Surabaya, E Java, April (Antara) - Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini is ready to make the city a medical tourism destination and that local residents will not travel abroad for medical treatment. Although Surabaya has no natural resources and natural beauty to support tourism, it has the potential to become a new tourist destination, Rismaharini said when opening "Surabaya Health Season" (SHS) at the Surabaya City Hall on Sunday. The mayor was responding to some residents who prefer overseas hospitals to local hospitals to obtain healthcare. "Health industry is one of the potentials that must be developed into health tourism. As a commerce and service city, Surabaya must take optimum advantage of the service sector no matter we like it or not. Indeed we must start offering health services in packages," she said. Rismaharini said the plan to develop the city into a medical tourism destination surfaced four years ago. However, local hospitals had not reached an agreement on health service packages in the city. "As the AEC (Asean Economic Community) will be implemented later this year we must formulate the packages soon no matter we like them or not," she said. To get the plan realized soon, the city government will cooperate with travel agents to promote medical tourism in the city, she said. "We are ready to provide ambulances at the airport to carry patients. Several hospitals in Surabaya also have provided special hotels for the relatives of patients," she said. Medical tourism or health tourism is the travel of people to another country for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment in that country. (*)
