BEIJING: Li Dinggang, executive president of medicine of Beijing Lu Daopei Hematology Hospital has said that there will be further developments in Pak-China medical treatment cooperation if China starts to improve its medical tourism system.
Li Dinggang who has been to Pakistan a few times for medical seminars with Pakistani doctors and consultations with patients said that nowadays, the worldwide international medical tourism industry has formed an over-USD 700-billion market, and China’s medical tourism industry is still a blank. Few people in China pay attention to medical tourism. Some hospitals in China, like Peking Union Medical College Hospital and China-Japan Friendship Hospital, can provide international medical services, but they are not medical tourism hospitals, Li Dinggang told. nHe said that the development of medical tourism requires a large number of experts who understand all levels of the industry, including medical experts and technical personnel and teams with practical experience. Supporting laws are also required to finally build a system. Many countries provide medical tourist visas. The particularity of this type of visa is that the validity period is as long as 5 to 10 years, in order to make it convenient for long-term treatment, Li Dinggang added. “There is a big demand for Pakistan and China to promote medical tourism. People now have challenges to go to China for medical treatment,” said Dr.Mobashir Ahmed Bhatti, member of Pakistan National Commission for Human Development. – Agencies
