Healing and History: Why Egypt is the New Frontier of Medical Tourism
Updated 5/7/2024 8:00:00 AM
For centuries, Egypt has captivated travelers with its rich history, awe-inspiring pyramids, and vibrant culture. Today, this captivating nation is attracting a new kind of visitor, the medical tourist.
Beyond the allure of ancient wonders, Egypt is rapidly emerging as a promising destination for medical tourism. It offers a compelling blend of affordability, renowned expertise, and a unique cultural experience.
This is because Egypt has competitive costs, renowned medical professionals, and the opportunity to combine medical treatment with an unforgettable historical and cultural immersion. Not to mention, it has niche specializations in specific treatments, including hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy.
Beyond Affordability: Egypt's Allure in Medical Tourism
Medical tourism has become an important type of tourism across the globe. Nirmeen El Sayyad, UN Women Project Manager at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and an economic expert, tells Arab Finance: “Wellness tourism has been a growing trend in recent years, and it is expected to continue its upward trajectory in 2024.”
“As people prioritize their health and well-being, they seek travel experiences that focus on relaxation, rejuvenation, and self-care,” El Sayyad elaborates.
Having more than just affordable healthcare services, Egypt has become a haven for medical tourists looking for a seamless blend of high-quality medical services, world-class facilities, and renowned doctors. This unique combination, coupled with captivating tourist attractions, offers a holistic experience for patients seeking recovery and rejuvenation, according to an article published by Upmedix in April 2024.
This comes as Egypt provides competitive treatment prices. In this regard, El Sayyad notes that “wellness and medical tourism are shifting from traditional countries providing these services, such as Latin America and Thailand, to other countries that are less expensive.”
“Egypt could use its relatively cheap accommodation rates to attract some of the international patients, especially with the increasing trend of remote work,” she adds.
Niche Treatments and Natural Wonders
Egypt is an ideal platform for medical tourism, CEO of the Arab Hospitals Federation Alice Yammine Boueiz said during the international medical tourism conference in March 2023. Boueiz highlighted that health tourism represents a tremendous opportunity for economic growth and promoting sustainable development in the Arab region.
Egypt has established a niche in the medical tourism industry, particularly in the treatment of specific conditions, such as psoriasis and physiotherapy.
For instance, Safaga is one of the tourist destinations characterized by several factors that make it the most suitable place in the world for treating psoriasis. It is surrounded by high mountains on all sides, which makes it a natural barrier against winds and sandstorms.
Moreover, laboratory analysis of black sand samples from Safaga has proven they contain three radioactive substances, namely uranium, thorium, and potassium, in harmless proportions at a rate of 40%.
The sand also contains most of the known metallic elements, and is rich with gold salts used in the treatment of rheumatoid disease, chronic and acute arthritis, swelling, and joint effusion, according to the State Information Service (SIS).
Additionally, the Siwa Oasis turns in the summer into a physiotherapy resort and a haven for those wishing to be treated by immersion in sand or sand baths. This is a type of folk treatment for bone diseases, roughness, joint pain, various bone infections, rheumatism, and rheumatoid arthritis.
In September 2023, Egypt was recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first country to achieve "gold tier" status for its remarkable progress towards eliminating HCV. This marks a significant milestone for global health.
In 2017, Egypt started promoting medical HCV treatment as part of a unique initiative, known as Tour n' Cure. Launched in May 2016, this initiative aims to attract medical tourists to Egypt.
These collaborative efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Ministry of Aviation offer Hepatitis C patients access to affordable treatment while vacationing in Egypt, according to a research paper entitled 'Medical Tourism in Egypt: Opportunities and Challenges', published by the AUC Knowledge Fountain in 2018.
Strategies for Growth: Marketing and Digitalization
Egypt can work on boosting the number of medical tourists through planned marketing and word of mouth.
“One of the best tactics for spreading positive experiences in the touristic health domain would be through word of mouth and the spread of real positive experiences of patients who are able to observe positive health impacts and enjoy the touristic scenarios,” El Sayyad explains.
“Transferring these positive experiences through touristic and medical channels would help in spreading awareness towards the existence of such services in Egypt,” she points out.
Within the framework of Egypt's move to revitalize medical tourism, the country is working on establishing a digital platform to provide medical tourism services. This platform is set to make it easier to receive medical care and plan tourist medical stays in Egypt.
With a clear vision to position Egypt as a "major destination on the global medical tourism map," the cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) released ambitious guidelines in early January. These guidelines set a target of attracting 200,000 medical tourists annually, potentially generating up to $1.2 billion in revenue.
This target is expected to impact economic growth in Egypt. Hence, El Sayyad says that “importing foreign patients, a term coined with attracting medical tourism, would contribute to boosting national income, especially in the medical and tourism sectors.”
“Additionally, the training and skill coaching of trained medical experts is encouraged, thereby developing and enhancing the human resources of the medical tourism sector,” she asserted.
Egypt's rich tapestry of history and culture is now being woven with a new thread: medical tourism. By offering a compelling combination of affordability, renowned medical expertise, and a unique cultural experience, Egypt is rapidly emerging as a leader in this dynamic field.
The influx of medical tourists will not only contribute to the nation's economic growth but will also showcase Egypt's commitment to providing high-quality healthcare in a captivating and culturally rich environment.
By Sarah Samir
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