The Dominican Republic Occupies Fifth Position on List of Top Medical Tourism Destinations in Latin America

Santo Domingo, September 7, 2018 – The Dominican Republic currently appears on the fifth position among regional countries that have an active tourism industry, says the first study on Competitiveness in the Health Tourism Industry sponsored by the National Council on Competitiveness. The information was revealed by Council Director Rafael Paz during the IV Congress on Tourism and Well-Being, organized by the Dominican Association of Health Tourism.

The data presented indicates that between 30 and 35,000 international patients visited the country in 2017 looking for medical assistance. The average spent by patients is approximately US$5,000. The study also revealed that 75% of those patients pay in cash for the services received. This new tendency brings more than nine million Europeans who spent approximately seventy-five million Euros annually. This trend should jump up to 90% by 2020.

The average hospital that offers medical tourism facilities has an average of 230 beds, with 85% of occupation, 16 beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for adults, and nine for newborns. There is a 74% occupation rate. The great health centers have recovery and rehabilitation beds which go from 7 to 24, with a high rotation rate. Also four centers have between three and five operating rooms, while two of these centers have 13 and 21 beds.

The study reveals that 92% of the individuals surveyed who have traveled to the Dominican Republic to receive some kind of medical treatment indicated that they have recommended the country to others, while 75% said that the services they received in the country were “excellent.” The same survey that worldwide the D.R. came in 15th on the medical tourism list, competing with Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia.

Rafael Paz highlighted that in order for the Dominican Republic to reach the President’s goal of receiving 10 million tourists by the year 2020, more must be done to transform the country’s tourism offer emphasizing the health and medical sectors.

During the event, the president of the Dominican Health Tourism Association, Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso announced that the survey carried out by the Competitiveness Council, is the most important executed to date by a government entity.

Dr. Cambiaso also called for the continued improvement of the national health sector. “We must innovate, reinvent and diversify our services and export offers, while taking into account the strategies needed to reach our maximum potential for the nation.”
Paz also highlighted the country’s strategic geographic location, excellent airline connections, airports, macroeconomic stability, qualified medical centers featuring cutting edge technology and qualified specialists in various medical fields.

He also stated that the country’s health tourism initiatives are a solid sign of the capacity the country has to overcome its own limitations. “Let’s bet on this industry. Let’s work together, government, private sector and medical societies so that this industry can also become part of our country brand.”

In his keynote remarks, Rafael Paz also mentioned that the challenges the country must face are the following: training of medical and tourism personnel on the importance of this specialized sector; improve the capacity of the technical personnel and improve and regulate the participating hospitals.

The survey also reveals that the most important health services provided by the country are dental treatments, aesthetic, orthopedic, cardiovascular, bariatric surgeries, as well as oncological, urological and physical therapy treatments.

At the same time, it reveals that it was carried out as a joint effort between the Dominican Association of Health Tourism and the National Competitive Council. The goal was to compare the different health tourism destinations, and features in-depth interviews with public and private sector personalities. The survey was carried out by the consulting firm Russa García y Asociados SRL.

The opening of the IV Congress on Health Tourism was held in Santo Domingo’s Renaissance Jaragua Hotel with the participation of representatives from the health tourism sector, hospital executives, financial companies, health, tourism, transportation, education and investment sectors, as well as national and international invited guests.