Medical tourism refers to the travel of people to another country for the purpose

of obtaining medical treatment in that country. Traditionally, people would travel

from less-developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed
countries for medical treatment that was unavailable in their own communities; the
recent trend is for people to travel from developed countries to third-world
countries for medical treatments because of cost consideration, though the
traditional pattern still continues. Another reason for travel for medical treatment is
that some treatments may not be legal in the home country, such as some fertility
procedures.
Some people travel to obtain medical surgeries or other treatments. Some people
go abroad for dental tourism or fertility tourism.[3] People with rare genetic
disorders may travel to another country where treatment of these conditions is
better understood. However, virtually every type of health care,
including psychiatry, alternative treatments, and convalescent care and even burial
services is available.
Medical tourists are subject to a variety of risks, which may include deep vein
thrombosis, tuberculosis, dysentery, paratyphoid, poor post-operative care, and
others.

Medical tourism in India

Medical tourism is a growing sector in India. India is becoming the 2nd
medical tourism destination after Thailand. Indias medical tourism sector is
expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30%, making it a $2 billion
industry by 2015. As medical treatment costs in the developed world balloon - with
the United States leading the way - more and more Westerners are finding the
prospect of international travel for medical care increasingly appealing. An
estimated 150,000 of these travel to India for low-priced healthcare procedures
every year. Cosmetic surgery, bariatric surgery, knee cap replacements, liver
transplants, and cancer treatments are some of the most sought out medical tourism
procedures opted by foreigners. Some of the leading hospitals for medical tourism
are Apollo Hospitals, Global Hospitals, Narayana Health, Bombay Hospital,
Hinduja Hospital, Hiranandani Hospital, Akruti Institute of Plastic and Cosmetic
Surgery, Columbia Asia, and Fortis Health Care.
Medical tourism is a growing sector in India. In October 2015, India's
medical tourism sector was estimated to be worth US$3 billion. It is projected to
grow to $7-8 billion by 2020.[1] According to the Confederation of Indian
Industries (CII), the primary reason that attracts medical value travel to India is
cost-effectiveness, and treatment from accredited facilities at par with developed
countries at much lower cost. The Medical Tourism Market Report: 2015 found
that India was "one of the lowest cost and highest quality of all medical tourism

destinations, it offers wide variety of procedures at about one-tenth the cost of

similar procedures in the United States."
Foreign patients travelling to India to seek medical treatment in 2012, 2013
and 2014 numbered 171,021, 236,898, and 184,298 respectively. Traditionally, the
United States and the United Kingdom have been the largest source countries for
medical tourism to India. However, according to a CII-Grant Thornton report
released in October 2015, Bangladeshis and Afghans accounted for 34% of foreign
patients, the maximum share, primarily due to their close proximity with India and
poor healthcare infrastructure. Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) accounted for 30% share of foreign medical tourist arrivals. Other
major sources of patients include Africa and the Middle East, particularly the
Persian Gulf countries. In 2015, India became the top destination for Russians
seeking medical treatment. Chennai, Kolkatta,Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh and
the National Capital Region received the highest number of foreign patients
primarily from South Eastern countries.
TOP 5 MEDICAL TOURISM DESTINATIONS IN INDIA
List of Top Five Medical Tourism Places in India:
1. Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Chennai is of the most favored destinations for medical treatment in India.
Nearly, 40% of the countrys medical tourists arrive in Chennai for medical
treatment.
Chennai receives up to 200 foreign patients daily, for this place has quality
infrastructure, with low cost that offers best experience. Apollo Hospital is the
most popular private hospital in the city.
According to Economic Times, healthcare tourism in Indian market will grow to
US$2 billion by 2015. Most of the patients preferred destination will be Chennai
because of many benefits.
There are many facilities provided by the private hospitals in Chennai. This place
has definitely made a name for itself in the domain of medical tourism.
Chennai is also known as the Health capital of India.
2. Mumbai, Maharashtra
Besides being the financial capital of India, Mumbai is one of the fastest
growing medical hubs in India. Mumbai has many world class private hospitals
and medical centers. Mumbai is the perfect destination for all types of surgeries
including Ayurveda treatment and others.
Mumbai is also a popular healthcare hub for domestic patients from other cities of
Maharashtra as well as other Indian states. It has some of the best hospitals for all
medical treatments such as dentistry, pregnancy, cosmetic surgery, orthopedic
treatment, weight loss etc.

