A Visit To Taj With A Bypass Surgery Thrown In
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Namaste India
With all its cultural contradictions, what makes an ancient country India a hot destination for medical tourists? It’s booming education sector, which produces doctors who are never in scarce, and the surge of multi-specialty hospitals which have the best of equipments, and of course India’s own pharma sector is ever expanding. Compared to west (especially the UK and USA) costs in India are never a prohibitive for someone who has to undergo a major surgery. An unlikely aspect which needs further regulation is that of donors, who are never in short supply. No waiting period makes things easier for an American or a European choose India over other countries.
And then for those in search of alternate medicines, India is a land of
Medical tourism in India has different shades to it. While considering modern medicine alone, given the fact that most people would rush to India in time for a surgery, the costs are to be taken into account. No matter how ‘courteous’ US has been with its healthcare bill, making health accessible to majority of the people in the US, the costs in India are still much cheaper. And the post-surgery care with medicines, just as good! Because, India has been increasingly adhering to international quality standards with ISO certification and regular auditing of the systems and medical records in hospitals suiting all budgets.
So, it’s a no surprise that the foreign tourists who choose India for orthopedic and cardiac surgeries rave about its seven star facilities in hospitals. The country has been surely putting its growing population to good use by training them in medical and paramedical jobs, with no dearth of caregivers in its hospitals.
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The rising popularity of India turning into a hot medical tourism destination, with an average stay of a patient/tourist being 30 days and above, is in the statistics. According to
In 2008, the numbers had grown steadily, touching a 200,000 milestone of those many people having visited India for various surgeries. Soon, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (
Business is not all that it matters for India as far as medical tourism is concerned. The country on one hand is tapping its potential for being a health destination among developed nations. And on the other, it is also using it for establishing values such as secularism too. Pediatric patients in need of good medical attention and their families cross borders of Pakistan and
The biggest beneficiary from all this is the average US/UK citizen who wants a surgery done within his affordability because in his own country, it would cost at least ten times more. While total addressable global health tourism is pitted at $150 billion, India so far has been able to access only about a billion or so. But these numbers are surely expected to grow in the coming days as the medical tourism is expected to grow at 30% annually till 2015. Beyond that, it will take sustained efforts and better marketing strategies for India to remain on the global health tourism market.
Image: Thinkstock
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