Testimonials

If I were someone else, and didn’t work in Rusfond, which gives parents the final say on where their children will undergo surgery, I would be guided by the principle of “Only in Barcelona”. And only under the guidance that Olga Solovieva and her team provides. But unfortunately in Russia we still know relatively little about the wide world of clinics in this brilliant city. We met by chance (Rusfond was studying bone marrow donor records at the Josep Carreras Foundation in Barcelona) and Olga opened our eyes to the universe of magnificent local hospitals. Back home, I just had to publish a series of articles about them… and about the first children cured in Barcelona! Bravo, Olga!

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in Russia during a “simple” operation to remove a small “cyst”. It turned out to be advanced-stage cancer. It was December 2011, I was 41 years old and my youngest son only five.

It was really tough. It felt like the earth under my feet was falling sinking…my husband began searching online for the best place to get the most accurate diagnosis and treatment. Germany, Switzerland, Israel…by chance he came across information about oncology in Spain. We wrote them a letter and quickly received a clear response with a fully detailed explanation of everything.

Which is how I arrived at the Hospital Quiron’s IOB Oncology Institute in Barcelona in January 2012. The first thing that impressed us was the program of diagnostic tests: everything was completed quickly, thoroughly and competently (the difference compared to my previous experience was particularly remarkable!). The doctors asked me everything about my family history, I drew diagrams and explained them in detail, they looked for the genes involved in my disease, they explained to me thoroughly what should be done to beat the cancer and exactly how it would be done. I had a long way to go: surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but I would be completely healed at the end of the journey. Understanding this gave me strength. It turned out that my diagnosis was not a death sentence.
I’d like to highlight the excellent work of the BMC team, which took care of organizing and coordinating my treatment. Everything was so competent, accurate, fast and comfortable, with such a positive and sensitive attitude that it felt more like a vacation than a complex medical treatment! And, of course, this was enormously important at such a difficult time…

Dear Olga and all your team, I want to say a huge thank you for your professional and simply compassionate support! I wish you all happiness, health and lots of luck!
Now, about the doctors who have become part of my life over these past seven years…Dr. Cortés, my doctor, the oncologist who was in charge of the treatment strategy. He isn’t just perfectly professional: it’s no surprise that he is one of the most well-renowned oncologists in Europe. The beauty, sensitivity, charm and positivity he exudes are amazing. His genuine sincerity, warm words, optimism and fighting spirit infect patients, and a touch of light humor – all this is priceless in the oncology unit. We always hug the Dr. Cortés like old friends when I go back once a year for a check-up visit!

I adore Dr. Pérez, Dr. Cortes’ “right hand” man! He’s a competent, intelligent and extremely attentive specialist! Dr. Isabel Rubio is an incredibly strong surgeon with golden hands. Dr. Rengifo, my plastic surgeon, a sensitive, gentle, and attentive doctor…and a perfectionist. Dr. Casals, director of the Department of Radiotherapy, head of an outstanding organization and immensely compassionate treatment. Dr. Ramon y Cajal – geneticist, a doctor who changed my preconceptions about cancer. After testing my genetics, she was able to answer many questions that I had. A formidable team that treats the patient with such a serious diagnosis exactly as a team should: in harmony and perfect coordination.

Faced with a terrible diagnosis, when one needs maximum support, the patient finds so many wonderful things in the simplest of facts in Barcelona: a sensible and well thought-out treatment plan, a welcoming and clean clinic, a warm atmosphere, sincere attention from doctors and nurses.

Now, many years later, I still return to the IOB once a year for routine checkups. The disease is a thing of the past, and my trips here are ones of joy and peace. In this years since my disease we even bought a house in Spain…something that never occurred to me before I got sick.

Thank you very much to all the experts who I had the good fortune to meet in Barcelona. Thank you for your excellent professionalism, love for your work, sensitivity and warm attitude with each patient! Everyone who is responsible for the lives of others should be exactly like you!

With deep respect

Thanks to its commitment to patients and the excellent services and support it provides, Barcelona Medical Consulting managed to gain our trust and become an essential component in foreign patient care for anyone who chooses our hospital for the specialized neurorehabilitation that they need.

The professionalism and sensitivity of BMC Director Olga Solovieva has made it possible to build ties with leading public and private institutions in the countries with which we collaborate.

BMC, the company run by Olga Solovieva, has been collaborating with our hospital for years and has earned a solid reputation. I would like to highlight the personalization of the advice they provide families, the agility in their work and the excellent communication they have with the team at our hospital. This outstanding performance has made Olga Solovieva one of our top ambassadors in the countries where she works.

We will continue working with BMC to offer the best treatment and best care to children and adolescents in other countries.

Coincidence? Our volunteer Olga Solovieva, who worked with us on the weekends at the Children’s Clinical Hospital in Moscow during the tough years of the ’90s, ended up being our collaborator in Barcelona 10 years ago after turning her volunteer work into a career in the healthcare field; today, she’s a leading figure at hospitals in Spain.

