The organizers of the 6th International Congress on Health and Wellness Tourism announced the details of the event’s agenda, which will be held on November 1 and 2, 2023, at the JW Marriot Hotel in the capital.
Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, president of the Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS), and Amelia Reyes Mora, president of AF Comunicación Estratégica, informed that the event will feature more than 40 exhibitors and is the main medical tourism scenario in Central America and the Caribbean.
They added that Dr. Daniel Rivera, Minister of Public Health, will offer the opening remarks.
They indicated that two keynote speeches will be given by the Minister of Tourism, David Collado, with the title Innovative Strategies for the positioning of a destination, given the successful experience of the Dominican tourism sector during the pandemic.
Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso will also present the results of the second Health Tourism Study and Diagnosis.
Different panel discussions will address the following topics: Opportunities for Latin America as a Hub for health tourism, moderated by Dr. Javier Potes, general manager of the Mexican Hospital Consortium; and Challenges for training and attracting human capital in the health and tourism sectors, moderated by Amelia Reyes Mora, president-vice president of AF Comunicación Estratégica and the Dominican Association of Health Tourism (ADTS).
Likewise, How new technologies drive the health sector, with Fedor Vidal, CEO of Arium Salud Digital, as moderator.
Also, Panel on Tourism and Health, a binomial to boost the economy and sustainable development, with Javier Tejada, president of United Capital, as moderator and including as panelists Samuel Pereyra, general administrator of Banreservas; Steven Puig, president of Banco BHD; René Grullón, senior executive vice president of Banco Popular Dominicano; and Felipe Amador, CEO of Advanced Capital Group.
Other topics will be How to innovate and improve the patient experience in the healthcare and medical tourism sector, moderated by Dr. Rodolfo Núñez Musa, medical director Caribbean Health TPA; and Local regulations and international accreditations, moderated by Bill Cook, director of business development and marketing at Global Healthcare Accreditation.
New opportunities for wellness and retirement tourism will be discussed, with the participation as moderator of David Llibre, president of ASONAHORES; as well as the Dominican healthcare offer to the world, moderated by Dr. Arnaldo Espaillat, medical director of the Espaillat Cabral Institute.
Other prominent panelists include Dr. Jose Natalio Redondo, president of Grupo Rescue; Dr. Hector Sanchez Navarro, deputy general director of the Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago and director of Meta íntegra; and Dr. Sergio Guzman, president of the Dominican Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.
Also present were Dr. Virginia Laureano, president of the Dominican College of Dentists; Carlos Prato, president of IMG Hospital; Dr. José López, medical vice-president of the Central Romana Medical Center; and Odil Camilo, rector of UNIBE.
Also present will be Dr. Eddy Pérez-Then, director of the O&M School of Medicine; and José David Montilla, vice-minister of Digital Agenda; Víctor Rojas, executive vice-president of Seguros Reservas; Lorenzo Ramírez, general director of INDOCAL; Joaquín Toribio, CEO of MacroTech; Dr. Juan Gerardo Mesa, director of Habilitation and Accreditation of the Ministry of Health; Laura Porcella, ambassador for LATAM of the Hospital for Special Surgery, among others.
From the tourism sector will be Rafael Blanco Canto, advisor to the Ministry of Tourism; Yudit Rodríguez, president of the Santo Domingo Hotel Association; and Flavio Acuña, vice-president of the Ibero-American Association of Wellness Tourism, delegate of the American SPA Association.
Other speakers include Dr. Rafael Lantigua, deputy dean of Columbia University and medical specialist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital; and Dr. Roosevelt Fajardo Gómez, head of Continuing Medical Education at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá.
The event will include the participation of renowned international experts Elizabeth Ziemba, from Temos International; Theodoro Constantinau, general manager of The Panama Clinic; Maria Fernanda Valencia Gamba, director of the International Office of Colombia, Imbanaco Clinic and Quironsalud Group; Mario Lopez Salguero, president of the Health Tourism Cluster of Guatemala; and Antonio Acosta-Rua, representative for Latin America of the ACHC International Accreditation.
Reyes and Dr. Cambiaso informed that it will be a meeting of multi-sector leaders focused on innovation, investment, education, sustainable tourism, local and international public-private synergies and the development of business and projects.
They said it is the main scenario for medical tourism in Central America and the Caribbean, and constitutes a meeting of multi-sector leaders focused on innovation, education, local and international public-private synergies and business and project development.
They commented that it seeks to highlight the country’s competitive advantages as a tourism leader in the region.
In its two recent editions, the event has attracted more than 800 participants and around 70 local exhibitors from Canada, Costa Rica, the United States, India, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, Spain, Colombia and the Caribbean islands, as well as more than 110 sponsors.
Source: Mitur.gob.do
