Medical tourism in Croatia

Medical Group has contracted Knowledge Network to produce a feasibility study on developing the first centre for medical tourism in Croatia. The Centre is to provide health, education and hospitality services at a convenient urban location on the Dalmatian coast (less than one-hour drive from Split and Zadar international airports). It will consist of medical facilities and an accompanying 4-star hotel with spa and wellness facilities.

The project is to be developed through two modules – medical facilities (special hospital) and hotel facilities. Medical services to be provided within a special hospital will include dentistry, physical medicine, surgery, cosmetic surgery and diagnostics. The hotel will provide accommodation for tourists and patients, conferences spa and wellness centre and leasable area for shops, pharmacy etc.

Medical Group is a Croatian firm that believes the country has excellent medical professionals and many attractive tourist destinations, so sees an opportunity in promoting and developing medical tourism in Croatia. It wants to attract patients and their families from all around the world by providing high quality medical services.

The centre will be located in the city of Vodice, one of the most popular destinations in the Dalmatian coast. Vodice has a Mediterranean climate, exceptional natural beauty and good traffic connections with the rest of the country.

Medical Group has also founded a Croatian association for the development of the medical tourism. The association is for existing providers of medical tourism services and those who are planning to do so. Main objectives are the development of medical tourism in Croatia, promotion of the association members in domestic and foreign markets and promotion of the need for medical tourism development in Croatia.

The association is to promote services, connect all parties involved in the distribution chain (service providers, agents and hoteliers and transporters) and provide support in approach to foreign patients and development of medical tourism services standard.

The association plans to be a business excellence centre that gathers medical and tourism experts. The idea is to facilitate knowledge and experience exchange between its members and organise conferences, symposiums, discussions and other gatherings.

The two driving forces behind the new association and the centre are Dr Iljenko Bura, a surgeon at KBC Zagreb hospital and Goran Nedoklan, founder of the Matell Dental Centre in Vodice, and a pioneer of medical tourism in Croatia.