{"id":19594,"date":"2024-12-12T12:21:34","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T12:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/?p=19594"},"modified":"2024-12-12T12:21:34","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T12:21:34","slug":"health-tourists-are-coming-to-moldova-and-the-world-is-noticing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/?p=19594","title":{"rendered":"Health tourists are coming to Moldova, and the world is noticing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The most extensive dental lab, better fertility treatment, and California-credited medical studies\u2014Moldova is playing big in the health sector. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twelve years ago, a young Moldovan graduate, Vadim Vetril\u0103, was handing out fliers in Venice. \u201cCome and fix your teeth in Moldova!\u201d he would urge passers-by. \u201cMoldova?\u201d Italians asked him, puzzled. \u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before Vetril\u0103 started studying dentistry, all his family left Moldova to work in Italy. It became Vadim\u2019s mission to show them that Moldova, too, could be a place to dream. \u201cEveryone told me it won\u2019t work,\u201d Vadim recalled those early days: \u201cWhy do you waste money on fliers? Better buy a new car,\u201d they said. He knew he had to start with putting his country on a map first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He dreamed of building the biggest dental clinic in Moldova, bringing in patients from around the world. Vadim already saw what many couldn\u2019t envision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back then, people may not have known much about Moldova and it\u2019s dental clinics, but now, over 70 per cent of Moldovan dental patients are foreigners, mainly from Italy, France, and the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Moldova?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Today, Moldova is internationally recognised as a health tourism destination, and the sector is growing rapidly. In 2022, medical tourism contributed almost 50 million euros to the economy, and in 2024, a 30 per cent increase is expected. Moldova\u2019s ambition is also seen on the global stage.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incredibly, for such a new player in the field, Moldova was already recognised and selected to lead the Global Healthcare Travel Council<\/a> (GHTC) for two years. Moldova competed with Germany and Saudi Arabia<\/a> for the presidency and won. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMoldova has good prices and visa-free travel for many countries,\u201d Natalia Ciobanu, a president of the Medical Tourism Association of Moldova and president of GHTC, proudly said in her Chisinau office. Medical education is of high quality, too, she pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dental school at the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy Nicolae Testemitanu, was granted full approval by the Dental Board of California in 2018, becoming the first such English-language dental school outside the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides fixing their teeth, foreigners also fly over for fertility, spa treatments or plastic surgery. Moldovan fertility doctors\u2019 success rate exceeds 40 per cent, higher than the average European, according to the Medical Tourism Association of Moldova. Popular surgeries include breast surgery and facelifts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ciobanu wants to grow medical tourism into one of the biggest industries in Moldova. Economically, it makes sense. \u201cAn average tourist visiting Moldova would spend around 2,000 euros while someone coming to fix their teeth would spend 10,000 euros,\u201d she explained. The economic benefits for the country are clear, in her view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September, the first Medical Tourism Exhibition was held in Chisinau. Next year, the Global Healthcare Travel Forum will occur here, and 56 countries will be represented. Chisinau will be filled with medical experts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Facts about Moldova\u2019s medical tourism:<\/h5>\n\n\n\n