Praised as a huge success by participants, the Medical Tourism Association® recently concluded the World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress in Boao, China held June 28-30th in Boao, Hainan province, China.
Co-organized by the MTA in partnership with the Hainan government and Beijing Great-Idea Business Resources Company Ltd., WMTC-2016 Boao, China hosted over 600 top-tier attendees from China and across the globe for three days of intense networking meetings and educational sessions.
The MTA’s objective during the conference was twofold:
- To connect international hospitals with Chinese medical tourism facilitators who are currently sending 60,000 plus Chinese patients to the U.S., Europe and Asia for a wide variety of medical services. These include cancer treatments, cardiology, organ transplants, fertility treatments, pediatric treatments, comprehensive health- check-ups and anti-aging therapies.
- To provide elite international organizations with access to governments, healthcare, hospitality
and potential partners to develop strategic business relationships and exchanges that allow them to grow their presence in the China healthcare market and ultimately improve healthcare quality in China.
International hospitals at the conference had the opportunity to meet with top Chinese facilitators including Beijing Saint Lucia Consulting, Shanghai Medical Tourism Products & Promotion Platform, and Medebound, among many others, and develop relationships with the goal of increasing patient referrals from China.
According to Dr. Richard Taylor of Kalispell Regional Healthcare, “ this conference was very beneficial for our organization and helped us build relationships and connections with key individuals both in China and with other countries that were present. The conference was professionally presented and provided a valuable foundation for our international medical tourism program.”
A primary focus of the event was on the Boao Lecheng Medical Travel Pilot Zone, which is currently under development. With over 7 billion USD in total investment, the Hainan Government is seeking to attract international partnerships and collaborations to create a world-class Healthcare City.
The government and private sector are also building and investing billions of dollars in some of the largest healthcare projects in the world and looking to the west particularly the U.S. and Europe, to help develop their healthcare infrastructure, improve healthcare quality and provide expertise in operations management and branding.
Randy Sides, Chairman of JHS Architecture explained, “ The recent 2016 World Medical Tourism Conference held in Boao, China provided us with the unique opportunity to build relationships with Chinese developers and to meet other participants from other international destinations that are potential healthcare and hospitality clients.
Traveling with the Medical Tourism Association® establishes JHS Architecture’s credibility to do business globally within the Healthcare and Hospitality Industry. This event was informative and worthwhile and definitely broadened our worldwide connections.”
Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of the Medical Tourism Association®, stated, “It is critical, now more than ever, to invest in the key areas that can accelerate the development of the China healthcare market. Healthcare reform and increased healthcare spending have created a unique window of opportunity for savvy business leaders to enter this market and seize the benefits of first-mover advantage.
Our association has taken on the role of intermediary; identifying opportunities, facilitating relationships, helping to secure agreements, and ultimately providing guidance throughout the process to ensure successful partnerships.”
International attendees hosted by the MTA included representatives from the Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Indiana University Health, JHS Architecture, Deloitte, Jones Day, Kalispell Regional Healthcare, the Croatian Chamber of Economy, and the government of Hungary, while China’s government and private sectors were represented by over 400 delegates including senior government officials, premier Chinese hospital groups involved in building massive healthcare city projects, real estate developers, facilitators and some of China’s largest investment groups. Among the many distinguished Chinese delegates present.
It is worth mentioning high profile names such as Mao Chaofeng, vice governor of Hainan, Zhang Fenglou, former president of the China Ministry of Health, Wang Zhong, vice president of the China Healthcare Association, Tao Zhou, CEO of Luneng Group Commerce and Tourism Management Co., James Jiang, CEO of First Investment Group, Jackey Qi, CEO of Hainan Zhangjiang Green Hi-Tech Industry Co., Peng Yan, Vice President of Beijing Golden-care Capital Management Co., and James CAI, CEO of Beijing Saint Lucia Consulting.
WMTC-2016 Boao, China offered international delegates numerous opportunities for one-on-one networking with Chinese decision-makers and other international attendees via a B2B networking room – open throughout the event, invitation-only VIP banquets and round table luncheons.
Both speakers and attendees were eager to share their views on the success of the event. According to Tao Zhou, CEO of Luneng Group Hotel Management Co., “It was a great experience for Luneng to attend the World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress in Boao, China.
WMTC provides an excellent platform for organizations like Luneng, which are actively looking for idea exchanges and partnerships in the areas of medical tourism and healthcare. Luneng is a leading developer of commercial and tourism real estate in China.
Through WMTC-Boao, China, we not only made some great initial contacts, but we also learned a lot about the latest industry trends. Our company intends to collaborate further with the MTA. We look forward to meeting with all industry experts at the upcoming 9th WMTC in Washington D.C.”
Lisa Han, a partner at Jones Day stated, “ The China conference was an exciting program with many international speakers and interesting topics. It not only provided information on latest trends in medical tourism, but also valuable opportunities to network with potential business opportunities and service providers.”
James CAI, CEO of Beijing Saint Lucia Consulting commented, “ the Boao event was a big success for us. Every part of the event was amazingly informative, inspiring and insightful. We have been fruitfully paid off not only by enhancing our partnership with our current partner hospitals who were also present as participants, but also by communicating with new friends in the medical tourism industry and the related industries. We are looking forward to future WMTC events.”
As a result of the event, the MTA is in the process of signing an MOU with the Hainan government to help develop the Boao Lecheng Medical Travel Pilot Zone through initiatives such as hospital building projects, training and certification, and promoting international a liations, partnerships and investment all in an effort to develop the China healthcare market.
The MTA thanks all those who participated in WMTC-2016 Boao, China and is looking forward to organizing future events in China as well as assisting organizations who are serious about entering the China healthcare market.
For more information about our China conferences and trade missions or help entering the China healthcare market, please call US 561.288.4953 (Bill Cook) or US 561-791- 2000 (Charlie Rodriguez). You can also send your inquiry to: info@medicaltourismassociation.com.
