Medical tourism in our country has a real opportunity to develop at a very high level. The main advantage is that Bulgaria is competitive in terms of price/quality from a number of other European countries. However, the problem with the frames is also a problem here. “Very few hospitals in Bulgaria have trained personnel who know how to serve the patient,” said Siika Katsarova, president of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and Spa Tourism (BSBSPA) and vice president of the European Spa Association in an interview with FACTS.
Dr. Katsarova, what are the major challenges facing the development of medical tourism in Bulgaria?
At the moment, how Bulgaria should begin to position itself as a competitive destination offering quality year-round medical tourism is realized at the level of individual investors. For example, on the territory of the resort “Saints Constantine and Helena” has a world-class dental clinic, which manages to attract patients year-round with its own campaigns who need services related to balneology, SPA tourism. They stay in the resort, in Varna, as well as in other places in the region, which in principle would have to close if these patients were not there.
In practice, the challenges before us are the two leading ministries – of health and tourism, to create a working group of experts to draw up the plan based on our vision of how this should happen.
I will say quite immodestly that the Union of Balneology and SPA is the basis for Bulgaria to have legislation in the field of balneo and SPA tourism, because already in 2009. we were supported by the European SPA Association, then we started to create the standards in balneo, SPA and wellness tourism and in 2016. Ordinance 4 was adopted, which determines who can use the name SPA, balneo and wellness, and also thanks to this ordinance, the minimum requirements that the investor must follow were defined. And from now on, having regulations in the sector, the Ministry of Tourism started to make information campaigns, together with business, to advertise Bulgaria as a quality destination for SPA tourism.
And now the time has come for medical tourism. Sofia has unique opportunities, wonderful hospitals. Also, medical universities in our country attract students from all over Europe who study medicine and dentistry. In terms of quality/price, we are very competitive against the background of Europe. I believe that this would contribute to an increase in income from the tourist tax for the municipality.
It is very important that this expert group includes people who know what they are doing. I myself wrote a dissertation on this topic at the "Varna" Medical University.
Bulgaria is the only country that does not advertise at all, we have not even started working on the topic of “medical tourism” at the country level.
How is the staffing issue?
In medical tourism, a major factor is whether hospitals have trained staff who speak languages. Concerns were expressed at the meeting that many hospitals are not prepared to serve foreign patients because service is a function of tourism. Very few hospitals in Bulgaria have trained personnel who know how to serve the patient.
One Turkey for example, you enter a hospital and people start from the door to serve you because the patient comes in pain. We work piecemeal.
You gave Varna as an example. What is the situation with other big cities?
I don't know hospitals everywhere. This summer I was able to visit a newly opened hospital in Burgas. Where there is good medicine that is accessible to international patients, and accessibility means having linguistically prepared staff. In medicine, you cannot understand each other with gestures, as for example at a block table, where you can show the tourist where the coffee is. In medicine, there must be trained personnel at the entrance to hospitals, namely where the first contact of the patient with a client, with the hospital, there must be linguistically trained people. Also, in countries like Germany for example, they have international departments that deal with foreign patients. There is a man with a language prepared for every market. And we will get there, but it is important to start somewhere.
Are you planning to negotiate with tour operators to attract patients from other countries?
Tour operators will be the first to jump at selling such a travel package. We already have such colleagues who work in this field.
The main problem is that Bulgaria has no image. There is a special medical corner at every exhibition. It is where hospitals, clinics, therapy centers advertise themselves. We are gone.
That is why, as a first step, it is important to include tourism in its advertising campaigns, but it will do so as a result of the decision of the working group and the Ministry of Health which directions we will come out with. Before we decide to show ourselves, we have to decide what we are going to show and how we are going to show it. The working group, standards, decisions by the Ministry of Health with the hospital association which fields of medicine can put Bulgaria on this map, because we cannot start with everything. If, for example, we decide to start with a medical treatment that is covered by their funds all over Europe and is good and people don't wait, then there is no point for us to deal with this thing.
I give again the example of Turkey – hair transplantation is their calling card. The Hungarians started with dentistry.
With which segment of medicine can we begin to develop medical tourism?
Let's leave that answer to the task force. I can't say. The working group will decide it. I myself have expertise in this area. By gathering 20-30 people who know what we are doing and want something to happen, because our organization is not one of those associations that are created to absorb some money. We were established in 2006. to do useful work, both for the business of those involved in this process and for the state, because we are a partner. Our NGO is a partner of both the state and municipalities, and we make the connection with the university environment.