medical travel

About us

What we are

MTQUA logo Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA, pronounced “em-tee-kwah”) is an independent international organization that develops and promotes the highest standards of excellence in delivering treatment and care to medical travelers and health tourists.

It was announced in Budapest in 2009 at the 2nd European Congress on Health Tourism, in response to requests from hospital administrators and medical travel facilitators for a better understanding of special care protocols and management for medical travelers that would provide a safer environment, better outcomes and a higher rate of satisfaction.

Today, through its products and services, MTQUA works with and supports providers such as hospitals, clinics, special treatment centers, alternative treatment centers, and practicing physicians and support services such as care managers, medical tourism agencies, medical travel facilitators, referring agents, travel agents, recovery resorts, hotels, insurance companies, corporations, and others.

MTQUA informs and connects consumers who are seeking health and wellness services to health care and support service providers.

MTQUA adheres to guidelines for ethical practices and guards against conflicts of interest that may limit the realization of its mission.

Our Mission

Because medical travelers seek and obtain treatment and care away from their homes, they have unique and special needs that are different from those of ordinary patients.

Our mission is to develop and promote the highest standards of excellence in delivering treatment and care to medical travelers and health tourists, to help providers of health care, alternative health, and related support services meet those standards, and to ensure a safer, more ethical and responsible environment for all.

Our Vision

Our vision is for all medical travelers to be able to receive the best available treatment, care, and outcome anywhere in the world according to their medical and financial needs.

The best available treatment, care and outcome together create the best patient experience.

Our Core Values

MTQUA believes all medical travelers should be honored and respected for their diversity of social, cultural, religious, demographic, and geographic backgrounds.

Committed to the highest ethical, moral and professional standards, we will always strive to do what is right for medical travelers as international patients and provide industry leadership to this end.

Our team
Our services
Medical Traveler’s Bill of Rights
Medical Traveler’s Responsibilities

Download Medical Travel Advisory Report

Conditions for medical tourists in these countries present unreasonable, unwarranted risk and possible life-altering harm including death, poor quality results and disregard for medical traveler safety.

Medical Travel Advisory

Warning: Dominican Republic

Watch: India

Watch: Mexico

Watch: South Korea

Watch: Thailand

This 10-page report, the first ever Medical Travel Advisory issued by MTQUA, identifies an excessive number of deaths and life-threatening infections of medical tourists in Dominican Republic. The advisory also cautions medical tourists about specific safety risks in Thailand, Mexico, India and South Korea.

To download this Medical Travel Advisory, please enter your details below to get a download link for immediate access.

Medical tourism at crossroads, fails in quality: Julie Munro, MTQUA president in Dubai

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Global medical tourism is failing to deliver quality care to international travelers, Medical Travel Quality Alliance President Julie Munro tells Dubai gathering.

“Medical tourism is at a crossroads,” said Munro. “Because the industry has paid too much attention to the “tourism” part and not enough to the “medical” part, medical travelers have mostly been left without the guidance or information they need in order to get the best results possible.”

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December 4, 2015 – Dubai – The medical tourism industry has failed to live up to its promise of better quality treatment and care for patients seeking to travel to a foreign country for health care, Julie Munro, president of Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA, www.mtqua.org), told an audience of 500 at Gulf Medical University (GMU) last week.

Julie Munro MTQUA DubaiDubai Healthcare Authority, as a recent entrant to the industry, has the opportunity to create a support structure that is more patient-focused, she said. Its new complications insurance product is a good example of government commitment to better outcomes and care for medical tourists.

The new program of instruction in medical tourism at Gulf Medical University will also help steer the industry toward higher standards in quality and support for medical tourists.

“Three UAE hospitals have shown they are committed to quality in patient care and support and have received MTQUA medical tourism certification,” said Munro.

These hospitals, Saudi German Hospital Dubai, Al Zahra Hospital, and Thumbay Hospital Ajman have met the international standard of excellence for care and services to international patients and medical travelers. Other hospitals, clinics and medical travel facilitators in the UAE are presently going through the certification process. MTQUA-certified facilities and agencies are in 16 countries.

