The International Medical Travel Association (IMTA), a leading not-for-profit industry association for medical travel and healthcare globalization, has elected Ruben Toral, CEO of Mednet Asia Ltd., as its new president, succeeding Steven Tucker, M.D., an oncologist at the Pacific Cancer Centre in Singapore.
The IMTA also elected a new executive committee comprised of internationally recognized healthcare industry veterans, including: Vishal Bali, group CEO, Wockhardt Hospitals, vice president, Jason Yap, M.D., marketing director for Raffles Hospital, secretary, and Mack Banner, CEO, Bumrungrad International hospital, treasurer.
In a statement to IMTA members, Toral said, 'I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the IMTA and work with my fellow board members. The IMTA already has a solid membership base that includes many of the world's leading medical tourism destinations. My mission is to expand our association by focusing on core issues that drive adoption for worldwide medical travel.'
Based in Bangkok, Thailand, Toral is an American citizen, a graduate of UNC - Chapel Hill and a leading figure in the medical travel industry. Formerly group marketing director for Bumrungrad International hospital from 2001-2007, Toral has extensive healthcare marketing experience and is widely recognized as one of the industry's pioneers. His appointment is part of a larger initiative to re-energize and expand the IMTA.
'Medical travel continues to generate headlines -- especially in these tough economic times -- as a cost effective option for the uninsured and the underinsured, particularly in the United States,' says Toral. 'As healthcare costs rise, US employers and insurers are adopting a more global view on healthcare and exploring the lower cost, high quality options that medical travel offers.'
Recent studies by McKinsey & Co. and Deloitte Consulting confirm that medical travel is a growth industry, as consumers and employers look globally for better value.
'There is no doubt that healthcare will globalize, following the lead of other industries,' he says. It is simply a function of time. As an association, we must help healthcare buyers understand that medical travel is not only a significantly less expensive option, but also, in many cases, a better one.'
About The IMTA
The International Medical Travel Association is a global organization of stakeholders in the international medical travel industry, representing leading healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators and related industry service providers worldwide. IMTA supports the development of international industry standards and best practices that promote and advance medical quality, safety, and transparency for the international patient, and that preserve and protect the doctor-patient relationship. IMTA, www.intlmta.org, is a not-for-profit association funded by membership dues and programs.
