Medical Tourism Association® to Host Certification Workshop in Latvia

RIGA, Latvia - April 24, 2015 - PRLog -- Hospital administrators, insurance and human resource professionals and related travel and tourism interests can gain education and training leading toward medical tourism certification at a day-long Medical Tourism Association (http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/en/index.html)® workshop hosted by the Wellton Elefant Hotel, Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Riga, Latvia.

Participants who complete the workshop will be eligible to take the Certified Medical Tourism Professional™ exam, which upon passage, communicates a specialized expertise and commitment to best practices recognized by healthcare providers, insurance entities, government agencies and tourism and travel facilitators worldwide.

Early detection is critical in any health condition, but, perhaps, even more importantly, is the awareness of what services are offered and the know-how to get medical tourism patients to-and-from these sometimes life-threatening procedures and treatments, said Renée-Marie Stephano, President of the Medical Tourism Association® (http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/en/index.html).

“Nations along the Baltic sea are embracing medical tourism in an effort to lure western Europeans and Americans for procedures and treatments,” said Renée-Marie Stephano (http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com/renee-marie-stephan...), President of the Medical Tourism Association®. “The idea is that training the region’s surgeons, dentists, nurses and other specialists in the protocols that heighten the medical tourism patient experience will not only influence healthcare consumers from across the globe to visit Latvia and other nearby Eastern European countries, but help reverse a flow of skilled health workers to private-sector offerings in the West.”

Medical research in Latvia has shed light on new methods including virotherapy for treating cancer. Stephano said as these and other breakthroughs gain worldwide acceptance, training and certification becomes that much more essential for industry stakeholders – medical tourism facilitators, doctors and hospital staff, and the hospitality and tourism interests -- who can sometimes make or break a positive medical travel experience.

Topics under discussion at the workshop, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., include:

·         Medical tourism industry;

·         Medical tourism facilitator;

·         Patient experience;

·         Marketing;

·         Incorporating technology into your medical tourism business.

To register, go to: http://live.medicaltourismcertification.com/latvia-cmtp/

Olafs Slūtiņš, president of Latvian Medical Export Association, said medical tourism to Latvia is a new initiative targeted to fuel the local economy. He said Latvian Medical Export, a non-profit association of hospitals, clinics, medical travel facilitators and related interests, was established to promote procedures and treatments available in Latvia to worldwide markets. So far, most patients have traveled from Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

"People chose Latvia because because they want medical services at affordable prices," said Slūtiņš. "While Latvia is fortunate to have highly skilled doctors, these same healthcare professionals are not as adept at promoting their expertise. A workshop in medical tourism, can fill in the gaps and create an atmosphere that is beneficial to Latvia and international patients across the globe."

About Medical Tourism Association®
The Medical Tourism Association® is the first membership-based international nonprofit trade organization for the medical tourism and healthcare industry made up of top international hospitals, healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators, insurance companies, and other affiliates committed to promoting the highest level of quality healthcare to patients in a global environment. www.MedicalTourismAssociation.com