Médico Express to be the first in the Dominican Republic with an excellence certification for medical tourism

• This renowned certification seeks to improve clinical and administrative outcomes, quality, transparency and safety in patient-centred care.

Santo Domingo, April 2024. – Through an inter-institutional agreement with Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA), the outpatient healthcare centre Médico Express San Isidro is preparing to become the first healthcare provider in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean region to obtain the GHA Certification of Excellence in the Medical Tourism Patient Experience.

The certification, offered by GHA, will train and equip the centre’s clinical and administrative staff with the tools needed to continuously improve its standards of excellence in quality and in the experience of local and international patients.

With the aim of optimising its medical tourism programmes, they will also boost confidence in the country as a safe health tourism destination.

Alongside Renée Marie Stephano, executive president of GHA and founder of the Medical Tourism Association (MTA), and Alejandro Cambiaso, executive president of Médico Express, the signing was attended by the vice president of Médico Express, Francesco Fino, and its senior managers, as well as Felipe Amador, CEO of Advanced Capital Group.

“Through this landmark partnership, we continue to consolidate our commitment to the Dominican population and to tourists, training all our staff to guarantee our patients world-class care with cutting-edge technology,” said Dr. Alejandro Cambiaso, who also chairs the Dominican Health Tourism Association.

Médico Express San Isidro is the first centre in a network distinguished by its cutting-edge design and model of preventive, diagnostic, surgical and emergency services, with a strong commitment to accessibility, medical tourism and the digital transformation of the Dominican health sector.

The centre will have a modern international department to assist tourists who want to undergo medical assessments and procedures quickly and affordably, with the aim of contributing to the growth of health tourism in the country.

Medical tourism plays a crucial role for the Dominican Republic, generating jobs and the transfer of knowledge and technology, with the main beneficiaries being Dominican patients, tourists and the eastern region, which lacked medical services of this kind.

Rene-Marie Stephano said that in the latest ranking by the Medical Tourism Index (MTI), the Dominican Republic is ranked 19th in the world as a destination for health tourism, second in Latin America and the leading destination in the Caribbean region.

GHA’s training and certification services, the renowned specialist said, will give Médico Express’s medical and care staff the skills and training in protocols and standards of cultural competence and logistics to make it a centre of excellence and a regional benchmark.

Médico Express will soon open in the eastern region and will offer emergency services, a clinical laboratory, vaccinations, advanced imaging, ophthalmology, dentistry, gastroenterology, outpatient surgery and consultations in gynaecology, paediatrics, preventive medicine, psychology, cardiology, otorhinolaryngology, dermatology, urology, orthopaedics, family medicine and other specialties.

Global Healthcare Accreditation is the leading international accreditation body specialising in medical tourism, endorsed by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), and aims to improve organisational clinical and administrative processes, with an emphasis on the patient experience and the safety of medical care.