Growth rate of medical tourism in Mumbai is very high due to the presence of
quality infrastructure. There are many popular private hospitals located in the city.
For example, Kokilaben Hospital, Hinduja Hospital, Lilavati Hospital, Breach
Candy Hospital and so on.
3. Goa
Besides being a vacation destination of India, Goa is growing on to become
an international hub of medical tourism.
There are many private hospitals that provide special facilities to foreign patients.
The government of Goa also supports various health and wellness tourism facilities
available in the state.
4. New Delhi
New Delhi is the national capital of India. Besides political activities, New
Delhi has vast numbers of world class private hospitals. They provide medical
facilities such as Neuro Surgery, General Surgery, Eye/Opthalmology, and Heart
Care/Heart Surgery and so on.
New Delhi has famous hospitals such as Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Ram
Manohar Lohia Hospital, Fortis Hospital, AIIMS and many more.
5. Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, once known as the Manchester of India, has now become
another fastest growing medical hub of India. Thanks to world class hospitals in
the city, many Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) prefer Ahmedabad for their medical
treatment.
This city has made a name for itself in providing world class medical facilities.
Ahmedabad has many famous hospitals such as Civil Hospital (Asias largest civil
hospital), Sterling Hospital, Apollo Hospital, Shalby Hospital, SAL Hospital, and
Rajasthan Hospital amongst others.
Before you make your decision to avail the medical facilities in India, it is
imperative to visit the Hospital websites and take help of the various packages that
are available.

Development of medical tourism in India

Medical treatments in India are the lowest in Asia regions and the techniques
in hospitals are most up-to-date & advanced. Merits for healthcare tourism industry
in India, embrace compact costs, the accessibility of most up-to-date medical
technology, and a rising compliance on worldwide excellence standards, as well as
the actuality that people from other countries are less likely to face a language
obstacle here in India. Indian government is taking steps to deal with infrastructure
problems that obstruct the countrys enlargement in the field of medical tourism
India.

The government has detached visa limitations on India tourist visa that
requisite a two-month gap amid repeated visits for Gulf countries people which is
likely to improve medical tourism. A visa-on-arrival proposal for tourists from
chosen nations has been instituted which permits foreign nationals to reside in
India for thirty (30) days for medical reasons. Noida is rapidly rising as a hotspot
in the field of medical tourism. For the patients from foreign countries, a number
of hospitals have arranged speech translators, so that the patients feel comfortable
& easy while communicating, while at the same time providing best facilities
required for their treatment. Mostly treatment cost in India, are much less
compared with medical treatment available in America & Britain. The most famous
medical treatment, which are done on tourists demand & requirements in India are
bone-marrow transplant, knee transplant, eye surgery, cosmetic surgery, alternative
medicine, hip transplant, dental care, and cardiac bypass. India is known in
particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine.
Chennai is known as Indias health capital. Super-specialty & advanced
hospitals in the city attract a minimum 150 patients from abroad every day, it
means 45% patients from foreign countries and 55% of domestic patients. The
main attraction of medical tourists from foreign countries to come to India for
treatment includes low costs of treatment, hardly any waiting time & services
provided at the most advanced hospitals of the city. In Chennai Dental services
have fascinated dental care tourism. Now a-days a number of countries around the
world advertise itself as haven of medical facilities but the actuality is that in
nearly all cases they present poor quality facilities, less health awareness &
inadequate medical skills.
In India there are numerous highly skilled physicians & expert practitioners.
Liberalization & economic growth in India has resulted in building up high-tech
medical facilities that can match with the best similar facilities available in western
countries. In view of the boom in medical tourism many practicing physicians who
were well settled in USA & Europe have returned to India. Whereas some small
countries possibly will be feasible alternatives for small surgical treatments, only
India is the mainstream alternative that provides an inclusive solution for all types
of medical needs & provides services to its highest level with improved amenities
& proficient skills

