A dedicated medical tourism policy is a step closer to becoming a reality in the Turks and Caicos Islands with the formation of a government taskforce.
The Islands’ cabinet has announced and approved membership for a Medical Tourism Steering Committee, which will be established initially for one year.
According to a cabinet statement, the committee "will develop clear policies for the operation of medical tourism activities."
Governor Peter Beckingham had previously announced plans in January to develop a cohesive strategy to expand the islands’ tourism product.
At two island hospitals a new form of health tourism has been developed in cooperation with Global MedChoices, a US based medical tourism agency.
This involves utilizing the spare capacity at hospitals by flying in not only patients but also US based medical teams to perform surgeries.
Other countries in the region are also aggressively looking to grab a larger share of the Caribbean medical tourism market.
Health City Cayman Islands is a major new medical facility aimed at the overseas market and will start receiving is first patients later this month.
