Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- More than 17.5 million foreign guests have received medical services in Russia since 2020. A significant proportion of patients are from OIC countries. The leaders are Uzbekistan (22%), Tajikistan (20%), Kyrgyzstan (5%), Kazakhstan (5%). 67.2 thousand patients are from Türkiye. Such data were announced at the XV International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum” 2024.

Medical tourism in Russia began to actively develop with the advent of a specialized program in 2019, said Kirill Girin, head of the Coordinating Center for the implementation of the federal project “Development of Export of Medical Services.”

Currently, foreigners receive services in Russian clinics in 28 specialties. Top 5 medical services in 2023: oncology and radiation therapy (25%), traumatology and orthopedics (20%), cardiovascular surgery (17%), ophthalmology (9%), neurosurgery (7%). The top 5 regions popular with foreign medical tourists are: Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk region, Sverdlovsk region and the Republic of Tatarstan.

“Recently, the number of patients from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan has increased,” said Andrey Kaprin, Director General of the National Medical Research Center for Radiology of the Russian Ministry of Health.

The work of the Center’s service department with foreign patients includes: telemedicine consultations, visa support, translation services into English, individual support, meeting at the airport, accommodation in superior rooms.

“The pandemic has given rise to the development of telemedicine. Now this is a very interesting tool that allows you to consult remotely in several languages. And of course it attracts patients,” noted Andrey Kaprin.

In the Republic of Tatarstan, over five years, the number of foreign patients has increased almost 8 times, and the geography of the countries from which they come has doubled - to 163.

Such data on one of the regions of Russia popular with Muslim tourists was provided by Alla Gumerova, Deputy Chief Physician for the Medical Unit of the Children’s Republican Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The most popular areas in Tatarstan among foreign patients: transplantation, oncology, neurosurgery. Treatment in the republic, according to the speaker, is not only high quality, the best doctors and an affordable price, but also respect for the religious feelings of patients according to Halal standards and familiarity with the culture of the region.

“Our pride is the development of halal medicine at our hospital. Since 2015, the DRKB has had a certificate from the Halal Standard Committee of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan. The hospital’s medical staff is trained according to the Halal standard at the Institute of Islam. Patients receive

“Certificate is sunat” to confirm the medical services received in accordance with the requirements of the canons of Islam,” said Alla Gumerova.

She added that the hospital has a prayer room, offers meals and uses Halal medical products.

“With the support of the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, in 2023, the construction of a mosque on the territory of the hospital was launched as part of a single spiritual complex “Quiet Garden”. The complex will be opened this summer,” she said.

At the same time, Gumerova emphasizes that this practice applies to many clinics in the region. “Our clinics are ready to receive patients from countries of the Islamic world. We have translated literature into Arabic, our websites are in Arabic. Thanks to the close cooperation of our clinics, we have concluded about 30 agreements with OIC countries, this allows us to develop, conduct joint master classes, train specialists who subsequently send their patients to us,” she said.