The Secretary of State for Economic Diversification, Josep Maria Missé, indicated that medical tourism initiative fits perfectly into the action plan promoted by Actua, and the last Board of ADI actually described the best medical tourism strategy. Missé said one of the priorities is to work on a platform that enables an integrated marketing offer for medical tourism. Therefore, he welcomed the private sector as being an example within the Actua program, willing to expand such implications to other clusters.
Dr. Francisco López-Gil of DermAndTek and Sergi Valls, of VallmedicVision presented the medical tourism initiative already including the participation of eleven companies.
The promoters of the medical cluster initiative explained that his project was born as a result of the Government’s interest to promote health tourism, but also by their own desire to reach customers outside the country and transform Andorra as a medical tourism destination.
Thus, they pointed out the requirements to join the medical tourism initiative: quality of facilities and equipment, the proficiency of professionals working in, medical specialists, own certificates of reference centers , have good availability so customers can access without long waiting lists, and combine services to tourist offers that might be attractive for customers.
The cluster’s next steps will involve actors related to health and expand the specialties provided within medical tourism including cardiovascular medicine, sports medicine, gynecology, traumatology and oncology.
In addition, a family branding is to be created in order to concentrate all the actors and work in attractive tourist packages that include medical, hotel and wellness offers that should be integrated on the Andorra Turisme website.
During the meeting, the Director of Andorra Desenvolupament i Inversió, Imma Jiménez, presented to the fifty attendees the Actua strategy for the coming years, focusing on helping entrepreneurs to develop their projects.
Andorra Telecom also introduced its marketed products such as e-Health and e-Home where people with a degree of disability and dependence can live alone in their homes, being connected with their families through a geo locator and a bracelet.
In addition, the Secretary of State for Economic Diversification, Josep Maria Missé, and the Director of ADI, Inma Jimenez presented on Wednesday afternoon the Actua program, the health cluster and the potential of cooperation in this field before a French delegation visiting Andorra. The meeting was also attended by the ambassador of Andorra to France, Cristina Rodriguez, and the French delegation was headed by Ambassador of France, Ginette de Matha, and the prefect of Ariège, Marie Lajus.
