In a particularly positive atmosphere, a meeting took place between the President of ELITOUR and the President of the Athens Medical Association, Mr. George Patoulis, and the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis. During the meeting, Mr. Patoulis reiterated the Greek Health Tourism Council’s intensive efforts to position Greece as a leading international destination in the fields of health and wellness tourism.
Specifically, the President of ELITOUR presented a set of proposals to the Minister of Health aimed at further strengthening the sector. These proposals include amendments to the Development Law, the institutionalization of primary healthcare facilities within 5-star hotel units with specific certifications and standards that would allow medical companies specializing in primary healthcare to establish branches within hotels, addressing the demand for medical wellness services (e.g., cosmetic medicine, regenerative medicine, health promotion services, etc.), the creation of a Registry of Health and Wellness Tourism Providers, and the establishment of intergovernmental agreements through insurance funds to ensure that patients from various countries abroad choose Greece as their first option for medical tourism.
At the same time, Mr. Patoulis emphasized the issue of the Medical Visa (Medi Visa), reminding the Minister that he had recently submitted a relevant request to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. G. Gerapetritis, with the aim of resolving this critical issue. As he noted, the Medical Visa would be a special type of short-term visa issued exclusively for medical treatment purposes.
The meeting was also attended by the First Vice President of ELITOUR, Mr. K. Pantos, the General Secretary, Ms. V. Delichristou, and the Head of Development and Resources and Board Member of ELITOUR, Mr. G. Kakoulidis.