Competitiveness of Pomeranian pro-health offer
"In the Pomeranian Voivodeship, as a unique region in terms of health tourism development opportunities, the 'Pomeranian Pro-Health Offer' conference was held last month, organized by the Proturmed Foundation. The event also aimed to showcase various aspects of health in the context of tourism development.
"Marta Chełkowska, Director of the Tourism and Sports Department of the Pomeranian Marshal's Office, opened the conference, emphasizing the importance of health tourism for the region's development. Mariusz Arent and Anna Białk-Wolf presented the concept of the 'Pomeranian Health Information Booklet,' covering topics such as health parks, the availability and diversity of pro-health services. Łukasz Wysocki, President of the Gdańsk Tourist Organization, discussed Gdańsk's pioneering activities in terms of accessibility. Dr. Tadeusz Jędrzejczyk, Deputy Director of the Health Department, highlighted the importance of clean air for the health of tourists and residents. Joanna Małaczyńska-Rentfleisz, Director of the Therapy, Education, and Sports Activation Center for Children run by the Sport na Zdrowie Foundation, presented the benefits of our sea and brine. Dr. Joanna Rayss discussed the role of parks as part of the city's green infrastructure. Eng. Jarosław Jędrzejewski, Director of the Wejherowo Municipal Property Management, talked about the value of the municipal park in Wejherowo.
"During the debate that was part of the conference, there was a discussion about the directions for the healthy development of the region. During the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, proposals emerged regarding, among others, the removal of barriers by changing attitudes and ways of thinking, redefining costs, and the cooperation of pro-health facilities with the tourism industry and local governments.
It must be consistently emphasized that prevention is cheaper than treatment. We are part of the ecosystem and should strive to have a positive impact on its functioning. We dream of a city with clean air, accessible, to which tourists who respect nature and the local community come.
The topics discussed at the conference align with other issues being developed in our voivodeship. Barbara Mudlaff, director of the office of the 'Northern Kashubia' Tourist Association, highlighted the idea of creating a strong ecotherapy center in the region, particularly bird therapy. This is a strategic topic for Norda, named 'Norda – Land of Birds.' Janina Kaczmar, president of the Pomeranian Farm of Life, which runs a specialized facility for adults with autism, emphasized that people with disabilities generally do not have the opportunity to take advantage of tourist attractions and public swimming pools. 'Due to specific physical and intellectual limitations, they require conditions tailored to their needs. Our facility has created an appropriate structure around the object, but is currently trying to create a microforest, a sensory path, and a brine pool for the needs of our dependents – adults with complete autism dependency. However, the enormous problem is the lack of funding opportunities for such costs in grant projects. Our only hope is Donors and Sponsors who we are looking for,' adds President Janina Kaczmar. Agnieszka Kowalczyk, director of the MSWiA Spa Sanatorium in Sopot, emphasizes that 'currently, there is a very serious crisis in the concept of spa treatment and the need for its transformation. The role of spa treatment services in the health care system, including rehabilitation care, needs to be clarified. Spa facilities need to be directed towards current health needs (coordinated care, quality of life, lifestyle diseases, senior policy, children's and youth health, new treatment directions: oncological convalescence, psychosomatic diseases). It was important to connect the conference topics, broadly understood pro-health, with the functioning of spas
Health tourism in our region has the potential to become the most important tourist product, which can be beneficial for both tourists and residents, in line with the idea of sustainable development. Promoting the idea of healthy leisure must go hand in hand with the promotion and sale of our Pomeranian tourist product. Without the involvement, including investment from entrepreneurs with parallel support from local governments, our region will not achieve the intended effects. Therefore, there is a need for synergy in the joint actions of the public and private sectors to create Pomerania as a healthy region while maintaining sustainable tourism development. The project called Pomeranian Health Information Booklet, implemented by the Proturmed Foundation is an example of coherent actions aimed at building the brand of the Pomeranian region, recognizable and competitive on the tourism map of health regions in Europe and worldwide.
The author: dr Anna Białk-Wolf
A report from the conference “Pomeranian Pro-Health Offer” on the pages of “Always Pomerania” Pomorze jako region zdrowia. Debata dotycząca zdrowotnych aspektów regionu,