Medical tourism in Romania is still below that of neighbouring countries, but it’s encouraging. According to Romania’s National Institute for Statistics (INS), 20,000 foreigners came to Romania last year for medical treatment and spent EUR 25 million. According to INS data, the average expenditure for each medical tourist is slightly over EUR 1,000.
Medical Tourism in Romania: What medical services are sought by the foreign tourists
Most foreign tourists come for dental surgery, which is famous for its quality-pricing ratio. Romanian dental clinics receive substantial requests from patients abroad, which adds to their annual revenue.
Also, Romania is famous for cosmetic and plastic surgery clinics, and from this perspective, a good percentage of foreign tourists come for plastic surgery procedures.
Orthopedic surgery and oncology are other fields for which international patients seek Romania.
Of the total money spent in Romania, about EUR 14 million went on medical treatment, and another EUR 6 million was paid for accommodation. This means that not only the clinics but also the hotels and restaurants profit from this influx of medical tourists in Romania.
Medical tourism in Romania compared to that in the neighbouring countries
The situation in the neighbouring countries is quite different, though. Why is Romania, a big country with reputable specialists, behind the neighbouring countries?
Hungary attracts about 2 million medical tourists annually, 100 times more than Romania. Hungary is mainly known for its excellence in dental care, cosmetic surgery, orthopedic treatments and eye services.
On the other hand, the other two neighbouring countries, Serbia and Bulgaria, are included in the statistics, and each of them attracts almost 50,000 medical tourists yearly. This is two times more than Romania, and if Bulgaria is also a famous summer destination for Western tourists, one could ask himself why Serbia, a country three times smaller than Romania, accommodates two times more tourists for medical treatments.
Romania has plenty of potential in this field, and thousands of medical tourists search for our recommendations for local clinics in Romania. The quality of the services, the pricing, and the leisure opportunities make Romania a country that could take advantage of the medical staff’s skills and the latest medical developments.