More hospitals in SL to be MTQUA certified

While there is a boom in medical tourism globally, lots of tourists are also visiting Sri Lanka for medical treatment. Sri Lanka should upgrade its medical tourism portfolio to international standards and obtain the necessary certification to attract more visitors seeking medical treatment, said Julie Munro, President of the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA).

Ms. Munro made these comments to the Business Times on the sidelines of a ceremony held at the Lanka Hospitals in Colombo on Monday to include the hospital into the MTQUA family, the first hospital here to get this certification.

"We are hoping for more hospitals in Sri Lanka to be included into MTQUA," she added.

She said that MTQUA has developed best practices for international patients and medical travelers and based on those best practices the standards and protocols are put together. US-based MTQUA has been doing this for more than three years and have certified 40-50 entities in 20 countries worldwide. The process to evaluate the entity on average takes around 6 months to one year.

The notion of non-clinical certification of services, support and care is new not just for international patients in Asia, but worldwide. It's a certification that recognises the entity in terms of care, support and leadership taken by the staff for patients, she noted.

At the event Ms. Munro stated, "I believe that whether it's a medical traveler or any patient who visits Sri Lanka for treatment to some hospital, the best care and quality assurance is provided, only when everyone works as a team."

The MTQUA with Lanka Hospitals was for the non-clinical aspects of care that patients encounter when they come to the hospital for treatment. "When we looked at the outcomes of the hospital, we reviewed the marketing aspects, the hospital website, how the staff communicate with the patients, the sensitivity towards cultural and religious aspects and also the presentation of comforts to the patient. Most importantly we looked at the care management, the team work that goes into taking care of a patient, the commitment of the leadership in making sure that the team gives the patient proper care and treatment." It's not just a medical travel alliance for patients, but a demonstration and appreciation for the staff of the hospital, as a team that all of them working together makes sure the patients get the best possible care, she noted.

We are hoping for more hospitals in Sri Lanka to be included into MTQUA," she added.