MEDICAL TOURISM EARNINGS TO GROW BY Rs.8000 CRORES IN 2012

MEDICAL TOURISM EARNINGS TO GROW BY Rs.8000 CRORES IN 2012

By: Bharat Ratna

Easy access of Visa facilities often permitted by India to overseas patients coupled with best emerging medical infrastructure facilities in its large and tertiary towns, prospects of India Medical Tourism becoming a lead foreign exchange earners will grow to an extent of Rs. 8000 crore by 2012.

What is Medical Tourism?

India offers World Class Medical Facilities, comparable with any of the western countries. India has state of the art Hospitals and the best qualified doctors, nurses & other quality services. With the best infrastructure, the best possible Medical facilities, accompanied with the most competitive prices, you can get the treatment done in India at the lowest charges.

Medical Tourism India - Where the entire world meets for the best in Health Care

India has one of the best qualified professionals in each and every field, and this fact has now been realized the world over. Regarding Medical Facilities India has the most competent doctors and world class Medical Facilities. Medical Tourism in India is one of the best options available to people across the globe. Millions come every year to get treated and then enjoy their recuperative holidays across India. People from different walks of life cut across the entire span of the globe come to India to have their treatments done with peace of mind. India provides world class medical facilities with hospitals and specialized multi specialty health centers providing their expertise in the areas of Cosmetic Surgery, Dental care, Heart Surgeries, Coronary Bypass, Heart Check up, Valve replacements, Knee Replacements, Eye surgeries, Indian traditional treatments like Ayurvedic Therapies and much more, practically covering every aspect of medicine combining modern treatments with traditional experience.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) arrived above foreign exchange earnings on Prospects of Medical Tourism. Under the supervision of its Health Committee chaired by Chairman, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr. B K Rao in which other lead doctors from Medicity, Moolchand, AIIMS, Max etc. are involved.

Releasing the ASSOCHAM estimates, its President, Mr. Venugopal N. Dhoot  pointed out that currently, the earnings accrued through medical tourism annually are estimated at Rs.3500 crore. The future foreign exchange earnings are estimated around Rs.8000 crores in 2012.

The primary reasons as to why medical tourism would flourish in India include much more lower medical costs for various ailments such as bone marrow transparent, bye-pass surgery, knee surgery and liver transplant as compared to western countries. This medical tourism also attracts some extent the real tourism by foreigners to see the tourist places of interest in India.

As a result of higher and very expensive medical costs in the western countries, patients from economies of scale including Africa, Gulf and various Asian countries have started exploring medical treatment in hospitals located in various well-to do places in India because its medical infrastructure has geared up to provide them non-subsidized medical treatment at much more lower costs which are many times considered reasonable, adds Mr. Dhoot.

India would emerge as a lead hub for excellent medical treatment and medical tourism due to its high quality professional doctors, nurses and other services of hospitals. Our hospitals have the strength of highly qualified medical professionals and even equally available of professional nurses.  India has about 7 lakh qualified doctors and number of qualified nursing graduates and diploma holders are equally good and of high professional caliber who are content and satisfied with reasonable professional feels.

A comparison of treatment costs is given in the tabulated form, comparing India?s cost of medical treatment with countries such as USA, UK and Thailand :

Comparison of Treatment cost ($)

This said Mr. Dhoot is the major advantage which works in favour of India as a result of which movement of patients from various developing and developed countries would shift towards India as its hospital infrastructure is not only confined to large metros but equally getting better in tertiary towns in which the cost of living is still lower with quality of supreme nature.

Still other reasons for medical tourism getting wide spread in India are because of its strength of traditional treatment in homeopathy, naturopathy, ayurvedic, unani etc.  which are becoming popular because of their non-side effects, said Mr. Dhoot.

The Indian healthcare policy is getting adequately recognized from the policy makers as in India health spends in proportion to its GDP is about 1% which the government is gradually trying to increase.  The increase in health GDP ratio would amount to proliferation of new health facilities as well as their centres for patients and such centres of excellence will finally be able to accommodate overseas patients as with increasing health facilities, its health infrastructure would still move for better and find acceptance in great deal of patients. Therefore, the prospects of medical tourism in India would be of super facilities and holds an excellent future, said Mr. Dhoot