(L-R: Dr Khadija Sood Shikely, County Chief Officer, Department of Health services Mombasa; Anitha Niranjan - MD, CIM Global;  Dr Gangadharan, Chairman Expert Committee, IHTC; Dr. Constantine Constantinides, Health Tourism Enterprise, Greece; Dr Dan Christopher Namarika, Health Secretary, Ministry of Health - Lilongwe, Malawi ; Dr. K.S Nayak - President GHTA - Global Healthcare Tourism Association )

The 3rd Edition of the International Healthcare Tourism Congress 2018 (IHTC) was inaugurated in Bengaluru by Dr. Constantine Constantinides, Health Tourism Enterprise, Greece in the presence of Dr. Dan Christopher Namarika, Health Secretary, Ministry of Health - Lilongwe, Malawi, Dr. K.S Nayak, President GHTA (Global Healthcare Tourism association) and Dr. Gangadharan, Chairman Expert Committee IHTC.

The International Healthcare Tourism Congress (IHTC), returning to Bengaluru this March, hosts 200 influential Delegates who are from targeted countries like Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mongolia, Vietnam and many more.

Representatives from 20 international hospitals will be present to arrange collaborations with Indian hospitals. The event will feature around 50 speakers from all disciplines sharing their knowledge and taking part in panel discussions. Delegates to the two-day conference will include influential policy-makers and bosses from some of the biggest companies in Indian healthcare. The IHTC's influential delegates will include 30 senior government members, including the health ministers of Somalia, Mombasa and Malawi.

One of the key highlights of the congress would be the collaboration of Mombasa and Mangalore in all aspects of health. Kenya Healthcare Delegation led By Mombasa State Health Minister to visit Mangalore for Long Term Collaboration right from training their healthcare professionals to advance treatment to their citizens.  This strategic agreement would be the first international collaboration of Mangalore Hospitals with Mombasa.

Healthcare tourism is set to be worth $3,000,000,000 by 2025, according to a recent survey, and organisers of India's most comprehensive healthcare tourism event, feel that the country could be a world leader in the field.

The Global Healthcare Tourism Association (GHTA) will be launched by its Founder President Dr. K.S. Nayak. GHTA has a vertical focused in academic and continued medical education activities with an explicit mandate to work in the area of heath care Education, Skill development training, facilitation of Medical tourism, health care entrepreneurship and continuing education programs in geographies across the globe that are challenged in providing affordable health care on multiple fronts.