Yudy Obando: The patient experience is about permanent companionship
According to the Medical Travel expert Yudy Obando, the patient experience comes from the permanent companionship of the health services providers.
“As facilitators, I believe that we play a key role It is not only about finding a patient, guide
them to a medical facility, with the specialist in the right field, is basically about the permanent companionship that we can give the patient so they can feel backed,” said Obando at the 4th International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Obando followed up on a question made by Francesco Fino, Managing Director of Medical Motion, at the Attracting International Patients panel on September 7th, about “how much impact does a positive experience has for an international patient to refer others?”
She believes that a positive patient experience comes from the permanent companionship of the health service provider, which can play a competitive advantage, especially to those who travel unaccompanied.
The Colombian healthcare professional believes that permanent companionship has been the key to get referrals from former medical travelers.
“Today, for us at Medical Travel (Consulting Worldwide) up to 70% of the patients that we receive came because of a recommendation of a former patient,” stated the General Manager of the international entity that holds clients in Colombia and Mexico.
Latin America’s best medical service asset
Yudy Obando also weighted on the main difference of medical services that are given in the top Latin America destinations like Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, who ranks 5th in the medical travel industry, according to a preliminary study based on data from the Medical Tourism Index.
“The United States, Canada, and some countries in Europe manage excellence operations processes in all their institutions, such as protocols, doctors with numerous procedures, but at the same time is a type of medicine that is not as personalized as it should be,” she emphasized among dozens of industry and top Dominican health representatives.
According to Obando, in the United States, you can not call your treating doctor, that is only possible in Latin America. “In Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia, we can call the doctor and tell them ‘these are my symptoms, I do not feel good,’ and the doctor will respond because it is a personalized service.”
Yudy Obando highlighted the fact in Latin America the patient can talk to the doctor during their recovery, and even get together and talk to them about the country as a destination, which makes the difference and something “that makes the patient recommend you, we treat them like family.”