KONSTANTINOS KOUSCUKIS PROFESSOR OF DERMATOLOGY, LAWYER, PRESIDENT OF THE GREEK ACADEMY OF THERMAL MEDICINE, PRESIDENT OF THE GREEK HEALTH TOURISM ASSOCIATION, PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD ACADEMY OF CHINESE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Email konkouskoukis@gmail.com
Healing medicine is a complementary therapeutic method of classical medicine and therefore they are combined and complement each other to achieve the best possible therapeutic result. Doctors, having in their therapeutic arsenal the products of the modern pharmaceutical industry, utilizing the results of innovative research on drugs, should approach the scientific results of the research of curative medicine in a complementary and not discrediting way, for the benefit of patients, without adverse effects.
Thermal bath therapy, until today, had an empirical basis, but with the help of scientific documentation of the thermal, mechanical and, in particular, chemical action of thermal natural resources, it emerged as a complementary therapeutic method in the therapeutic range of classical medicine. The therapeutic actions concern diseases of the musculoskeletal, nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, haematopoietic, gastrointestinal, urological and endocrinological systems, as well as dermatological, otolaryngological, gynaecological, allergic and periodontal diseases.
The therapeutic effect of thermal springs is due to the chemical properties of the minerals and especially the trace elements contained in the thermal waters in the form of dissolved salts and gases. The most important chemical elements are: sulphur, sodium, chlorine, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, bromine, boron, iodine and selenium, while the physical properties of thermal mineral waters are: temperature, electrical conductivity, radioactivity and total dissolved salts.
Spa treatments for all ages
Thermal therapies in the form of bath therapy, inhalation therapy, mud therapy and thalassotherapy concern not only the elderly, as was the case until now, but the entire age range for treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, prevention and well-being. In particular, we reach out to young people trying to create new patterns of healthy living, through prevention, preventing negative daily practices through proper nutrition, exercise and alternative tourism activities.
THEMATIC TOURISM
Thermal Medicine in Europe and Greece In Europe there are 1400 thermal medicine and wellness centres operating as Health Resorts, which are visited by millions of patients around the world, seeking medical care outside their national borders, participating in private and public health programmes. Europeans spend 2.6 million euros a year on transport. travel for health reasons in conjunction with their holidays, in the context of Health Tourism, while globally 40 million people travel for health reasons in the context of Health Tourism. approximately 4% of the tourism market.
There are 750 thermal springs in Greece, of which 124 are operating and 70 are recognized, and of these only 13 have an operating license. The number of visitors per year is extremely small according to Enterprise Greece data, but those familiar with the tourism market say that at least 150,000 insured people can visit the thermal springs of our country, with a turnover of 300,000,000,000 €, given the financing of foreigners’ trips by their insurance funds, according to the law 4213/2013 on cross-border movement of patients, while the most optimistic people talk about a turnover of 1 billion €.
The role of Greece in promoting the health tourism
Greece can play a significant to decisive role in the promotion and development of health tourism, contributing great added value to the tourism product of Greece and the Greek economy in general.
Healing medicine requires 21 days of treatments per semester for patients and healthy people as a preventive measure, which ensures repeaters tourists, financed by private and insurance funds of European countries.
The thermal treatment lasts only 20 minutes per day which leaves unlimited time for the patient-tourist to cover all his needs for experiential experiences of all the alternative and special thematic forms of tourism that Greece has abundantly available, increasing the turnover and the financial results, since these patients are covered by their insurance funds on the one hand and on the other hand they are tourists of high financial capacity.
The utilization of the many important resources, which can evolve from the current Spa Centres to Thermal Health Resorts, in combination with all alternative forms of tourism that are in line with the spirit of sustainable and sustainable development, adds value to the tourism product and highlights the respective areas as destinations for the most demanding tourists.
The strategy of developing the infrastructure of the thermal springs for the provision of the above health and wellness services adds value to the thermal springs, since they have a high profit margin compared to the performance of the building infrastructure. These services are provided not only to patients-clients, but also to their companions, ensuring greater attendance and economic benefits.
The new boom in Medical Tourism internationally has led our country to the need to take a share of the global market as the turnover of Medical Tourism reached 56.2 billion dollars in 2017 with a projected increase of 6.5% for 2022 while the global turnover of Health Tourism reached 4.5 trillion dollars in 2018 according to the Global Wellness Institute.
It is therefore necessary to develop a new strategy that the new government is implementing by speeding up the procedures for issuing ministerial decisions and a presidential decree for the protection of the thermal springs. The new institutional framework should include the certification of providers according to international standards, the development of development incentives and the creation of cluster cooperative mechanisms between hospitals, medical centres and hotels, as well as the specificity of Law 4582/18 on the specifications of health clinics and the extension to hotels.
Promising prospects are also the initiatives of Attica’s regional governor Mr.G.Patoulis, President of the I.S.A., the International Centre for Health Tourism and ELITUR, for the development of a national strategy for the promotion of Health Tourism with conferences held in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, Ithaca and Kos, the 5 Greek conferences of the Academy of Medical Medicine and an international conference in Halkidiki, where Greece was awarded a prize.
Important development factors are, on the one hand, the realization of the leadership of the Ministry of Tourism that the development of Medical Tourism is a one-way street for the economic development of Greece, supported by the management of projects funded by the Development Law, NSRF, European Central Bank of Investments, Horizon 2020, PPP and other programs and, on the other hand, the launch of the online platform “Greece from home” and the timely advertising promotion of Greece by the Greek National Tourism Organization.
The creation of a model of the 12-month tourist season in the unparalleled and unique bioclimate of Greece, with the absolute combination of all special and alternative forms of tourism in cluster form, ensures impressive economic benefits with the development of thermal medicine and wellness centers throughout the Greek territory, since the thermal natural resources are scattered throughout Greece, which has a huge coastline for the creation of thalassotherapy centers.
