Перспективы развития медицинского туризма в Республике Казахстан

Abstract

Today, the development trends of the leading countries of the world are aimed at creating optimal conditions for improving the quality of life of citizens. Strengthening health, leading an active lifestyle have become a trend in modern society. Every year the number of people striving to maintain good physical shape and, if necessary, receive quality medical care in a timely manner, is growing. Kazakhstan, whose goal is to enter the thirty advanced countries of the world, is also heading for the transition to a socially oriented type of economic development. The development of infrastructure for recreation and tourism in the country will contribute to the creation of conditions for increasing efficiency, maintaining and strengthening the health of citizens. In addition, the country has significant potential for the development of medical tourism, including health tourism, due to the presence of a modern medical cluster in Nur-Sultan, which provides high-tech medical services, a developed network of modern medical clinics, dental, cosmetic and IVF centers. Nevertheless, there are a number of systemic problems in domestic medical tourism that require complex solutions. One of the main reasons for the slow development of this area is the lack of a single coordination center, whose functional responsibilities include the development of conceptual documents, the introduction of statistical accounting for medical tourists and medical visas, the development of a single national brand, the promotion of Kazakhstani medical tourism abroad, etc. Also, insufficient organization of the system of commission payments between market participants, lack of flexible pricing, low level of patient care and knowledge of the english language of medical personnel negatively affects the development of medical tourism in the country. At the same time, the undeveloped infrastructure and material and technical base of medical and sanatoriumresort organizations are another reason that hinders the advancement of this direction. During the analytical study, 3 policy options were proposed: 1. Creation of a single coordination center for the development of medical tourism; 2. Improving the condition for medical tourists; 3. Development of the infrastructure of medical organizations. Each of the above policy options will contribute to the development of medical tourism in Kazakhstan. However, to achieve the best results, an integrated implementation is necessary, as the policies are interconnected.