OPA seminar reveals immense potential of health tourism for Sri Lankan economy

Health tourism has great potential to be a major, contributor to the Sri Lankan economy. This was highlighted at a seminar on “Promoting Health Tourism in Sri Lanka” which was organised by the National Issues Committee of the Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka. The experts who addressed the audience at this event were, University of Colombo Faculty of Indigenous Medicine Dean Prof. Kamal Perera, Faculty of Medicine Professor of Surgery Prof. Ishan de Zoysa and Export Development Board Chairman/CEO Mangala Wijesinghe.

The seminar was commenced with introductory remarks made by OPA Vice President and National Issues Committee Chairman Bhanu Wijayaratne, which was followed by presentations made by the above-mentioned three speakers. In his presentation, Prof. Ishan De Zoysa noted that medical tourism has become very popular due to cost effectiveness, minimum waiting time, relative accessibility to procedures that are illegal in the home country, ease and affordability of international travel and the provision of high-quality treatments. He observed that during the next few decades, the Asia pacific region is anticipated to experience the most rapid growth in the industry in upcoming years and expected to govern the global market in the field. Asian countries such as Thailand, Singapore, India, south Korea and Malaysia are responsible in attracting 1.3 million medical tourists per year from around the world. 

With regard to international trends, he stated that 11 million Americans are poised to lose access to healthcare soon, leading to increased demand in this sector. The most popular surgical procedures were cosmetic surgery, followed by cardiac, orthopaedic, and transplant surgeries. 

However, getting medical treatment overseas was not without its disadvantages, which included communication problems, blood-borne infections (Hep B, HIV), antibiotic resistant infections, poor post-operative follow up, and increased risk of post-op complications (DVT, PE) with long distance travelling.

He observed that medical tourism in Sri Lanka is at infancy. In 2024, only 3.45% of tourists travelled to Sri Lanka for health and wellness purpose in last year, with the majority being German citizens while significant number of tourists from Russia, UK and France also travelled to Sri Lanka for this purpose. 

Prof. De Zoysa stated that Sri Lanka was an attractive destination for medical tourists, as it had new state of the art hospitals, some of which are JCI (Joint Commission International USA) accredited, as well as specialists with Western qualifications or who have obtained training in the West. 

However, he noted that, though Sri Lanka has a well-established health care system with skilled professionals only few private medical hospitals are actively engaged in this industry. He underscored the fact that medical tourism undoubtedly can play a major part in stimulating economic development.

Export Development Board Chairman/CEO Mangala Wijesinghe stated that Sri Lanka had many advantages for medical tourism, including a rich Ayurvedic heritage and modern medical expertise as well as natural beauty and hospitality. He declared that the EDB planned to transform health tourism into a key export sector, with an emphasis on key markets such as UK, Germany, India, as well as the Middle East and Asia-Pacific region. Their efforts would focus on Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, and medical tourism

Key initiatives to boost the sector included global promotions in international markets, new branding - “Sri Lanka – Body and Mind” - and the introduction of regulatory standards, such as national certifications for Ayurveda & medical tourism. In addition, there has been great emphasis on sustainability with the introduction of organic cuisine, eco-trails, community empowerment etc.

Wijesinghe observed that there has been a significant increase in tourist arrivals from 719,978 in 2022 to 2,053,465 in 2024. India, UK and Germany were to the top countries for tourists. Consequently, medical tourism was a sector that had considerable promise. However, he acknowledged that there were challenges to address such as regulatory gaps and lack of statistics, opportunistic operators as well as external shocks such as the 2019 attacks and the COVID-19, 2022 crisis).

To unlock health tourism’s full potential, he advocated for a multi-faceted approach that would include policy support. Including streamlining visa processes, such as the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), to enhance accessibility. Infrastructure development was also important, such as accrediting hospitals and wellness centres to meet international standards and investing in underdeveloped regions like Jaffna and Batticaloa. He also called for digital innovation, including the development of telemedicine platforms to connect international patients with Sri Lankan providers. He highlighted the importance of promoting sustainability by integrate eco-friendly practices to align with global trends and empower rural communities, as well as the promotion of stakeholder collaboration by strengthening partnerships with hospitals, tour operators and international markets to create a cohesive ecosystem. He concluded by noting that it was the vision of the EDB to make Sri Lanka a global health tourism hub by 2030. 

Prof. Kamal Perera pointed out that Ayurveda has been practiced in Sri Lanka for over 3000 years. He said that demand for Ayurvedic medicine by tourists fell into two categories, namely curative, which was the treatment of medicine, and wellness which was the promotion of physical and mental wellbeing. He observed that the global wellness economy was a $ 6.3 trillion industry, of which Sri Lanka has been unable to obtain an adequate share. He highlighted the importance of research and development in order to advance the Ayurvedic industry, as well as the provision of language training in order to better serve tourists from Europe and Asia. With regard to Ayurvedic products, which were in demand internationally, Prof. Perera stressed the importance of adhering to quality standards and maintaining intellectual property rights. 

The seminar was attended by OPA President Sujeewa Lal Dahanayake, General Secretary Tisara de Silva, Vice President and National Issues Committee Chairman Bhanu Wijayaratne, key office bearers and OPA members. Seminar was moderated by OPA Past President Dr. Hilary Cooray.