Her team has organized treatment in Barcelona for several children who receive help from our Foundation. And what was achieved in Barcelona completely changed the lives of these children. Naturally, it’s the doctors who deserve credit, but also the attitude of all the staff: of how they treat patients with a sense of responsibility and…love. Olga and her team are still great friends of the Foundation. And today, thanks to their support, we have launched a new rehabilitation program in Moscow.
In short: we don’t believe in coincidence! And we know that we still have many great things to do together!

We were scared when we traveled to a new country that spoke a language we did not understand for treatment for my daughter Anna. But as soon as we arrived, we were met by Ilsia, the BMC coordinator, who explained everything to us and provided constant support. Anything we didn’t understand, we could call her any time of the day or night. A lovely woman, an excellent professional and simply a good and very understanding person. Many thanks to Ilsia for surrounding us with warmth so far from home!

Anna has a serious heart disease, pulmonary atresia, and has undergone prolonged treatment in different countries from the age of two. Dr. Abella suggested placing a valve in the pulmonary artery. We were so emotional and scared of the unknown the day she was admitted. But after the operation, as if by magic, all the fears just melted away.

What amazing doctors, who provide support and explain everything to you! Nurses always ready to listen and help you. After a couple of days the language barrier seems to disappear! And what can I say about the doctors…what skill!

I’d like to give a special thanks to Dr. Abella. A doctor with hands of gold. We sought treatment for Anna in different countries for years so we have many points of comparison. And if we had to choose again, we’d choose Dexeus Hospital without hesitation. Excellent doctors, extremely well-coordinated staff who know how to do their jobs, very welcoming rooms…and you can stay with your child in the ICU unit, which is really important for parents! Thank you very much and I wish you all good luck in your hard work. And thank you again for putting a smile on our daughter’s face!

With respect, the family of Anna Kashirina

BMC Director Olga Solovieva is an excellent professional with extensive experience in defining and developing international business strategies.

With the Catalan Tourist Board we had the opportunity to actively contribute to promoting health tourism in Eastern Europe and Middle Eastern markets.

The work she has done at Barcelona Medical Center, at Barcelona Medical Agency and now at Barcelona Medical Consulting has always been efficient and laser-focused on providing excellence in customer service.

I want to express my gratitude to the Barcelona Medical Consulting team and particularly to director Olga Solovieva for the high level of professionalism in the organization and implementation of a series of courses for the directors of Moscow’s major medical organizations. Thank you for the intense program, which responded to even the most demanding requests, for the structured, thorough and exciting presentation, for the brilliant selection of subjects and professionals, for the self-imposed standards, perfectionism and careful attention to every detail. We hope to continue collaborating and we value Barcelona Medical Consulting as a trusted partner of the University.

Our first experience with medical care in Spain was in May 2012 when a recurrence of vesicoureteral reflux was detected during an ultrasound in our hometown of Komsomolsk on Amur. Later I found out that it’s impossible to reach this diagnosis with an ultrasound, but that came later…but at the time it meant another operation, and we had already gone through four. The last one had been six months before, which they had assured us would be the last and that we’d never have to go back into the operating room again. I don’t even want to describe all the horrors that we had to go through.

But, thanks to this scary new diagnosis, my family and I decided to do the operation abroad and confirm the diagnosis there. They gave us a week to decide. It was either go into emergency surgery in Khaborovsk or go wherever you want. I was all over the internet that next week. I spoke with other mothers, I subscribed to all possible groups…I wrote to Korea, Israel, Switzerland; and then, like a gift from heaven, a volunteer in one of the VKontacte communities responded to my story asking me why I was considering these countries and not Spain, which is second only to the United States in terms of nephrology and andrology.

I wrote to Spain. The response was almost immediate and included an approximate budget for any of the possible scenarios. So we understood what we were in for and what to expect according to different situations. By the way, Korea answered us when we were already in Spain; Switzerland gave us such an expensive budget (and for only a week of tests!) that we wouldn’t have been able to pay for it even if we had sold our apartment and car.

So we made it to Barcelona! We were greeted by the most charming, wonderful person, our Ilsia. We didn’t know it then, but our relationship would last for many years. It took three days to do all the tests and medical exams. In Russia it took a month running constantly all over the place with no clear answer at the end of it all. All it did was cause incredible stress for the mother and baby. So only three days of tests was like a dream. With staff that shows neither indifference nor hysteria. Where everything is geared towards helping the patient, where the tests are treated like a game, with jokes, cartoons…you might think all this costs a lot of money, but when you take everything into consideration it isn’t. After having spent two and a half years clashing with the medical care in my country and having mentally aged 20 years and with a two-year-old son who has the pancreas of a 16-year-old instead of a healthy one for his age, the €300 price tag for a test in Barcelona seems like nothing. And it’s just one benefit; I could list a million of them.

