Medical tourism is developing in Kazakhstan. Since the beginning of the year, three thousand people have come to the republic for treatment. This is twice as much as a year earlier. What areas are of interest to foreign patients, MIR 24 correspondent Alena Gracheva told.

The Scientific Cardiac Surgery Center is a medical landmark of Kazakhstan. Tourists from all over the world travel thousands of kilometers to have surgery there.

“Our equipment is updated every ten years, and this allows us to carry out such operations at a high level. We conducted master classes for specialists from far abroad. It was Western Europe, Scandinavia and even the USA,” said Murat Mukarov, director of the cardiology department at the National Scientific Cardiac Surgery Center.

One of the procedures is wireless-assisted left ventricular heart implantation. The operation is complicated. Replacing the ventricle with an artificial one will allow the organ to function fully. Moreover, patients will not have to wait for a donor heart.

To have an operation in Kazakhstan, foreigners buy special medical vouchers. These include choosing a clinic and doctor, online consultation on tests, transfer and hotel check-in. If the operation is simple, the patient will be given excursions around the city and introduced to local traditions.

Patients from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, Turkey and Iran come to see Kazakhstan and receive qualified medical care. Most of the trips are bought by Russian citizens.

The most popular areas of medical tourism are neuro- and cardiac surgery, perinatal medicine, neurology and dentistry.