In a very constructive atmosphere, a meeting was held between the President of the Greek Health Tourism Council – Elitour, and President of the Athens Medical Association, Dr. George Patoulis, and the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Mr. Thanos Plevris, on the subject of establishing a Medical Visa.
This initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Patoulis, aims to strengthen Medical Tourism, as well as Health, Wellness, and Longevity Tourism, thereby creating new prospects for Greece as an international health destination.
The meeting followed earlier discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. George Gerapetritis, and the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, within the framework of a comprehensive strategy to facilitate the access of patients from around the world to Greece’s high-level medical services.
The objective of the initiative is to facilitate the travel of international patients from non-Schengen countries who wish to come to Greece for health services. At present, many applications from these countries are either rejected or face significant delays, resulting in health tourists turning to other destinations for medical services. The establishment of the Medical Visa (Medi Visa) seeks to address this gap, streamlining procedures and enhancing the attractiveness of Greece as a destination.
At the same time, the initiative seeks to position Greece as a global reference point in health, well-being, and longevity, creating substantial benefits both for the national economy and for the repatriation of highly skilled scientists (brain gain).
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Manos Logothetis, Secretary General for Migration Policy, Mr. Dimitrios Glymis, Secretary General for the Reception of Asylum Seekers, and Mr. George Stefanakos, Director General of EDDYPY (Greek Inter-Municipal Network of Healthy Cities).