We all know that in a lay man’s terms medical and tourism do not go hand in hand. Thinking about medical facilities twenty years back one could always picture sad, worried, arrogant, unapproachable faces in the Indian medical centres or hospitals on the other hand today we are talking about Medical Tourism which is a developing concept whereby people from all over the world visit India for their medical and relaxation needs where medical treatment is combined with leisure activities, fun and fitness. Wow, isn’t that a pleasurable experience for the patient as well as his /her relatives.
However, this services are typically sought by travelers from Europe and America and other countries, where we all have seen documentaries about how expensive and methodological medical processes are, basically include specialized surgeries such as joint replacement, cardiac surgery, dental surgery and cosmetic surgeries. India has of late emerged as the ultimate wellness destination, as India being one of the most favourable tourist destinations of the world; Medication combined with tourism has come into effect, from which the concept of Medical Tourism is derived.
Now let me explain you why India?
Health tourism is an effective way of receiving medical treatment backed by advanced technology and low cost of package including a holiday package during the recovery period in an exotic Indian location. India also offers a wide range of allied branches of treatments such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy, yoga etc depending upon the nature of the ailment. All these and more have attributed India being rated among the top five medical destinations in the world. Patient from over 55 countries visit India every year. Another reason which has attributed to the growth of medical tourism in India is that most of the pharmaceutical companies in India meet the US food and Drugs Administration requirement.
Thinking Ahead:
• India’s medical tourism sector is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30%, making it an Rs 9,500 crore industry by 2015.
• The Indian government is taking necessary steps to improve the infrastructure which will eventually support and promote health tourism.
• Ministry of Tourism India (MoT) is planning to extend its Market Development Assistance (MDA) Scheme to cover hospitals which are certified under Joint Commission International (JCI) and National Accreditation Board of Hospitals (NABH). As a result medical facilities will be made available to tourists at a wider scale.
Leading hospitals presently:
Medical tourism is promoted by various reputed hospitals in India namely AIIMS, Apollo hospitals, B. M. Birla heart research center etc to name a few.
Preferred destinations:
The popular destinations for treatment and medical tourism in India are Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi. The south Indian city of Chennai is regarded as the healthcare capital of India. Alternative medicines like ayurveda and yoga have gained a lot of global attraction. Many ayurvedic centers which provide relaxation therapies have developed in the south of India.
On the downside of medical tourism it can be argued that what if an epidemic breaks out in India would this medical centres will still be catering to the needs of foreign tourist or would they give room to local citizens who have been ailing, for this reason I feel government intervention is necessary as medical tourism should never be considered preferential as against the needs of local citizens distress.
My dream:
On a concluding note I would like to say that a nice blend of top class medical expertise at reasonable price offered by Indian coporate hospitals attracts many foreign patients. Indian corporate hospitals are well equipped, proficient and could measure up to any hospital in the west, making the nation an attractive destination for health tourism.
Hopefully the health tourism industry will expand and flourish upto a remarkable level making our country India – the only ultimate destination for health tourism.
