GOING TO KAZAHSTAN FOR WELLNESS

THE PARISIAN NIGHT HAS JUST GIVEN HERSELF A NAME: MONDAINE

Geographically, the country is a unique region. Located in the center of the Eurasian continent, it is a special natural complex that has contained the brightest examples of the landscape of both parts of the continent.

In Kazakhstan there are numerous natural sources of mineral waters and therapeutic mud, which serves as a good basis for the development of health tourism in the country .

Today we are discussing that topic with Saulesh Kalenova, a professor from the Department of Tourism and Service at TURAN University in the Republic of Kazakhstan .

– Kazakhstan has a huge potential for medical and health tourism. Could you please tell us about the main places that may be of interest to foreign visitors?

– Kazakhstan is mostly a steppe country, but it has amazingly picturesque regions with special climatic zones . The presence of healing mud and mineral water makes these places attractive for treatment and recreation . Therefore, dozens of holiday houses and sanatoriums are located in such resort areas . The most popular of them is the balneological resort Saryagash, which is located in the South of Kazakhstan . In this area there are sources of bicarbonate-sodium mineral waters, that are good for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract . The sanatoriums of Saryagash have a good infrastructure and a high level of service .

In the East of the country there are also several balneological resorts . They help in the treatment of diseases of dermatology, the musculoskeletal system and the central nervous system . The temperature in these springs, ranges from +34° to +42°C .

Noteworthy is the Barlyk-Arasan sanatorium, which is located near Lake Alakol . This lake has 12 thermal water sources . Some treatment services are carried out according to the ancient methods of oriental medicine .

The well-known resort “Borovoye” is surrounded by coniferous and birch forests, clean lakes and mountains – all this attracts many tourists every year . Here, mainly they treat diseases of the upper respiratory tract, since the air itself at the resort has healing properties .

Unfortunately, not many people know that Kazakhstan has great potential as a medical and health tourism destination . Obviously, this is due to the fact that our country advertises itself very little . In reality, at the moment we have accumulated vast experience in such areas as cardiovascular surgery, aesthetical and surgical dentistry, plas-

tic surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, consultative and diagnostic services . Again, a few people know that in Kazakhstan there are medical clinics that

have the appropriate, confirmed highest status of a medical organization .

In addition, the key advantages of our clinics are access to modern medical technologies and new facilities, reasonable cost of medical services, quality standards (national and international JCI accreditation), unique natural sources for rehabilitation and convenient transport logistics .

– Tell us please, what else is attractive about Kazakhstan, is it possible to combine wellness procedures with acquaintance with the historical and cultural heritage of the country?

– Of course, because Kazakhstan is a country with original traditions, rich historical past and cultural heritage . In almost every corner of the republic, a visitor, who is interested in the true life of the Kazakh people, their traditions, rituals, creativity and culture, will find a lot of interesting things for themselves .

Our country is unique in terms of the variety of tourist trips . Kazakhstan is the owner of many cultural values included in the treasury of world civilization . We take good care of nature reserves . For example, in water areas protected by the government, there are many birds that are endangered . A medical tourist, after wellness procedures and treatment, can get an unforgettable experience of tourist attractions and appreciate the hospitality of our residents .

– Attracting potential customers to this segment of tourism requires qualified professionals. How do you solve the issue of training personnel for medical and health tourism?

– There is no doubt, that medical tourists will go to a country, that has not only high-tech equipment, but also high-level specialists, who are able to provide the most highly qualified assistance at the level of world standards . There are educational institutions in Kazakhstan that produce proficient specialists . People from many countries of the world come to our medical universities to study, which indicates that highly qualified medical specialists are in demand all over the world . In addition, our medical workers constantly undergo advanced training abroad . This means, there is no need to worry about the qualifications of Kazakh specialists .

– You recently presented a new book on medical tourism. What is the purpose of this publication?

– Unfortunately, it turned out that until now there wasn’t material collected into a single whole, I mean a separate monograph, which would reflect both theoretical and practical materials related to medical tourism . There were only scattered articles separating statistical materials, sometimes not entirely reliable, since medical tourism still includes all types of health tourism . So, I decided to write a book about medical tourism . I will say right away that it was difficult, because, as I have already noted there is very little material on this topic .

There were many topics to cover: How can we develop medical tourism without theoretically understanding what it is? How to organize and make it work so that patients will visit your country? How to meet them, what to do after they received a consultation, underwent treatment and now want to see the country? What to do in cases of negative outcome and so on? There are many questions and many medical organizations, who don’t know how to work in this direction. I tried to find answers to these questions in my book .

– What do you think, how fair is the opinion that for the successful development of medical tourism, the issue of the safety of patients staying in medical institutions is one of the priorities?

– Definitely, the issue of patient safety is one of the key points . Security is not only about inside a medical institution, but also the security of staying in the country itself is important, starting from arrival, staying at a hotel, then on a journey after a stay in a clinic . Another important factor is that Kazakhstan is a safe, peaceful and friendly country in which travelers feel quite comfortable and calm .