It is difficult today to nominate a tourism sector which will gain a competitive edge on international markets and will become one of the country’s calling cards.



Today we can say with some certainty that the medical services market is a market that will be developing irrespective of world economic turbulence, and a product in the form of medical services that is price competitive and generally available will draw many patients.



The Medical Tourism Chamber of Commerce was set up to develop the Polish tourism and medical market and promote it throughout the world.



We are aware that it is a difficult task, but we have a good start.



For the last several years world medical tourism has been concentrated in such countries as Thailand, Turkey, Malta and India. New European Union countries such as Hungry, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland have also started to realise their potential.



We know that the Polish medical market has a huge potential; we have many health centres specialising in rehabilitation and in the treatment of various diseases.



Our private medical clinics are on a par with medical services offered abroad, and medical staff in these centers is highly qualified.



Seeing the potential in Polish health care, the Chamber wants to convert it into an export product. We talk to many institutions, both government and non-government institutions about the development of this field and we are often told that it is a niche product.



One thing we can say for sure, medical tourism develops in double digit numbers annually around the world. Markets specialising in medical tourism earn billions of dollars, it is estimated that on Asian markets alone in 2012 it will be USD 4 billion.



According to the Medical Tourism Chamber of Commerce today is an excellent moment. A good climate exists to promote Polish medical tourism. Thus far no country in the European Union has become a leader in this field. Poland is in a good position to become such a leader. Apart from the attributes mentioned already, Poland has two other advantages. One is proximity of countries such as Britain, Germany and Ireland, Norway and Sweden, from which patients readily use medical tourism services and with which we have good transport links.



Another plus is the value of the Polish currency, which means that Poland is very competitive in terms of sales of medical tourism services.

Hence, that is why today it is worth investing in promotion so that

Polish medical centers and health resorts are able to develop a reputation and a brand name. The Medical Tourism Chamber of Commerce has developed a number of programmes to assist Polish medical centers in reaching the international market.