TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Bali Provincial Government along with Udayana University is determined to develop the island as a medical tourism destination. They held a national webinar entitled Medical Tourism Integrative Medicine for Post Covid Recovery Program and Recover Bali Tourism on Wednesday, March 31, 2021.

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said that many Indonesians have traveled abroad to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Penang to get medical services thus far. “This is what we are trying to change, the mindset that being proud of Indonesian products means being proud of going on a medical trip to Indonesia. This is our goal,” said Sandiaga in his keynote speech at the webinar.

Sandiaga claimed he would collaborate with the Health Ministry and other ministries or agencies by providing incentives and creating job opportunities in medical tourism.

“Health-based tourism is our effort, our pillar that we hope will encourage public enthusiasm in the midst of a pandemic and post-pandemic. This is what will be called a pandemic winner,” he added.

The State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir last year said that the government would start developing medical tourism in Bali. He has received a response from a Japanese company whose huge stakes in various international hospitals in Southeast Asia. “We have 49 hectares of land there, we want to upgrade it into a tourism facility,” said Erick in November 2020.

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ANTARA