LUBLIN, Poland — The International online platform AiroMedical has launched several new destinations and continues to expand its presence in the rapidly developing medical tourism market. The service is a fully functional global portal for organizing high-quality medical trips. It allows patients to compare clinics and book medical and aesthetic procedures abroad in 476+ accredited hospitals in 16 countries worldwide. In addition, it is the development of a unique algorithm for each case and the coordinator of the entire process, starting from urgent air ambulance in the most remote corner and ending with the paperwork according to the requirements in different countries. The name of the disease or procedures searches for clinics. It can be filtered according to the doctor's specialization, hospital location, price range, and waiting time. In addition, search results consider statistics on the number and success of operations, complications, pilot project participation, and patient satisfaction. Anton Volvak and his wife Marta, the founders of AiroMedical, were not the first to launch an online medical service. So why do patients love them? Who are all these people? Traveling for treatment abroad is a global trend. As a result, the medical tourism market is expected to grow to $59.67 billion in 2027, with an average annual growth rate of 10.5%. "Oncology, cardiology, neurosurgery, gynecology, and orthopedics are the main five medical areas. People often come either because they have lost confidence in doctors and hospitals in their countries, or they already know from experience that it is better to go abroad to solve certain health problems," - comments Anton Volvak. – We see that the issue of trust in doctors at home is very acute, and this is not an isolated case – this is a mass phenomenon. About 30 million people annually travel abroad for treatment, mainly to Germany and Israel (80%), and 20% of the patient flow is distributed among other countries." "I can say that more than half of the cases are in oncology. Cancer does not discriminate by income level, origin, and so on. If we talk specifically about oncology, these are people of different ages, places, and groups of society. Those who do not come with oncology have their specifics: if, for example, it is a check-up or aesthetic surgery, then patients are mostly those who can afford it. But such patients make up no more than 5-10% of the total flow. 90% of people come with serious illnesses," - adds Marta. Development drivers Among the reasons for the active growth of the medical tourism market, experts note the global population aging and low prices with a high level of service. The proportion of people over 60 is approaching 10-14% of the total population. At the same time, it is two times higher in high-income countries. For developed countries in Europe, Asia, and the US, this problem has become extremely urgent. Treatment abroad is also a significant saving. So, for residents of the US, treatment abroad is often 5-10 times cheaper than at home. For example, the average dental implant cost in the UK is $1.6 thousand. In Poland, it will cost 2-2.5 times cheaper. In his work, Anton strives to help people daily encountering medical cases of varying complexity. His main life credo fits very clearly into the scope of his activities: "The global scale of work combined with an individual approach to the Patient." "The Internet is changing our lives and reshaping different industries. We have seen that booking.com, for example, reshaped the hotel industry. Likewise, Edreams and Skyscanner have revolutionized flight booking. But there has yet to be such a big story that would change the healthcare and medical tourism sphere. AiroMedical is our ambition to become booking.com in medical tourism, and to make the industry clearer for the patient, to reduce the chain of intermediaries and thereby make the services of hospitals abroad more available." How it works AiroMedical helps patients choose the optimal treatment place through a single convenient and safe platform - from consultations with independent specialists to the organization of therapy anywhere in the world with all the necessary accompanying support. The patient sends all the information about his health state. Then he is given several options from hospitals in different countries. AiroMedical has arrangements with each clinic. First, its team conducts thorough research and attestation of the hospital, and only after that concludes a contract with it. At the initial stage of building the company, an important point was regulating legal issues in the 16 countries where the service operates. "The hardest part was in Korea," - Anton admits. Problems arose mainly due to translation difficulties. "De facto, the patient pays directly to the hospital — we do not make any extra charges on the treatment cost, but the clinic returns us a certain agreed percentage," explains Anton Volvak. Emphasis on quality "We do not like the phrase "medical tourism," and even less the word "intermediary," because we do not consider it correct in this context," - says Anton. - "The correct name would be "medical consultant." The person who knows where to find the best doctor for each patient. The patient comes to the consultant with his medical history. And the medical consultant tells him: the best doctor and the right clinic for your diagnosis are in Berlin, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Thailand, etc. In the ratings of professions of the future, the medical consultant will become one of the leading ones," - Anton is convinced. "The crisis has played a positive role for us. Small companies organizing treatment abroad are leaving the market. Previously, many companies consisted of 1-3 employees or even just a person with a laptop in the kitchen, positioned himself as a company for a medical services organization," — Marta recalls. Most patients, according to her, choose all-inclusive programs because of the need for transport services, accommodation, and interpreter support. The future of medical tourism is a combination of technology and personalization. "Quite a lot of requests come through our AiroMedical website. But at the same time, there are a lot of people who know me personally. And many requests come to me one way or another — this is about personalization: through social media profiles, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so on," - says Anton. Plans and perspectives Currently, the company's services are used by about 150 patients per month. The main task of the service, like any startup in this field, is to increase brand awareness. In addition, the company plans to conduct training and seminars among doctors and potential clients. Another goal is to achieve full transparency in price and quality. The AiroMedical team consists of more than 19 people from different countries. Nine of them are responsible for organizing medical services and patient counseling. In addition, there is a department for working with hospitals, an IT department, marketing, medical content, and business development departments. Due to its vast geography, the company offers patients cheaper treatment options. "Some patients from CIS countries prefer medical tours more expensive – to the US or Switzerland. At the same time, patients from the US fly to Mexico, Thailand, and Costa Rica for treatment: it's cheaper there", — says Volvak. Since its launch, AiroMedical has helped more than 5.000 patients find suitable hospitals and unique treatments. Now the partner network has more than 2446 doctors in 16 countries worldwide (48 countries are planned for the year). Headquarter in Lublin, Poland, the company plans to expand its offices in Czech Republic and Spain in the coming months. "We will launch an IPO within no more than five years," - Anton Volvak boldly declares.   References:

1. Medical Tourism Global Market Report 2023. ReportLinker. https://www.reportlinker.com/p06229186/Medical-Tourism-Global-Market-Report.html?utm_source=PRN
2. Volvak N. Treatment in Germany (advantages and benefits). AiroMedical. Updated December 05, 2022. https://airomedical.com/blogs/articles/treatment-in-germany-advantages-and-benefits
3. Volvak N. Treatment in Turkey (advantages and benefits). AjroMedical. Updated December 05, 2022. https://airomedical.com/blogs/articles/treatment-in-turkey-advantages-and-benefits