Reasons for growth of medical tourism in India

Medical tourism in India is expected to grow at the rate of 30 % in 2015 and

India`s decision to offer medical-M-visa on- arrival to citizens of 180 countries
will be a big boom for the medical tourism Industry In India. Health tourism is
gaining momentum in India and by 2015 it will become $ 5 Billion business as per
Mc. kinskey study (2002). 21 Let us see the latest foreign tourist arrival statistics:
Foreign Tourist Arrivals register a growth of 10.2% in 2014 over 2013 & 2012 .
The growth registered in the final figures of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in
India during last three years was better than the provisional estimates of FTAs
except for the year 2012. The provisional estimates and final figures of FTAs in
India along with the growth rates over previous year are given below:
Expert Hospital Staff:
India has a number of hospitals, large pool of doctors (approx 7, 00,000),
nurses & supporting staff with required specialization and expertise and the
language advantage (English speaking skills) servicing patients. Many of these
doctors after having specialized and practiced in the Western countries have
returned home to set up impressive state of the art facilities with the latest in
equipment, technology and service levels in all major metros In India. Technology
The most popular treatments sought in India by medical tourists are alternative
medicine, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac bypass surgery, eye surgery and
Orthopedic surgery. India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing
and other areas of advanced medicine. All medical examination and treatment are
conducted using the latest technologically advanced and cutting edge diagnostic
equipment. Stringent quality assurance exercises consistently ensure reliable and
high quality test results in a timely manner.

Quality
Already 21 Indian hospitals have been accredited by the Joint Commission
International (JCI) which is the International arm of the Joint Commission
Accreditation for Hospital Organizations (JCAHO). Accreditation and compliance
with quality expectations are important since they provide tourists with confidence
that the services are meeting international standards. Almost all Indian Hospitals
servicing Medical Tourists are accredited either by Joint Commission International
(JCI) which is the world central body for accreditation for hospitals headquartered
in USA and its accreditation is considered a gold standard for health care. National
Board for Accreditation of Hospitals and Health Care is governing body for JCI
and follow International safety standards. India remains a safe and preferred
medical tourism destination. Personalized Services in India, according to the
famous words Atithi Devo Bhava refers tourists are treated as God. Foreign

patients are understood as guest for the country and they are given a place equal to
that of god in Indian culture.

Medical Packages (Treatments) Provided

The following are the broad category of medical packages provided by
Indian hospitals, Dental Care, Eye Care Heart Surgery, Cosmetic Surgery,
Orthopedic Surgery, Health Checkup, Pediatrics, ENT Care, Gastroenterology,
Nephrology, Neuro Surgery, Oncology Ophthalmology, Psychiatry and
Genitourinary Care. Let us study the cost of major medical treatments in USA and
other Asian countries where medical tourism is flourishing.

No waiting Period
Patients in USA, Britain, Canada and some other developed countries have
to wait for the major surgery and sometime this waiting period is more than few
months. In this respect India have almost zero waiting time for surgeries. This has
resulted in attracting number of foreign patients from Britain, USA, and Canada to
India for their medical treatment.

Language
Even though India has many different languages, English is widely spoken.
All hospitals have excellent large pool of good English speaking doctors, nurses
and other hospital staff and even guides. This makes it easier for foreigners
to communicate well to Indian doctors if English is not their native language; they
are also arranging translators in most major international languages to be with
patients during their Indian tour.

Information availability through internet

Internet has made available all information related to hospitals available and
treatment offered all over the world and people can select their destination based
on the information and facilities offered. Chennai has been called Indias health
capital because of its best quality hospitals and doctors and Chennai gets about 45
% of the total foreign medical tourists coming to India for treatment. This has
benefitted the hotels and resorts in Chennai. Many hospitals have tied-up with
hotels and resorts in mahabalipuram for post treatment stay and follow-up
consultation. Maharashtra is thriving in tourism Industry and now the FICCI and
the Medical tourism council of Maharashtra has taken a joint initiative to promote
medical tourism. Its an initiative by the Government of Maharashtra and many
Actions have been taken to provide the best medical facilities.

Impact
Challenges Faced by Medical Tourism in India
(i) Commercialization of the profession is one point which some doctors are
not comfortable since the
Personal doctor-patient relationship will be missing.
(ii) Secondly, there is recuperation for patients who avail of treatment
abroad. While cosmetic or dental surgery might not require extensive aftercare,
orthopedic or heart bypass surgery might require the patient to be under posttreatment observation for some time, this would be best under the doctor who has
treated him and who is fully aware of his condition.
(iii) Thirdly, there is the issue of insurance cover, insurance companies in
developed countries provide cover for treatment availed of in other countries only
when the standard of services is the same as the patient`s home country. Some
countries provide insurance cover only for treatment taken in their country.
(iv) Poor power supply even to hospitals.
(v) No Industry standards followed in hospitals.
(vi) Inequalities in the medical services provided by Government and
private hospitals will increase.
(vii) Brain drain from government sector to private sector.
(viii) Increase in medical costs for local people.