President of the Association of Medical Tourism of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kristina Krivets spoke about what areas of medicine are developed in Astana and from which countries patients prefer to be treated in the capital, Zakon.kz reports.

On July 4, President of the Association of Medical Tourism Kristina Krivets, at a panel session of the Forum of Mayors of Twin Cities, noted that a medical tourism cluster had been created in Astana within the framework of the Corporate Foundation "University Medical Center" (UMC). It includes clinics that have been accredited by JCI (Joint Commission International), a standard developed in the USA that confirms the highest level of healthcare quality.

“Now the picture of medical tourism to Astana has changed quite a lot. If earlier we mainly came from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, now there are more patients from Russia. Patients who want to receive reproductive medicine and dentistry services mainly come from foreign countries. Countries from where patients arrive are Switzerland, the USA, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and African countries." - Kristina Krivets

According to her, JCI accreditation is a rather expensive procedure. The clinic must have a large budget to bring all conditions in line with international standards.

“Foreign patients come not only for treatment, but also for comfort and good service. They choose public and private clinics that meet safety and quality standards, where they can receive services, including in English.” - Kristina Krivets

She noted that the medical cluster of Astana has developed areas such as cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, reproductive medicine, and pediatric rehabilitation. As well as areas that do not belong to the public sector - dentistry and plastic surgery.