Private hospitals in Central America and the Caribbean aim to build unified medical tourism network

Punta Cana.- Private hospitals across Central America and the Caribbean are well-positioned to develop a regional hospital network offering high-quality services aligned with the growing medical tourism industry. This vision was shared by Carlos Prato, secretary of the board of the Association of Private Hospitals of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, during the opening of the Second International Congress on Quality and Innovation in Health in Bávaro-Punta Cana.

Prato emphasized the potential for countries in the region to join forces and market themselves collectively as a single medical tourism destination. He highlighted the region’s capacity to provide affordable, efficient healthcare, particularly appealing to patients from the U.S. and Canada. The event aims to promote collaboration among hospitals in areas like referrals, shared best practices, education, and procurement strategies.

The congress features more than 30 conferences, with topics spanning digital transformation, robotic surgery, medical ethics, electronic health records, personalized medicine, and financial inclusion in healthcare. Institutions such as the World Bank, IDB, IFC, and FEDEFARMA are participating, alongside private clinics from across the region.