“We believe that the risk for medical tourists has become unacceptable, making it necessary for us to issue our first medical travel advisory,” said Munro, speaking at the 2nd Annual Conference on Destination UAE Health and Medical Tourism Hub.

This medical travel advisory, the first ever issued by a major medical tourism industry group, warns medical tourists about dangerous conditions in the Dominican Republic. In addition, MTQUA puts four countries, Mexico, Thailand, India and South Korea on a medical tourism watch list due to higher risks to medical traveler safety and quality.

Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA), founded in 2009, is an independent international organization that develops and promotes the highest standards of excellence in delivering treatment and care to medical travelers and health tourists. It certifies hospitals, clinics, medical travel facilitators and service providers worldwide for safety and quality in support of treatment, care and services for medical tourists; issues the Top 10 World’s Best Hospitals for Medical TouristsTM annually; and authenticates online testimonials.

Contact:
Caroline Bodanis
Email caroline@mtqua.org.
Telephone (USA) +1 602-635-4664
(Thailand) +66 85 902 4500
www.mtqua.org

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Lemen International Is First Chinese Agency With Medical Tourism Certification

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lemen International is first Chinese agency to receive international medical tourism certification from Medical Travel Quality Alliance.

Lemen International in Shanghai, a leader in China medical tourism, is first to certify its care and services for elite medical travelers from MTQUA.

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April 17, 2014 – Shanghai and Scottsdale – SHANGHAI LEMEN BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL SERVICE CO., LTD. (the core of Lemen International), a global group focusing on private health management, is the first medical tourism company in China to achieve international medical tourism certification from the US-based Medical Travel Quality Alliance.

“After a satisfactory review of the agency’s operations and processes for care and services to medical tourists, we have found Lemen International offers outstanding services to its clients and the partners in its medical network abroad,” announced Julie Munro, President of MTQUA.

Medical tourism certification is awarded to a hospital, clinic or medical tourism agency that meets the international standard of quality in 10 areas that directly impact a medical tourist’s wellbeing and good results.

“With certification, the company is taking the next step in our continuing pursuit of excellence for our clients,” says Mrs. Peng Ling, chairwoman of Lemen International.

“Our corporate mission to improve the quality of life and health of our distinguished clients led us to creating special services such as a private butler for international care. In the coming decade, our clients can expect more unique services and features to help them live healthier and longer lives,” she says.

Seal displayed by medical tourism certified hospitals, clinics and agencies.
The company was reviewed by an evaluation team from MTQUA. They examined how the company manages a medical tourist including the inquiry process, care management while abroad, and problem-solving processes. This involved a study of the company’s website and internet marketing, communication procedures, privacy and security measures, multicultural sensitivity, medical support services, and certain operations and business procedures that have been shown to affect the quality of treatment and care a medical tourist receives.

“Medical tourists are not ordinary patients,” said Ms. Munro. “They need more attention, not only in matters of comfort but more important, in matters of care. They are looking for an international level of health care service. They want to know that they can trust the hospital or the agency to deliver on what they promise in their marketing and communications. We are confident they will get all of this from Lemen International.”

Lemen International (http://www.lemengroup.com) is a global service company based in Shanghai offering high quality health and wellness services for an elite international clientele to the United States, Switzerland, France, Finland, Denmark, Czech Republic, South Africa, Cuba and South Korea.

Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA, https://mtqua.org), an independent international organization founded in 2009 to promote the special safety and quality concerns in the treatment and care of medical tourists, publishes an annual list of the World’s Best Hospitals For Medical Tourists™ and Best Practices in Medical Tourism.

Contact:
Mr. Liu Zhi
Email lz_002@lemengroup.com
Telephone 0086 137 0197 4088

Contact:
Caroline Bodanis
Email caroline@mtqua.org
Telephone (USA) +1 805-617-3115
(Thailand) +66 85 902 4500