IHTF’19, Jordan presents a broader outlook in medical tourism - Review by Dr Prem Jagyasi

The article was published in the Arab Hospital Magazine, here is the article for your review. 

The International Healthcare Travel Forum (IHTF’19) held from 26th -28th October in Jordan marked another great event of the MENA medical tourism sector. It was a meticulously planned event organized by the PHA (Private Hospitals Association) in coordination with the Arab Health Foundation and GHTC under the royal patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein.

The forum was aimed at developing coordination among all medical tourism destinations and stakeholders. Extraordinary planning and organizing efforts of Dr. Fauzi Al Hammouri, the Chairman of PHA and the honorary president of GHTC ensured the best level of comfort for every guest. Jordan leads in healthcare tourism in the MENA region for its excellence in healthcare services, affordable treatment costs, and great patient experience. It also holds a significant position in the global medical tourism sector.

The Meet

The forum welcomed more than 700 participants including renowned personalities and professionals of the global medical tourism sector from 48 countries and 38 exhibitors. Of all, the presence of Jordan’s honorable Prime Minister Mr. H.E. Dr.OmarAl Razzaz was of immense significance. His statement on continued support from the government in expanding Jordan’s healthcare tourism was cheered. 

The fascinating 3-day meet witnessed insightful presentations and panel discussions on various development aspects of healthcare tourism development in view of the current and future trends. Dr Prem Jagyasi, the award-winning globally recognized speaker presented the keynote speech on ‘The Future of Global Healthcare’, a relevant subject given the objective of the meet. 

It was encouraging to see leading decision-makers active in information and experience-sharing to uplift healthcare tourism in this region. Special awards were presented to many international dignitaries and Arab ministers.

The exhibition pavilion, inaugurated on the opening day, caught everybody’s attention mainly due to the honorable prime minister’s interest in it. It was a great networking opportunity for the exhibitors from reputed organizations and institutions having a stake in the medical tourism business.

Medical tourism in Jordan

Jordan’s healthcare is founded on high-quality standards. It attracts more than 200,000 patients from 62 countries every year. Each patient is accompanied by one or more than one family member or friend. In every 3 patients treated in the out-patient setting, 1 patient is treated in the in-patient setting. Healthcare tourism in Jordan fetches nearly $1.2 billion in revenue annually contributing 3.7% to the country’s GDP.

Jordan, despite a small country, has great medical achievements to its credit. It is the first country in the Arab region to conduct kidney and cardiac transplant. It is also the first country to conduct laparoscopic surgery, liver and bone marrow transplant and IVF treatment successfully in this region.

Jordan has several JCI accredited hospitals. The King Hussein Medical Center is a well-known center of excellence. The King Hussein Cancer Center is the first center outside the US to achieve JCI accreditation. It is recognized as one of the best cancer treatment centers in the world.

The King Hussein Medical Center is also working on advanced stem cell treatments under the patronization of his Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein. Jordan receives appreciable participation from the public and private sectors in establishing state-of-the-art medical facilities the latest one being the Abdali Medical Center.

The Agenda

IHTF’19 agenda was based on the following:

1. Expansion of Healthcare Travel – Ministerial Summit

2. Healthcare Excellence in Jordan

3. Legislation, Regulations, and Accreditations

4. Implementing the Amman Declaration, The 8 Healthcare Travel Segments

5. Media and Digital Trends in Healthcare

6. Healthcare Marketing and Branding

7. Patient’s Experience

Prominent personalities/professionals from ministries, healthcare institutions, medical tourism facilitators, healthcare companies, travel organizations, print and media persons, wellness and spa service providers and insurance companies shared their opinions from different viewpoints.

The ministerial summit was impressive. The government was intent was clear in expanding healthcare travel to meet the growing demands of healthcare travelers. It focused on expanding the eight segments as adopted in the Amman Declaration a couple of years before. Several investment opportunities were promoted that is sure to bring in quick returns.

Dr Prem on the future of global healthcare

As the keynote speaker, Dr Prem’s speech on the future of global healthcare was very stimulating. The healthcare delivery is witnessing a revolutionary change driven by tech disruptors and cutting-edge treatments. He discussed about the potential of AI, AR/VR, Mobile health, IoT, wearable, genomics, regenerative medicine, immunotherapy, 3D printing technology, precision medicine, blockchain technology and telemedicine in improving treatment outcome and reducing healthcare cost. The audience acknowledged with great applause.

Healthcare excellence in Jordan

It was another important session highly absorbing. A great platform to showcase Jordon’s healthcare excellence and the speakers did it very well. There were discussions on treatment developments in different facilities. Special reference was of excellence in cardiac and cancer treatments. Pain management and palliative care was also featured in the discussions.

Legislation, Regulations, and Accreditations

This session saw some thought-provoking presentations from recognized healthcare tourism personalities. Few case studies were referred that supported the importance of legislation, regulations, and accreditations in healthcare beneficial both for domestic and foreign patients.

Healthcare regulations are stringent in Jordan. The country has well-framed malpractice laws that help in confidence-building among foreign patients. Presentations from the Jordan Medical Association also highlighted its valuable contribution to the growth of this sector.

Implementation of the Amman Declaration

Medical tourism is spreading out its arms. Strategies were discussed to build other sectors of health and wellness in Jordan with special emphasis on spa services, thermal springs and the Dead Sea. Other segments considered for discussion included Dental Tourism, Culinary Tourism, Sports Tourism, Accessible Tourism and Assisted Residential Tourism.

Print media gets reaffirmed

Print or digital media, which is more important? Ms. Mirna Chammas, the Editor of the Arab Hospital Magazine says nobody is the winner. In the dominative era of digital media, information can be quickly accessed through smartphones but print media is tangible and have longer shelf-life, she asserts. Attention span is more; readers get more engaged in print media owing to the featured content written by genuine writers.

Print media is a credible source of information, so lesser chances of fake news which is crucial in healthcare. The only cons - high cost and doesn’t reach fast to consumers. She drew a fair comparison between the print and digital media.

Healthcare digitalization and the role of enterprise resource planning and its effective application in healthcare systems were also given due attention. Dr Prem discussed on Developing Sustainable Healthcare Marketing and Branding for Global Outreach. He also underscored the impact of social media on medical travel.

Organizers did not miss a session on Patient experience, the much talked about subject in today’s global medical tourism. Presenters shared the experiences of Sudanese patients in Jordan that said a lot about Jordan’s care and hospitality.

The 3-day meet provided a great networking platform with meaningful participation from all sides. Such a quality conference helped Jordan present its further potential in healthcare tourism to the world.

About Dr Prem Jagyasi

Dr Prem Jagyasi is a Times award-winning global speaker, publisher, global consultant, and a bestseller author. Dr Prem has been to 65 countries to deliver keynote speeches and conduct focused workshops. As an entrepreneur, he runs Dr Prem and Associates – a boutique consulting and training firm with associates based in 35+ countries. He is also the founder of Dr Prem Web Magazine network – a thriving publication with 50+ websites on life improvement topics, with the patronage of 5 million loyal readers from across the globe. He is an authority in the field of Medical Tourism, Global Healthcare, and Wellness Tourism. Dr Prem also takes great delight in travel photography. More at DrPrem.com