The start of vaccination of Puerto Rico medical personnel and first responders is an important element that will have a positive impact on the medical tourism industry as it strengthens the island as a destination for patients from other states or countries to receive top quality medical assistance , safe and at a reasonable cost, said Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (DDEC), Manuel A. Laboy Rivera.
“The medical tourism industry has a promising future in Puerto Rico and despite the emergency we face as a result of the spread of Covid-19, hospitals and medical offices have continued to treat patients from different jurisdictions in search of medical services,” Laboy Rivera said. Sunday in a written statement.
“With the advent of the vaccine, which will be added to protocols developed by the Medical Tourism Program and medical institutions, patients will be treated by professionals vaccinated against Covid-19 and under the best safety standards. Thus, this economic sector has opportunities to continue its expansion in the island.Our commitment is to continue to support through public policy and in partnership with the private sector strategies that maximize this sector through our Medical Tourism Program, to achieve more recognition of the services that Puerto Rico provides, ”added the DDEC secretary.
The recent Senate and House approval of House Bill 2382, will allow the establishment of the Medical Tourism Office in the DDEC, transfer the Corporation’s funds to the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce, among other actions necessary to continue to strengthen the said economic sector.
“Once these processes are completed, we hope to have an economic impact on the island and attract approximately 30,000 patients over the next 3-5 years, representing an economic impact of $ 23.5 million. By 2021, the process will be in place to establish flexible certification for hospitals, hotels and medical offices in the following specialties: dentistry, cardiology, orthopedics, cancer, neurosurgery, gynecology, fertility procedures, pediatrics, ophthalmology and plastic surgery ” , he stressed the secretary of the DDEC.
The medical tourism program joins other public policy initiatives to retain and attract health workers. The passenger waiver granted by the United States Department of Transportation is also expected to facilitate the arrival of patients from various parts of the world for medical treatment.
“For next year, the Medical Tourism Program will work on several initiatives to promote the island, one of which is to form alliances with the health ministers of the Caribbean islands so that Puerto Rico is their first option when they seek medical treatment for their patients. in another jurisdiction. Alliances will also be formed with health insurers in Central America so that they use the island as a better alternative to the United States, where treatment costs are high. On the other hand, it will work with the medical directors. of the cruise lines based in San Juan, so that they use the healthcare providers under the Medical Tourism Program to assist their crewmembers Another initiative will be to coordinate events with the own insured in the states of Florida, Chicago and New York, so that they include hospitals in Puerto Rico as part of their supplier network Irish.