The Government of Montenegroplans to stopthe sale of state assets in the Dr. Simo Milošević Institute in Igalo no later than the end of 2022, according to the action plan of the adopted Health Tourism Development Programme (PRZT).
“Health tourism products in Montenegro mainly depend on the Institute, numerous dental clinics, hotels with wellness and spa services, as well as national parks and protected areas. In addition, health tourism represents added value to the overall tourism offer, with an emphasis on positioning Montenegro as a year-round tourist destination,” the Ministry of Economic Development document states.
Institute revenues
According to PRZT indicators, the Institute earned EUR 11.812 million in 2019. Of this amount, EUR 6.039 million came fromforeign guests— as much as EUR 2.88 million from Norwegian patients, which accounts for 47.71 percent of revenue from foreign markets or 24.15 percent of total realised revenue in the record tourist year.
Users from Montenegro generated revenues of EUR 5.773 million, with the dominant EUR 3.327 million coming from the Health Insurance Fund — 57.63 percent of domestic market revenue or 27.89 percent of total revenue in 2019.
In the Institute’s Strategy (S3) for the 2019–2024 period, a special chapter is devoted to health tourism based on the principles of sustainable development.
It emphasised the need to modernise and improve the Institute in order to become a leading centre for medical rehabilitation and physiotherapy for musculoskeletal disorders not only in the region, but also in Europe.
“The Institute, with a 70-year tradition, was recognised as a leading institution for ‘export-oriented’ year-round health tourism in high-paying markets with emissions, whose position needs to be restored and strengthened,” the S3 document concluded.
To achieve this, it is recommended, among other things, to improve therapeutic and rehabilitation treatments for musculoskeletal disorders using biomechanics and nanotechnology. EUR 60 million is planned to be invested in such a transformation of the Institute, which would generate at least twice as much revenue.