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The land of the implant crown
Already after the regime change, in the 1990s, German, English, French and Norwegian patients arrived in Hungary. Our health tourism then became the leader in the entire European market, as Hungarian doctors, but especially dentists, solved the same interventions for a third of Western prices, sometimes even cheaper.
Before the 2020 economic crisis, dental tourism generated an average of one million guest nights a year,
Since 2010, it has not been a year in which the number of dental tourists visiting Hungary has not increased.
According to a study last year
In 2017, for example, foreigners who traveled to Hungary for medical care spent $ 417 million, representing 6.7 to 7.2 percent of total spending on tourism.
After the crisis
After a long rally, the sector collapsed within weeks in 2020, as during the first spring wave, dentists were not only able to receive foreign patients but also domestic ones. The Index spoke with several entrepreneurs working in dental tourism about the phenomenon. Viktor Bánfi, the Hungarodental Patient Coordinator, told our newspaper: During the summer, patients tried to reach the Hungarian capital via Vienna, as Austria was a green country according to the Hungarian epidemiological classification.
However, when Britain fell into the red zone, it took a lot of management to start caring for each patient.
Said the health professional. Banfis mainly specialized in British and Irish patients, including implants. He said that most of his patients had stopped treatment due to the epidemic.
IN THE MOST URGENT CASES, A PATIENT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED INTO THE COUNTRY THROUGH A REQUEST FOR EQUITY TESTS AND CROWN VIRUSES.
“It was a widespread experience that those whose treatment was interrupted by the first wave also did not dare to enter,” added Viktor Bánfi. However, dental tourism is also a lucrative business because a treatment usually consists of multiple occasions, that is, more air ticket sales, hotel nights and consumption in restaurants. Therefore, the fact that dental tourism in Hungary has practically disappeared has contributed greatly to putting thousands of jobs at risk.
The worst, of course, were some 800 dentists and 5,000 dental employees directly involved in dental tourism.
This is evidenced by an earlier study conducted by the Dental and Oral Surgery Training Institute at Semmelweis University School of Dentistry, but based on the 2018 publication, the once highly lucrative healthcare industry is likely to has attracted more professionals.
The Hungarian patient may even feel fine
It can be an escape route if companies specializing in dental tourism turn to the Hungarian market. This rearrangement is already being seen, which could be good news for domestic patients: the disappearance of foreigners could be followed by a significant drop in prices. While this will cushion the economic impact on the sector, stakeholders reporting to the index say the next period will affect many companies, with more workers expected to be laid off.
After the tightening was lifted, a mild seizure was felt, especially by Hungarian patients, Lili Ásztai and Gergő Siteri, leaders of the Silicium Healthcare Marketing company specializing in dental care, told the index. This was due to untreated issues during the quarantine period, but has seen another decline since then. “There are many canceled appointments, especially among the elderly,” they continued, adding that due to the epidemic, many still do not dare to visit the clinics.
Furthermore, the decrease in domestic and foreign demand requires higher marketing expenses from the clinics. Lili Ásztai and Gergő Siteri said online campaigns have become significantly more expensive due to moderate interest, and the cost of reaching a single stakeholder has doubled or tripled.
Most of our clients continued to conduct online campaigns targeting foreign patients as the epidemiological tightening abated. Even then, the price of a click was considered to have become more expensive, but the fact that all competing companies relaunched their campaigns also exceeded the price.
They added.
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