| The Government is taking serious initiatives in this | | | | the year 2004, Approx 1,50,000 medical tourists have |
| regards and plans to start overseas marketing of | | | | visited India. |
| India as a medical tourismdestination. The Medical | | | | What makes it so attractive? Primary is the cost |
| tourism is a term coined which covers patients | | | | factor. The medical costs in India are a fraction of |
| travelling across the globe for tourism purposes | | | | the costs in the US/Europe. For instance, a heart |
| clubbing their requirements for treatment of acute | | | | surgery costs $6,000 in India as against $30,000 in |
| illness, elective surgeries such as cardiology, hip | | | | the US. Similarly, a bone marrow transplant costs |
| replacement, knee replacement,etc. government of | | | | $26,000 in India as compared to $2,50,000 in the US. |
| India is of the opinion that by marketing | | | | Foreign patients throng Indian hospitals to pass up |
| India as a global medical tourism destination, it could | | | | the long waiting lists and queues in their native |
| capitalise on the low-cost, high-quality medical care | | | | countries. The NHS patients in UK have to wait for |
| available in the country. India, touted as one of the | | | | months for Hip/Knee replacements surgery. Indian |
| favourite destinations for information technology | | | | hospitals provide immediate attention to patients |
| majors, is currently emerging as the chosen | | | | rather than asking them to wait for several months |
| destination for medical or health tourism. The | | | | like in most western countries. |
| Government of India, State tourism boards, travel | | | | India’s top notch private hospitals like Apollo, |
| agents, tour operators, hotel companies and private | | | | Fortis, Max HealthCare have gained international |
| sector hospitals are exploring the medical tourism | | | | recognition for their state-of-the-art facilities and |
| industry for tremendous opportunities. They are | | | | diagnostic centres besides unsurpassed technical skills. |
| seeking to capitalise on the opportunities by | | | | Their technology and procedures are state of the art |
| combining the country’s popular leisure tourism | | | | and on par with hospitals in developed nations. |
| with medical tourism. | | | | Foreign patients can get attractive package deals |
| Industry projections? Statistics estimate that the | | | | including flights, transfers, hotels, treatment and |
| medical tourism industry in India is currently worth | | | | post-operative vacation for their medical visits to |
| $333 million (Rs 1,500 crore) while a study by | | | | India. India has some world class SPAs and Ayurvedic |
| CII-McKinsey estimates that the country could well | | | | facilities which help recuperation and healing. |
| earn Rs 5,000-10,000 crore by the year 2012. The | | | | Some Top India Hospitals Include Apollo, Fortis, Max |
| Indian medical tourism industry, growing at an | | | | Healthcare, Escorts, AIIMs, Wockhardt, etc. A few |
| annualised rate of 30 percent, caters to patients | | | | good Medical tourism providers are TaMedical.com, |
| chiefly from the US, Europe and Africa. Although in its | | | | India4health.com, and |
| nascent stage, the industry is outpacing similar | | | | With time more and more visitors will flock to this |
| industries of other countries such as Greece, South | | | | part of the globe for their treatment and relaxtion |
| Africa, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore. In | | | | needs. |