World market of health tourism is measured in tenths billion euros. It is not a secret that money lies in this field and that it is one of economy branches which is developing despite the crisis. We asked Mine Music from the Balkan Medical Travel company which organized Health Forum from Belgrade, what is our position and our share. He reminds of what everybody already know well – of our spas.

- Key potentials of Serbia are dental tourisms and rehabilitation centers – Music says, adding that every country must build its national health tourism brand.

Spa tourism is one of 9 priority tourist products for whose development Serbia opted when adopting the Strategy for Tourism Development for a period 2005 – 2015. Last year was good for spa places. Therefore, the number of overnight stays and the number of tourists increased. According to recently published data of the Ministry of Economy, today Serbia has a total of 116.182 beds out of which 64.025 beds in spas, which makes 55% out of the overall number of accommodation capacities.

- When it comes to health tourism development, Serbia has, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, done very few things during the past decades but during the last two years a couple of significant steps have been taken. One of them is the set up of clusters and joining of all of them which can provide quality service – Music says.

Still, we have a long way to go.

- There are steps to be taken and the first and the basic one is cooperation of public and private sectors. It is necessary to work on legislation solutions and generate conditions for development – director of Balkan Medical Travel reminds.

Apart from this, Music thinks that insurance companies play an important part.

- Additional insurance is a key factor in health tourism development. The insurance companies should adapt their packages with products citizens need and with health centers’ offers.

There have been many talks about that but what does it exactly mean when we say we need legislation framework improvement? Lacks in laws are numerous, representatives of the sector complain and a director of Vrnjacka banja-based Special hospital Merkur, Dejan Stanojevic has been recently pointing out one lack.

Namely, Merkur is expecting changes in regulations on public-private partnership. Current Law on public-private partnership does not leave an option to institutions to contract partenrships which would provide opportunities for new projects and investemnts so they hope it will soon be completed.

One of the examples is the Junakovic spa which has been fighting for changes of the Regulations on the health institutions network plan which finally enabled accommodation capacities as well as business expansion. Their problem has recently been solved, so stationary medical treatment has recently been allowed on the expense of the Republic health insurance fund to larger extent.

Individual is possible as well

Still, the old obstacles to the development of spa resorts that eKapija wrote a lot about it in the past do not mean that one cannot succeed in this business. The Special hospital Merkur has just been mentioned as a good example of how medicine and tourism intertwine. The number of guests and overnight stays is constantly growing in this institution and they are becoming more and more interesting for foreigners year in year out (to the Russians, Bulgarians and Cyprians last year). They have recently announced they are planning construction of a new villa with their own funds most likely. Expertise but also keeping up with modern trends positioned them in a way that it is sometimes had to believe it is actually a state-owned institution.

Two new ongoing projects are Merkur school of health and Merkur school of diabetes.

The second new thing in the Special hospital Merkur is the school of diabetes. With a leave list, the insured of the Republic health insurance fund that stayed at the extended rehabilitation will receive a free copy of printing version of Merkur’s school of diabetes in order to continue with implementation of acquired knowledge at home as well.

It is an excellent example, you will agree, in the country where health system was twice ranked the worst in Europe. There's nothing that can't be done when there is a wish and ambition.

M.S.

BALKAN Medical Travel Sarajevo

Ministarstvo privrede Republike Srbije

Merkur bolnica za lečenje i rehabilitaciju Vrnjačka Banja

Republički fond za zdravstveno osiguranje Beograd

Balkan Health Forum

Regional health conference

health tourism

special hospitals

Minet Music

dental tourism

rehabilitations

spa tourism

spa places

Strategy for tourism development in Serbia

Special hospital Merkur

Dejan Stanojevic

Law on public-private partnership

public private partnership

PPP

RHIF

Junakovic spa

medical tourism

Merkur’s school of health

Merkur’s school of diabetes

diabetes

diabetes treatment