In the previous numbers of We the Italians, some articles considered the possibility of traveling to Italy for medical purposes. Italian medical excellence is, sometimes, a surprise for local people, never mind foreigners. However, Italy has a healthcare system ranked among the top in the world for the quality of its personnel and facilities. Not only that, but it also is a country accustomed to having guests from all over the world thanks to its incredible heritage.

This means Italy has everything needed to host people without further investment. As we have seen in previous articles, clinics, hospitals, and doctors have worked with international patients for a few years. The problem was that the struggle to advertise or organize the stay for the patient was all on their shoulders. Also, a patient traveling to undergo a treatment or a procedure rarely travels alone. The medical world alone could not organize all of this.

In the article on Medical Tourism Italy, we explored the creation of the first company to take care of all the organizational issues. The entrepreneur Claudio Paccanaro foresaw the development of medical travel and identified the problems that came with it. With time, the company developed the expertise needed to go a few steps further: to side with doctors and personnel developing the best program for the specific case every time. It was a huge step, and it ensured a higher quality in the service. It also was not enough.

Mr. Paccanaro understood that this model required something more. The start-up was focused on building the best options for patients and opening new branches, so it could not concentrate on creating the required network extending throughout the country. This is why Mr. Paccanaro created Medical Tourism Association Italy (MTAI), a non-profit association whose goal is to build a dialogue with institutions and organizations. So it happens that this association was created in the months immediately following the pandemic, a moment of huge struggle for everyone, especially in tourism.

To help the sector, which still managed to survive the hardest times remaining the major market in the country, the current government established that 2024 was the “year of the roots”. Roots tourism aided MTAI, as it is the type of travel involving all Italian immigrants worldwide. Many countries have done similar projects and Italy has noticed that this tourism could help smaller towns and traditional activities. MTAI combines medical tourism with roots tourism for many reasons: for example, hospitals and clinics are not necessarily located in huge cities already filled with tourists. Many times, these facilities are in smaller towns and areas that are not usually visited by the hordes. Nevertheless, they’re still hidden jewels filled with art, history, and tradition. Another factor is that people with Italian heritage are more informed and prepared to face Italian healthcare, or at least they know what to expect from its rules. Finally, a patient traveling for medical reasons, most of the time, brings the family with them. Altogether this means a longer stay with more people, benefiting a much wider set of people and businesses.

In short, Medical Tourism Association Italy is set to become an advisor and coordinator for everyone involved in tourism in every corner of the country. It now has partners and associates that guarantee a network of great support for anyone who will enter it.