Medical Tourism Surabaya: Patients Are Treated, The Guide Can Travel

JAKARTA - The Surabaya City Government (Pemkot) held a soft launching of Medical Tourism Surabaya and the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding the implementation of medical tourism services (medical tourism) in the city of Surabaya.

The signing of this memorandum of understanding was carried out by the Mayor of Surabaya Eri Cahyadi, the Chancellor of the Airlangga University Prof. Mohammad Nasih, the Chair of the All-Indonesian Hospital Association (PERSI) for the East Java region, Dr. Dodo Anondo, the Chairman of the DPD Association of the Indonesian Tours & Travel Agencies (ASITA). East Java travel agency Imam Mahmudi, Chairman of East Java Astindo Yongky Yanwitarko, and Chairman of the Regional Governing Body of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BPD PHRI) East Java Dwi Cahyono.

Mayor Eri said, medical tourism or medical tourism is to provide the best health services in the city of Surabaya. Because, Surabaya has great potential to provide first-class health services.

"If we can do this service, it will automatically drive the economy, tourism, hotels, restaurants and everything in the city of Surabaya," said Mayor Eri, Monday, September 27.

Later, Medical Tourism Surabaya will take the form of an application which is currently being developed by Universitas Airlangga (Unair). In the application, there will be hospitals and their superior services and costs, there will be tourism, hospitality, restaurants and various other facilities.

So, when someone is sick and goes to the city of Surabaya for treatment, there must be his family who come along, so that before he leaves for Surabaya, he has already registered where he will go, starting from which hospital, where is the hotel, and where will he visit. In fact, later they will be picked up from the airport using an ambulance from where.

"It was designed from the start, because all of this will be assembled into one part," he said.

Mayor Eri also explained that about 70 percent of Indonesians seek treatment abroad, and of that 70 percent, most are residents of the city of Surabaya. In fact, treatment in Indonesia is not inferior to abroad.

Eri said that he met someone who said that he was initially diagnosed in Surabaya, then he went abroad using a private jet. Apparently, when he arrived abroad, the results were the same as the diagnosis in the city of Surabaya.

"From there I realized that we have real strength. We have great health workers, have great hospitals, so what is our task now to cooperate with all these services. So, if it can be done in Indonesia, especially in Surabaya, why should it be done?" go for treatment abroad," he said.

Therefore, he is very confident that this collaboration will be able to realize medical tourism. He also ensured that this service will be launched on November 10, so that the ministry can also start on the same day.

Meanwhile, Airlangga University Chancellor Prof Mohammad Nasih said this collaboration would be part of the historical record of Surabaya and even Indonesia. Because, it has been able to present a promising activity, namely medical tourism.

"It may be that independence was proclaimed in Jakarta, but the struggle to keep raising the flag and the independence hero actually came from Surabaya on November 10 which was truly extraordinary, and what we are doing today will become a historical record as well as from the city of Surabaya," said Prof. bad luck.

He also admits that in the short term, he doesn't really expect people from abroad to seek treatment in Indonesia. However, in the short term, those who are treated abroad can be prevented with the best service and very good facilities in the city of Surabaya.