I am infinitely grateful for everything they did for us. We had an appointment with the doctor after the third day, my first appointment with a doctor that changed my life completely. He simply divided it into two parts: before and after. To tell the truth, I was already morally prepared to hear anything…but I wasn’t prepared for what Dr. Rodo told me. The conversation began with the following: “Why did you come here if everything is perfect and there is no recurrence?” To say that we were in shock is an understatement; we couldn’t believe what we were hearing. Then we had a long conversation with the Doctor and it seemed like the universe was starting to smile on us. We stopped doing everything they had told us to do back in Russia. We stopped taking the medications that had been prescribed for us over the past two and a half years. We could finally breathe easy and start living a full life. My husband tossed out all the medicine. They allowed us to go to the nursery. And most importantly, although more gradually: my family and I finally stopped living in the state of anxiety we had been in for years. This is just one of the three trips we’ve made to Spain; the other two were also special. If anyone would like to know more, please write or call me: burcev-v@list.ru or 89098660606.

I never get tired of thanking all those who have been by our side all these years. They managed to do the impossible and welcomed us when it was practically impossible to do so. They came to us and helped us in so many ways: that’s something really valuable in a foreign country with two children. Ilsia, thank you very much for everything again! You’ve done so much for us!

And this is just the beginning of our adventures with Spanish medical care and Barcelona Medical Consulting.

In October of 2017 I had the good fortune to be admitted to the Guttmann clinic in Barcelona: when I got there I had left-sided hemiparesis. The center’s specialists put all of their efforts into recovering the mobility of my leg and arm. The results were astounding: I got 80% function back in my arm after just one month of rehab. It was a complete shock, because in Belarus all the specialists told me that I’d never be able to use my arm again!

I’d like to especially mention our coordinator Ilsia Ibraguimova, who took care of me as if we were old friends. She was more than my interpreter: she was my fairy godmother. I would like to express my gratitude to the management team at Institut Guttmann and to BMC coordinator Ilsia Ibraguimova.

I had suffered a major setback in Morocco as a result of a failed surgery that had serious health consequences for me. Which is why I was forced to seek a treatment solution outside the country, which was possible through the outstanding administrative services that Barcelona Medical Consulting provides. BMC gave me all the support I could possible need, starting with the invitation, file preparation, etc. All doubts, issues and procedures were resolved incredibly easily and impeccably.

The same can be said about BarnaClinic, where I received excellent treatment from the medical and nursing staff, who provided all the treatment and care I needed. Every step of the operation took place under the best conditions, and the surgery was a success, which gave me hope for a better life.

Which is why I’d like to take this opportunity to express my immense gratitude and respect for Barcelona Medical Consulting, which took over the organizational and administrative part of my treatment, and for BarnaClinic, who took full charge of all medical treatment. As a result, the operation was a success, and I now have an optimistic outlook on the future.

Both my impression of and experience at the Institut Guttman, and those of my husband, were nothing but excellent during the month I was there for treatment for an issue with spasticity in one leg.

Guttman’s fully equipped and modern facilities and equipment more than meet the needs and requirements of the patients who go there for help. The staff is exceedingly professional and provides a kindness and attention that make you feel at home, surrounded by love, trust and hope.

Even though my issue couldn’t be completely resolved, due to factors inherent to human nature like my age, as far as I’m concerned the treatment, along with the friendly staff, helped me to gain better balance, stability and autonomy, which means that I can move around more normally and continue to enjoy my walks and hikes, the greatest pleasures of my life.

My husband and I have become promoters of the Institut and tell anyone who will hear it about their standards of quality, professionalism and the staffs’ warmth and compassion.

Honestly, we only have the warmest memories of you all and we wish you all the success and happiness in the world.

Hugs to all!

I went into surgery at the QUIRON Clinic in Barcelona on May 17, 2013, to remove a sigmoid colon tumor.

The clinic’s cutting-edge equipment and flawless planning, the attentive and sensitive attitude of the medical staff and the highly qualified specialists made a huge impact on me.

I would like give a special thanks to my surgeon Antonio de Lacy and his team, who performed a six-hour operation whose success ultimately depended on their incredible skills and experience.

I would also like to thank Dr. Tabernero and his team at the IOB Oncology Institute, who performed an additional postoperative treatment six months out with excellent results.

And a special word of thanks to my coordinator Ilsia Ibraguimova for her sensitivity, kindness and courtesy. She always took the time to give us a true understanding of what was going on according to the results of the tests, not to mention her quick organizational management.

Thanks also to the staff at the QUIRON clinic. My very best to all the staff that helped me during my treatment, especially to Liliya Zagretdinova and Asel Shamsutdinova for their help and attention.

My little girl was diagnosed with precocious puberty at just a year-and-a-half old: first by the endocrinology center in Donetsk, then in Kharkov and then in Kiev. And when they prescribed hormones that she’d have to inject until puberty, I decided to go abroad. A friend recommended the Hospital Sant Joan de Deu in Barcelona, where her son had been cured of stage 4 cancer! The clinic actually looks like a spaceship, another world…We did all the tests, and you can imagine how I felt when they told me that all her tests came back normal and that nothing confirmed the diagnosis of precocious puberty?! I’m still overwhelmed with emotion! Thank you so much for everything! Once again it’s been proved that nothing is easy when it comes to medical care in the Ukraine. I’m afraid to imagine what could have happened to my daughter if it hadn’t been for your clinic.