Calcutta as a Medical Tourism Destination in India

chillibreeze writer — Dalia Dey

What is Medical Tourism?

Medical Tourism is one of the new buzzwords in today’s globalized world. It can be broadly defined as the process by which patients who need surgical and other forms of specialized treatment can avail 'cost effective' private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry. This process has been enabled by the corporate sector involved in medical care as well as the tourism industry - both private and public.

Why India?

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For such tourists, India is one of the most favored destinations mainly for two reasons. Firstly quality treatment can be availed at a reasonable cost and secondly, there are a vast variety of gorgeous tourist spots in India. And an added gain is the personalized care.

In the past mainly Ayurvedic and herbal treatments from India were popular around the globe. But now, India is also gaining recognition for path breaking and conventional medical treatment at a reasonably low cost. Among other procedures, heart surgery and hip resurfacing are the areas where India excels. Both the government and private hospitals are serious about health tourism and various hospitals with world class medical facilities and super speciality hospitals are cropping up in India to cater to the need of the day. Health tourism is being promoted through events like the Medical Tourism Exhibition held in London. A number of super speciality hospitals across the country took part in the fair to attract tourists across the globe.

Health tourists from countries across the world like the USA, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Europe, Maldives, Germany and numerous other countries are coming to India for medical treatment. The areas in which India is renowned for its expertise are cosmetic surgery, dental care, heart surgery, coronary bypass, heart check up, valve replacement, knee replacement, organ transplant, eye surgery, Indian traditional treatments like Ayurvedic therapies and much more, practically covering every aspect of medicine and combining modern treatments with traditional experience.

In Europe a liver transplant costs $140,000 and it is double in the US. However, in India it would cost approximately $45,000. Another example is heart surgery. In the US, the costing could be somewhere between $30,000 and $45,000. But the same surgery could be done in India for as around $5000.

In Asia, patients from countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Mauritius and Pakistan prefer to come to India due to non-availability of quality treatment in their own countries. In this market India has to compete with Thailand and Singapore. To attract patients from abroad private hospitals have their own marketing departments and they sometimes also have overseas offices which have a tie up with the travel industry and embassies.

Kolkata – One of the Most Important Medical Tourism Spots in India

Kolkata is gaining importance on the health tourism map in India due to its advantageous location and also due to the cost aspect. According to a study by McKinsey and the Confederation of Indian Industries, India could earn as much as USD $2.3 billion through medical tourism over the next six years. The Government of West Bengal also expressed its willingness to support this industry and is working together with the private sector to achieve the target. Official statistics record that in 2005 over 1,50,000 patients came mostly from Europe and the Middle East and this is expected to rise by 30 percent annually. Super specialty hospitals are also getting prepared to cope with the rising demand of health tourism.

Hospitals of Kolkata

B M Birla Heart Centre

The BM Birla Heart Research Centre is one of the renowned super-specialty hospitals of Kolkata owned by the GP-CK Birla group. This unit is dedicated solely to the diagnosis, treatment and research cardiovascular diseases. This is the first hospital in India, which has accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Service Providers (NABH). Patients are conscious of the standards of service and prefer hospitals, which are authenticated by an accredited and established body. Apart from Indian patients the center has treated patients from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Kenya and other neighbouring countries. It has expertise in cardiac surgery and special reconstruction operations on infants.

Ruby General Hospital

Another state-of-the-art super speciality establishment in Kolkata is Ruby General Hospital. It introduced the unique Patient's Bill of Rights and plans to set up a world-class breast treatment center soon, which will be manned by breast surgeons, cancer specialists and plastic and reconstructive surgeons.

The “Patient's Bill of Rights” is similar to the one exercised by patients in the US. According to this right a patient is entitled to know the updated and relevant information about the diagnosis and treatment offered to him/her. Not only that, patients also receive detailed information about the medical professionals and nursing staff involved in their treatment. On the basis of this information a patient can make their decision. Presently this hospital attracts patients from Eastern India, Nepal, Bhutan and the United Kingdom.

Apart from this, Ruby General is the first NRI Doctor's Hospital in India and the first hospital in Eastern India to get the ISO 9001:2000 accreditation. Complicated cases ranging from pediatric cardiac surgery to dialysis have been dealt with in this hospital by a team of experienced doctors who have been guided by reputed NRI doctors.

Apollo Gleneagles Hospital

The Apollo Group of hospitals has an arrangement with the tour operator, ‘Indian Holiday’, which offers a complete medical tourism package to the patient, which includes:

Complete medical check up in India
All transportation, accommodation and travel needs
Arrangement for full treatment at super-speciality hospital etc.

The Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata spans around 8.5 acres and has 325 beds. The Apollo Group and the Parkway Group of Singapore jointly run the hospital, which has 7 super specialty operation theatres and several centers of excellence.

For restructuring its medical tourism initiative, Apollo is now planning to integrate its company-owned telemedicine and information centres in international markets through the franchisee route. Apollo is thinking of opening branches in South-east Asia, West Asia, Africa, UK and USA through this model. They have already operationalised five overseas clinics in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and two in Bangladesh and are in the process of negotiating for another 5-6 set-ups in Bangladesh, two in Pakistan and one each in Dubai, Bahrain, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Singapore, Philippines, London and Chicago.

Apart from these super-speciality hospitals there are others which excel in cardiac treatements like Belle Vue Clinic, Calcutta Medical Research Institute, Wockhardt Hospital And Heart Institute and Kothari Medical Centre, to name a few.

In Kolkata patients come mainly from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal to avail quality medical care at reasonable costs. Recently, both the Government of West Bengal and private service providers are working to encourage the practice of medical tourism. This endeavor should be able to reap maximum benefits if there is improved air and road connectivity between Kolkata and the neighbouring countries.

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—About our writer: Dalia writes for chillbreeze.