In Vitebsk, it is planned to establish medical travel agency, which will be involved in organizing invitations, placement and treatment of foreign patients. The need for such an institution appeared because of constantly increasing number of foreign citizens, who wish to undergo treatment in clinics located in the area of Dvina river, the head of public health department of Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Yuri Derkach, explained.
From early 2010, due to export of services, medical institutions have already earned about 500 million rubles, what is 170% compared to last year. By the end of the year, they plan to get more than 1.3 billion rubles, Respublika informs.
At present, there is a great foreigners’ demand on experience of Belarusian surgery, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, proctology, gynecology and other spheres. The doctors of Vitebsk maternity hospital № 1 assisted in two childbirths of foreign patients, about a dozen of pregnant Russian women from Pskov region are being observed there this time. «Today, Vitebsk region attracts the citizens of Russia and the Baltic countries by closeness of location and high quality of medical care», the head of public health of the region noted.
For foreign citizens the childbirth, stay in the ward and medication costs rather inexpensive — about 1.5 million rubles. But, according to Yuri Derkach, at the cost of this money they can improve therapeutic base of the region.
Since the beginning of the year, regional hospital doctors have already earned about 50 million rubles by providing export medical services. In the hospital there were treated the citizens of former Soviet republics — Russia, Ukraine, Latvia — as well as Pakistan, Ghana, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Poland, USA, China and other countries.
Export of travel services is increasing in Belarus
Export of travel services is growing steadily in Belarus in general. Over five months of 2010 it grew by 38.4% compared to the same period of last year and reached 44.8 million dollars. «Belarusian travel industry is becoming more competitive in pricing every year», the director of the tourism department of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, Viktor Yankovenko, said.
According to the official, export of travel services has increased largely due to the sale of tourist vouchers to foreigners (an increase of 5.8 million dollars), as well as hotel services, not included in tours (by 4.7 million dollars), BelTA informs.
However, due to an increase in the number of business trips abroad, import of travel services has also increased — by 42.8% to 3.5 million dollars. Thus, in the field of travel services there formed a positive balance of 31.4 million dollars (growth by 36.7%).
