Analisis Kesiapan Rumah Sakit di Kota Medan Menjadi Tujuan Medical Tourism

Abstract

The high mumber of Medan residents seeking medical treatment abroad results in substantial foreign exchange losses for Indonesia. To address this, the Medan City Government launched the Medan Medical Tourism Program, involving 12 hospitals in Medan as medical tourism destinations. This initiative aims to retain Medan residents seeking treatment locally rather than abroad. This study analyzes the readiness of Medan hospitals to serve as medical tourism destinations and identifies the supporting and inhibiting factors in accelerating their transformation. A qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach was ssed. Duta were collected through in-depth interviews, document review, and observations, conducted across eight hospitals participating in the Medan Medical Tourism Program and the Medan City Tourism Office. A total of 14 informants participated in this study Results indicate that Medan hospitals are not yet fully prepared to become medical tourism destinations. Factors contributing to this include the healthcare system, health infrastructure, international accreditation, ISO certification, national hospital quality indicators, medical equipment, hospital reputation, service quality, friendliness of doctors and staff partnerships with overseas hospitals, collaboration with travel agencies, and wait times. These ftradings are expected to guide improvements in overcoming barriers for Medan hospitals to become medical tourism destinations.