The Medical Tourism Upgrade’18, a medical tourism workshop conducted on 16th October in Kiev, Ukraine was a tremendous success that called for a grand celebration. A great supportive teamwork enwrapped in deep friendship fetched the best laurels.
Anna Guchok, the founder of Medical Tourism Upgrade and a recognized expert in developing Medical Tourism, Violetta Yanyshevskaya, the President of UAMT (Ukrainian Association of Medical Tourism) and an international expert on the development of medical and health tourism in CIS countries, Igor Torskyy, the founder and Vice President of UAMT and myself worked tirelessly to make this workshop a memorable event.
Ukraine’s medical tourism potential – blooming at the right time:
Dr Prem Jagyasi Delivering Speech Image Source : photo.drprem.com
Ukraine is a promising destination for inbound medical tourism for its unique offerings of quality medical treatments at a surprisingly low cost and a splendid vacation to go with it. Patients from Western Europe, US, UK and Israel are finding attractive medical tourism propositions in Ukraine and the number is on the rise.
Medical Tourism Upgrade’18 – Its relevance:
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The time is ripe for the country to grab a big slice of the medical tourism market and position itself in the global index. The workshop was highly relevant in this context whose objective provide adequate knowledge and tools to the participants keen to develop medical tourism business in the country.
UAMT, also a member of GHTC (Global Healthcare Travel Council), has been instrumental in helping Ukraine’s medical tourism reach new heights. They regularly conduct extensive training and seminars on best clinical practices that appeal foreign medical travelers. This workshop was the right add-on to their efforts.
Going all-out:
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That was the order of the day considering the immense significance of the workshop from the international perspective. It had to be striking, quite different from the conventional seminars and workshops. There should be something to write home about.
It was not an overnight achievement. The planning for this workshop started months back with fixing the agenda and launching extensive promotional activities. Thanks to the members of UAMT for extending their continuous support to make it a huge success.
All were in high spirits as registrations poured in. An impeccable training module was planned considering every aspect of aspect medical tourism that had to be delivered within a stipulated time. This was a no easy task considering the gamut of subjects to be covered. A complete analysis was required from every angle.
Days and nights passed preparing training materials and worksheets keeping an eye on the participants’ profile. We made sure that participants grasp every subject matter without much trouble. Medical tourism is a complex business and one should have an in-depth understanding about it to deliver the right kind of training to participants.
The onsite planning and programming carried for long hours but the team’s mood was upbeat. Eyes remained glued to laptop screens and fingers raced on keyboards. Rarely did we allow tiredness to get a better hold of us. Cracking jokes and light entertainment in between working sessions helped us to be on the track.
The day was approaching fast. Our adrenaline rushed high in anticipation of an exciting event. The brightly-designed eye-catching training materials piled on our desks. It gave us the feeling that our efforts are going to fetch something rewarding. And our predictions were spot on!
The workshop:
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It was a lovely October morning. All four of us – Anna, Violetta, Igor and I were bubbling with enthusiasm. It was not only the training session we worked hard on. Taking care of guests and participants was equally important so as to etch an everlasting impression in their minds.
Needless to say, the attendance was damn good with the profile of participants extending from young students to experienced senior professionals. As the session proceeded, it was highly satisfying to note the keen interest of the participants as they became engrossed with each and every subject talked about.
The success of a workshop largely depends on the mutual exchange of thoughts and ideas through a communicative interaction between the mentor and the participants. I was happy to drive them into an active interaction during my presentation.
As I explained the importance of marketing and branding of medical tourism business and the strategies required to make it successful, I could feel their perception from their responses. Their free interaction helped me further to explain the nuances and tricks of the trade.
The participants came up with smart questions that added great value to the workshop. Igor, as a moderator, smartly led the session by occasionally cracking jokes never allowing monotony to set in. Exciting activities in the session made it more enjoyable. Else carrying on with a long training session holding the participants’ attention from the start to end would not have been so easy.
Violetta, as expected, delivered insightful information on the importance of certification and quality of medical tourism services. Anna Guchok stressed on customer experiences, one of the strongest pillars of a successful medical tourism business. She shared her practical experiences quoting a few brilliant examples. Her knowledge and perceptiveness on this matter deserve lots of praise. All in all, the workshop was a great fun.
Amazing comments and feedback that followed after the workshop were highly elating. Testimonials from participants expressing thanks and gratitude flooded social media which took the team’s motivation to great levels.
Such motivations inspire to do better; to conceptualize a different kind of workshop adding more innovative concepts beneficial for both the mentor and participants. It is worth devoting time and energy for an event that would churn such a huge positive response. The efforts paid off! What more a team can expect?
It’s party-time:
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Our celebration for this grand success culminated to a lovely dinner with all teammates in Ukrainski Stravy, a traditional Ukrainian restaurant. It is a living museum enriched with an amazing history of the region’s culinary culture. The restaurant fed our mind and body in a grand way. Perhaps, the right kind of celebration that everybody look forward to after a great achievement.
The welcome drink and a lovely display of large-sized vegetables and fruits (rarely you get to see this in a restaurant) give an awesome feeling. It was quite different where you not only enjoy a gastronomic sojourn but satisfy your intellectual cravings as well.
The traditional touch is felt everywhere from the décor, the dishes and the bar decked up with traditionally designed wine bottles. It was a lovely time for the team to relish the success amidst the right ambience of friends, food and the fun that followed. Longing for more such meets!
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