YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Thanks to great potential in plastic surgery, medical tourism is gradually developing in Armenia.

Kazakhstan and Russia are leading in terms of number of people visiting Armenia for plastic surgery purposes.

The specialists of the field told Armenpress that the application of foreigners is linked with price-quality relationship in favor of the client.

“Foreigners undergo almost the same surgeries as Armenians, nasal and abdominal wall plastic surgery, facial tension and rejuvenation. Quality is almost equal to the quality of surgeries in American or European medical centers, however, it is several times more affordable here. Diaspora Armenians mainly arrive in Armenia for plastic surgery, there are also foreigners”, Armen Hovhannisyan – Chairman of the Armenian Association of Plastic Surgeons, said.

He said currently there are organizations that carry out an activity to develop medical tourism in Armenia. “I had several meetings with a number of organizations that conduct a marketing to understand in what directions the healthcare tourism can develop in Armenia”, he said.

iMed is among those companies engaged in developing medical tourism in Armenia. The company has created a mobile app through which people throughout the world can connect with Armenia’s plastic surgeons. The users can search and find any doctor via the app. The app also has other tools, such as the user can change the form of the nose and see how he/she will look with other nose. Thereafter, the user can discuss it in-detail with the doctor via the app. The app is available in Armenian, English and Russian.

“Kazakhstan is leading in terms of number of visitors arriving in Armenia for plastic surgery. Both Armenians and Russians from Russia arrive in Armenia, moreover, majority of them, 90%, are Russians. There is also a great flow from Australia and the Netherlands, majority of the visitors are Armenians. The number of people from European countries is not so huge, there are applicants from France, England”, iMed CEO Hrachya Arshakyan said, adding that 80% of his clients are from abroad.

Hayk Yenokyan, Head of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Nairi medical center and Mikayelyan surgery institute, said Armenia has potential to enrich the state budget at the expense of medical tourism. However, steps on this path are being made individually. “Each doctor tries to increase the number of clients through his own resources. I think, here the state assistance is also needed, it’s necessary to develop a state strategy”, Yenokyan said.