WellMap Raised the Issue of Data Protection in Medical Tourism at an International Conference
On September 16–17, 2025, Dubai hosted the international conference Health Tourism & Medical Odyssey — one of the key events in the field of medical and wellness tourism. Organized with the support of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the event brought together global industry leaders, government representatives, and international buyers.
Health Tourism & Medical Odyssey is more than just a congress. It is a business platform that unites global players in the industry and creates space for strategic growth, partnerships, and new business opportunities. The program featured plenary discussions, pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, and active professional networking. Key topics included the sustainable development of medical tourism, digital transformation of the sector, collaboration between governments and the private sector, as well as new approaches to patient safety and data protection.
Ivan Osotov, Co-Founder of WellMap, spoke at the plenary session “Shaping the Future: Collaboration Across the Wellness Ecosystem.” In his speech, he emphasized that digital platforms are becoming system-forming players in the market, bringing together the interests of all stakeholders on a single platform.
Ivan paid particular attention to the issues of personal data protection and online transactions. He presented WellMap’s innovative concept — a smart contract for the medical sector, already patented in one country. In the future, this technology will allow patients to pay for services securely online, store and transfer medical data in a protected format, and sign documents and agreements remotely. The WellMap team has already applied for a grant to develop this solution and plans to implement it within the next year.
“Ideally, medical tourism should operate under unified quality standards. It should be as easy as using Booking.com: I open the platform, find a solution, upload my health data, and receive the best treatment plan. Today the market is far from this model, but this is the future direction we see,” said Ivan Osotov.
According to Ivan, the key to sustainable industry growth is transparency and digital infrastructure, which “unites patients, clinics, agents, and governments into one ecosystem and makes the process safe and clear for all sides.”
“Today, much of the medical tourism market operates in the grey zone: patients face non-transparent pricing, and governments deal with chaotic industry growth. Digital platforms are changing the rules of the game. At WellMap, we are building a system where every participant benefits: patients gain safety and clear pricing, clinics access the global market without huge costs, agents get tools to work and earn remotely, and governments receive data and control to develop medical tourism as an export industry,” he added.
WellMap positions itself as the future “Booking.com of healthcare.” The platform is creating a new global reality for medical tourism with simple and clear rules, where millions of people can safely and affordably improve their health and appearance, gaining access to advanced medical technologies worldwide.