Global competition is emerging in the health care industry. Wealthy patients from developing countries have long traveled to developed countries for high quality medical care. Now, a growing number of less-affluent patients from developed countries are traveling to regions once characterized as "third world". These patients seek high-quality medical care at affordable prices. Added bonus: medical tourists get to see another part of the world.

The world is moving at a faster pace than ever before. Technology is advancing considerably and people from varied backgrounds and geographic situations are now able to communicate and interact instantly. The development of health systems in the world has been particularly slow to this transition and organizations all over the world continue to strive to meet these changes by searching for ways to create better access to health care.

On behalf of the Geneva University Hospitals, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva, and the Forum Organizing Committee, we are delighted to welcome you to the Geneva Forum: Towards Global Access to Health. This second edition of the Geneva Health Forum comes as the result of the success of the first Forum, which took place end of August 2006.