Rating index on the cards for health tourism destinations
The Global Healthcare Travel Council will develop an assessment and rating index system and award health tourism destinations, an official said. Dr Laila Al Marzouqi, director of Medical Tourism Council and president of the Global Healthcare Travel Council, said the assessment and rating index system will be fully developed by a working group led by herself as the president of the council.
She said the award would be administered by the council. The awards will be handed out each year (starting in 2019) during the Dubai International Health Tourism Forum. She also revealed on the last day of the forum yesterday that the Health Bank in partnership with Dubai Health Experience (DXH) launched DXH SmartCare to provide health tourists with a single point of contact for seamless health-care coordination, second medical opinion, flight bookings, visas, accommodation, airport transfers, leisure activities and post-treatment support.
DXH SmartCare — which can be accessed on www.dxh.ae — offers three tiers of membership — Blue being the essential package that offers research and referrals on treatment options for Dh1,100; Silver, at a cost of Dh2,599, and the Gold membership, at a cost of 5,455, both provide journey planning services along with a dedicated account manager, concierge and comprehensive care coordination.
The Global Healthcare Travel Council (GHTC) is the forum of national councils in the health care travel industry. It includes senior executives of some of the world’s leading health-care travel councils and associations, and has a unique mandate and overview on all matters related to health care travel.
Dubai recently won the chairmanship of the Global Healthcare Travel Council as recognition of the emirate’s leading position in the global medial tourism sector, and Dr Laila Al Marzouqi was also elected president of the council.