Risk of Health Tourism and Rehabilitation Segment in Serbia During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused global changes that have affected the health sector, the economic sector, the social sector, as well as the sectors of interpersonal and social relations. Although health systems have become at the forefront of defense against the virus, other health sectors that focus on chronic diseases, new diseases, monitoring, rehabilitation, and various other forms of treatment have been put on the agenda. Unfortunately, the same fate befell the health tourism and rehabilitation sector. The problem can also be defined in the fact that the rehabilitation of insured persons who are entitled to it through the National Health Insurance Fund is carried out to a much lesser extent. The spa centers of Serbia were in the red zone of the covid system on two occasions during 2020-2021, which affected the complete absence of rehabilitation. After returning to the basic system of work, due to security measures that primarily have a physical distance, the capacities are significantly reduced. New expectations in tourism will require new standards, and the same will apply to health tourism and rehabilitation as its important sector. Although tourism has often fallen into crisis in recent decades and required the action of crisis management, it was still short-lived about the state of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic will require long-term crisis management. What is the path to recovery, and will we go back to the old way?