India is Fast Becoming the Preferred Destination for Medical Tourism

chillibreeze writer —Chandrika Sandeep

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Bangalore: A Guide for
Medical Tourists

India, touted as the favourite destination for information technology majors, is currently emerging as a preferred destination for medical or health tourism. The Government of India, State tourism boards, travel agents, tour operators, hotel companies and private sector hospitals are exploring the medical tourism industry for tremendous opportunities. They are seeking to capitalise on the opportunities by combining the country’s popular leisure tourism with medical tourism.

What makes India attractive?

The Indian medical tourism industry, growing at an annual rate of 30 percent, caters to patients chiefly from the US, Europe, West Asia and Africa. Although in its nascent stage, the industry is outsmarting similar industries of other countries such as Greece, South Africa, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. In 2004, 1,50,000 medical tourists have visited India.

What makes it so attractive?

Foremost is the cost factor. The medical costs in India are one-tenth of the costs in western countries. For instance, a heart surgery costs $6,000 in India as against $30,000 in the US. Similarly, a bone marrow transplant costs $26,000 in India as compared to $2,50,000 in the US.
Secondly, foreign patients throng Indian hospitals to pass up the long waiting lists and queues in their native countries. Indian hospitals provide immediate attention to patients rather than asking them to wait for several months like in most western countries. Further, foreign patients need not tackle insurance and national medical systems in India as they have to in their native lands.
India offers the best treatments in modern medicine and in every medical division such as cardiology, orthopaedic surgery, eye care, gynaecology, cosmetic surgery and dental surgery. It also provides traditional methods of treatment such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Naturopathy and Yoga.
India’s private hospitals have gained international recognition for their state-of-the-art facilities and diagnostic centres besides unsurpassed skills. Their technology and procedures are on par with hospitals in developed nations.
Foreign patients can get package deals including flights, transfers, hotels, treatment and post-operative vacation for their medical visits to India.
Many foreign patients prefer to combine their leisure and relaxation visits to India with healthcare.
The Government of India has declared that treating of foreign patients is legal. It is encouraging medical tourism in the country by offering tax breaks and export incentives to participating hospitals. In addition, the Government has cleared medical visas.

Who’s in it?

The chief cities attracting foreign patients to India are Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai. Similarly, the speciality hospitals excelling in the medical tourism industry in the country are:

Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Limited, New Delhi
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi
Manipal Heart Foundation, Bangalore
B. M. Birla Heart Research Centre, Kolkata
Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai
Wockhardt Hospitals
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai
PD Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai
Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai
Apollo Hospital, Delhi
Apollo Cancer Hospital, Chennai

How can the trend be further encouraged?

The medical tourism industry in India is presently earning revenues of $333 million. Encouraged by the incredible pace of growth exhibited by the industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and McKinsey have predicted that the industry will grow to earn additional revenue of $2.2 billion by 2012.

With a view to facilitating the medical tourism industry to achieve the targets and to give greater momentum for its growth, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare together with the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of India has set up a Task Force. The Task Force will evaluate the opportunities in the industry and formulate a policy for accrediting healthcare institutions in the country. The accreditation programme is aimed at classifying health service providers on the basis of infrastructure and quality of services offered. It is expected to standardise procedures and facilitate foreign patients in selecting the best hospitals.

Meanwhile, several hospitals in the country are seeking to take advantage of the booming medical tourism industry. They are investing largely in acquiring equipments, size and skills.

To provide for brighter prospects for the industry, the hospitals can also acquire international accreditation, integrate traditional and clinical treatments and offer end-to-end value added services by tying up with tour operators, airline carriers and hotel companies. Hospitals can also allow foreign patients to pay through credit and ensure proper support services to foreign patients after they return to their native countries.

Lastly, the Government of India can also reinforce its support through quick visa processing, improved flight connectivity and infrastructure development.

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Chandrika writes for chillibreeze

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