Greek Health Ministry to Examine Medical Visa Proposal

Greece may soon be examining the possibility of granting a medical visa to foreigners wishing to visit Greece for healthcare purposes. The issue topped the agenda of talks between the President of the Athens Medical Association Giorgos Patoulis and Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis.

The proposal, which has been on the table for several months now, concerns the introduction of the so-called Medi Visa, which will in effect be a short-term visa issued to travelers seeking health and wellness services in Greece.

Patoulis, who is also the head of the Greek Health Tourism Council (Elitour), has been spearheading efforts to introduce a medical visa which would facilitate travel to Greece for medical care and can be combined with travel as well as silver tourism products.

Among others, Elitour also proposed earlier this year the possibility of establishing certified medical units offering health and wellness services inside 4- and 5-star hotels.

During his discussion with Georgiadis earlier this year, Patoulis said these hotels would be required to apply for certification after meeting stringent criteria.

During the meeting, Georgiadis said the ministry would be looking into the matter in the coming period.

Last summer, experts addressing the 1st Health Travel Conference organized by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) in Athens said over 1 billion euros in EU resources had been approved for the development of a medical visa as well as other heath-tourism related products.

Source: tovima.com