Tourism: Health and well-being, a field of fruitful synergies between Greece and China

The utilization of traditional Chinese medicine practices in the field of Health and Wellness Tourism, the interconnection of university and hospital institutions in Greece and China, the exchange of know-how and broad synergies on issues such as artificial insemination, were at the center of the meetings held by the governor of Attica and Athens Doctor’s Association president Giorgos Patoulis with Chinese officials and academics during his two-day visit to Hefei, capital of Anhui province.

In particular, Mr. Patoulis visited the Medical School of the University of the city, at the invitation of the Rector’s Authorities, where he was guided by the president of the University Peng Daiyin, the director of the International Affairs Service Zhou Yandong and executives of the academic community and local authorities in facilities of the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the largest university unit in the world with this subject. Mr. Patoulis was accompanied on the visit by the vice-president of ELITOUR Kontantinos Pantos and the president of the World Hippocratic Institute of Physicians Antonis Polydorou.

The ceremony

In a special ceremony at the University library for the announcement of Mr. Patoulis as an honorary member of the city’s Medical Association, the regional governor said, among other things: “Anhui is the homeland of Chinese traditional medicine. In Attica, the Hippocratic spirit flourished, which determined the course of Western medicine until today. The centuries-old tradition of our two Regions is a field of fruitful collaborations for the benefit of all humanity. After the pandemic crisis, humanity is looking for solutions that will ensure public health and the well-being of citizens. The coupling of traditional and modern medicine offers new perspectives in research and the provision of better quality health services. We are willing to do everything in our power to make it easier and more efficient to work with Anhui’s scientific and medical staff – an initiative that can make the greatest contribution to public health and create new business and research horizons.”

In a symbolic move, the bust of Hippocrates was placed in the Medical School area, while the Secretary General of the State Committee for Anhui Wang Qi offered the Greek delegation the statue of the father of Chinese Medicine Hua Tuo as a commemorative gift. The regional governor invited the six deans of the Medical School in Attica next October, for an official visit to the Medical Association of Athens.

At the Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic

Afterwards, Mr. Patoulis visited the Clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the Anhui University Hospital, where he was guided by the management of the institution to the areas of preparation of medicinal preparations from plant materials produced in the region and the clinics providing wellness and rehabilitation services using traditional chiropractic methods . Mr. Patoulis also visited the Assisted Reproduction Center of the University Hospital, where he was informed about the new methods applied by the medical and research staff, as well as about the upcoming operation of an IVF unit that will be inaugurated there soon.

“Health and wellness tourism is one of the main development bets of the Attica Region” said Mr. Patoulis after the visit and added: “Traditional Chinese medicine, which has flourished in Anhui for more than two millennia, provides methods and tools that – combined with the Hippocratic tradition and ethics – can be leveraged to provide even better services to the international visitor. We should also not overlook that our country has one of the most flexible institutional frameworks and the most modern infrastructures for assisted reproduction. Developing further cooperation with the Chinese market is vital to the development of health tourism. Attiki is ready to welcome and serve with absolute adequacy the friendly residents of Anhui, but also of the whole of China, who will want to come to our country for these reasons”