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India eyes major dividends in medical tourism
Monday, 01 March 2004, 20:30 IST
NEW DELHI: You don't need to break a hip to come to India. But if you do, world class treatment at a fraction of the cost in the West as well as picturesque spots to convalesce are waiting!
The splendours of 'Incredible India', such as Goa and Kerala, may also emerge as "convalescing hotspots" for foreign patients.
According to the Indian medical fraternity, the cost of such "package medical tourism" will be a fraction of what many people in the West pay just for their hospital bills.
India has big plans to become a global centre for healthcare services by combining treatment -- that compares with that in, say, London or Los Angeles -- with tourism.
"Medical tourism has been happening in India for quite some time now but the volume is low," said Anupam Verma, director (administration) of the Mumbai-based P.D. Hinduja National Hospital, one of the leading corporate hospitals in India.
"But now with the mushrooming of top quality healthcare service providers in the country we are beginning to see the economic upside of medial tourism in a major way," Verma told IANS.
"India is no longer considered a land of snake charmers but a country where one can get international standard medical services and exotic therapies at a fraction of the cost charged by hospitals in the West."
According to Verma, foreigners account for 10 to 12 percent of all patients in Mumbai hospitals despite roadblocks like poor aviation connectivity, pathetic road infrastructure and absence of uniform quality standards.
Until the early 1980s, government-run hospitals and those operated by charitable organisations were the main providers of subsidised healthcare in India.
The last two decades have, however, seen the mushrooming of corporate hospitals that have invested huge amounts in modern equipment and hiring quality professionals.
According to a study by McKinsey and the Confederation of Indian Industry, medical tourism in India could become a $1 billion business by 2012.
Apollo Hospitals, one of India's premier private healthcare chains, has already tapped into the market and attracts several patients from the Middle East and other neighbouring countries.
Heart care service provider Escorts has doubled its number of overseas patients from 675 in 2000 to around 1,200 in 2003. Almost 10 percent of Escorts' patients come from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and West Asia.
"The current market for medical tourism in India is small and is mainly limited to patients from the Middle East and South Asian economies," said Sangita Reddy, executive director (operation) of Apollo Hospitals.
"It could, however, grow rapidly if the industry re-orients itself to attract foreign tourists," she added.
Alok Roy, vice president (operations) of New Delhi-based Fortis Healthcare Limited, said: "In India, medical specialists can provide their expertise at a fraction of the price that comparable surgery would cost in Europe or the US."
According to industry officials, the average price of heart surgery in the West is $50,000. In India it can be done for $10,000.
But one potential hitch in the global ambition of Indian hospitals is the lack of hospital accreditation and standardisation.
Many foreigners also express concern about the high prevalence of post-surgery infection in the Indian hospitals and safety of blood supply, although officials here say these worries are unfounded.
Source: IANS
Source: IANS