P.R.’s medical tourism sector nabs int’l award
Francisco G. Bonet, executive director of the Puerto Rico Medical Tourism Corporation.
Puerto Rico’s medical tourism recently nabbed the international spotlight, winning the 2016 Global Accreditation Destination of the Year Award from Medical Tourism Association (MTA) at the 9th World Medical Tourism Congress held in Washington DC last week.
“We’re honored with this recognition from one of the most important organizations in the medical tourism industry worldwide as the destination with the highest number of health care providers that have been certified under the rigorous standards of quality and service MTA requires,” said Francisco G. Bonet, executive director of the Puerto Rico Medical Tourism Corporation.
“Currently, we have certified more than 50 health services companies such as hospitals, dentists, laboratories, clinics, hotels and others sectors,” Bonet said, on behalf of the organization known as CTM for its initials in Spanish.
“This is the result of all the efforts we have done as a destination and the progress made in the development of medical tourism in Puerto Rico internationally,” he said.
For the third consecutive year, the CTM participated in the World Medical Tourism Congress — this year as one of the main sponsors of the event, which allowed having more exposure before thousands of participants and potential new customers and investors.
Also, as part of the agenda, the CTM had the opportunity to present the advantages that Puerto Rico offers as optimal destination in this health service market in different forums and private meetings with insurance companies, self insured companies and facilitators.
Many of those meetings are already yielding positive results with negotiations that have been completed and are generating interest starting locally, representing potential new business and continued growth for the island’s medical tourism sector, Bonet said.
Puerto Rico was represented by a strong delegation including government officials and private companies in the health sector, including: Hospital Auxilio Mutuo, Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico, Dietrich Dental, Ashford Dental, Dental Mega Center, Vista Ophthalmic Ambulatory Center, CBF Pediatrics, Dr. Carmen Baez and Sheraton hotels County Convention Center and Vanderbilt.
“This year we incorporate creative elements and the latest technology in our booth, such as virtual tours, which allow seeing the installations from different suppliers in 360 format, which certainly caught the attention of many visitors to the booth. This made it easier for them to appreciate the quality of our certified suppliers’ first-rate facilities and equipment,” said Bonet.
“We continue to advance greatly in the medical tourism industry, identifying various means to position us as leaders in the market,” Bonet said. “This has been thanks to the support and commitment of the private sector to promote the island as the main destination for medical tourism in the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.”
