Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos S.A., known as CSMC, has announced an updated strategy and efforts aimed at promoting two activities: medical tourism and wellness tourism.
CSMC defines medical tourism as planned trips to another city or country, whose primary motive is the contribution to physical, mental or spiritual health with preventive or curative medical activities. This includes second opinion consultations.
It promotes treatments for medical tourists, carried out in the country’s state owned clinics and hotels, covering basic health check-ups and tests, haematology, EKG, ultrasounds, and gynaecology for women and prostate treatment for men.
CSMC defines wellness tourism as preventive, proactive and lifestyle improvement activities such as gymnastics, healthy eating, relaxation and personal care. It promotes a range of 26 wellness services, offering different experiences to clients according to individual needs.
The updated CSMC strategy is based on an alliance between the medical services marketing team and the Ministry of Tourism. It focuses on promoting wellness and treatment programmes to international medical travellers on various different levels.
The first two levels cover wellbeing, followed by prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. These would be activities that can be carried out in hotel facilities, although the strategy recognises that foreign investment would be necessary develop specific treatment spaces.
The other three levels must be offered in specialised clinics, hospitals and international health centres, and would require specialised personnel from the Ministry of Public Health and Biocubafarma.
The strategy also states that to achieve sustainable and competitive medical and wellness tourism, international certifications and accreditations will be required.
The Ministry of Tourism has highlighted the role of local development to guarantee the implementation of the strategy.
Source : www.imtj.com