Message from President

The Global Healthcare Travel Council was founded 11 years ago. Since then, huge steps have been taken to develop and promote the industry. We have a history of great achievements behind us, with dozens of countries coming together under the same umbrella and hundreds of productive meetings, and a future full of challenges that we have to adapt to the context and turn into opportunities.

The emerging digital future and the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be serious competition for professionals. We need to take advantage of the opportunities they offer – improving accessibility and making it easier for international patients to connect to healthcare services, optimizing diagnostic and treatment processes – and be prepared to face any potential challenges – diagnostic errors or the ‘dehumanization’ of care by reducing patient-doctor contact.

International unity in the field of medical tourism should not just be an aspiration, but a reality to be built together – all GHTC member countries. Through strengthened partnerships, sharing knowledge and experience, we will continue to raise standards in national and international medical tourism and ensure that patients around the world receive the best medical care and assistance.

The medical tourism industry, both nationally and globally, is now enjoying remarkable success. And the option for patients to choose to go to a different country than the one they live in to receive specific, high-quality and affordable treatment is becoming increasingly popular.

In this respect, the Republic of Moldova is ready to assume its role as a key centre in the global medical tourism network. We aim to become a bridge between East and West, offering high quality medical services – especially in the fields of dentistry, in vitro fertilization, cardiology and plastic surgery, affordable prices and treatment conditions tailored to the needs of patients around the world. We are proud and well known for our natural tourist attractions, historical monuments, architectural masterpieces, monasteries, Guinness Book listed wineries and gold award-winning wines from worldwide competitions.

Moreover, major investments in infrastructure and education have led to the international accreditation of Moldovan universities, thus facilitating the attraction of large numbers of foreign students. The University of Medicine and Pharmacy   ”Nicolae Testemițanu” hosts students from 41 countries around the world studying in English, French, Russian and Romanian.

In our two years of mandate, we stand on three pillars: expansion, innovation and accessibility. We aim to build a global medical tourism ecosystem that is inclusive, ethical and sustainable. We are committed to promoting the latest technologies and treatment methods, supporting research and development, removing barriers to equal access to medical tourism services. We will encourage collaboration between our 56 member countries, between institutions and specialists – to share knowledge, experience and best practice in the field of medical tourism. We will promote practices that respect the environment and local communities. Medical tourism must be an engine for sustainable development, bringing economic benefits to host countries.

If I had to reduce all the above to one word it would be – excellence! This is what we will focus on during our term as President of GHTC. Together, we can develop and shape a bright future of global medical tourism.

I wish you health, perseverance and peace, 

Dr. Natalia Ciobanu

President