India Medical Tourism is all set to see better financial days. Thanks to its easy access to visa facilities, now patients from abroad can come more frequently to get treatments. The quality of medical service also promises to be better since India Medical Tourism will have upgraded medical infrastructure facilities in all of its branches in the large and tertiary towns. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM)…
India Medical Tourism is all set to see better financial days. Thanks to its easy access to visa facilities, now patients from abroad can come more frequently to get treatments. The quality of medical service also promises to be better since India Medical Tourism will have upgraded medical infrastructure facilities in all of its branches in the large and tertiary towns. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) estimates that by 2012, India Medical Tourism will gain a record place among the foreign exchange earners by swelling its foreign currency resources to an extent of INR80 billion ($2 billion).
This remarkable finding was made out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) while it was trying to calculate the Prospects of Medical Tourism for Higher Forex Earning. This study session was organized under the supervision of the Health Committee of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. Dr. B K Rao, the Chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital presided over this session. He was accompanied by some other renowned lead doctors from a host of important medical concerns like Medicity Moolchand, AIIMS, Max etc.
Mr. Venugopal N. Dhoot, the president of ASSOCHAM announced that the present annual income through medical tourism were approximately INR35 billion ($0.87 billion). The reason behind such high earnings of foreign currency is of course the lower medical costs for various ailments under India Medical Tourism. Such diseases include rare and difficult cases like bye-pass surgery, knee surgery and liver transplant. Evidently, the foreign patients are driven by the comparatively high treatment costs of these very same ailments under the western health centers.
Now, this is a myth that all foreign citizens are all provided economically. You may be impressed by the apparently high lifestyles of the European nations and certain states of America, but what about the majority of African and Asian dwellers. The Gulf residents are among the least privileged classes in the whole world and costly medical treatments are a luxury beyond their means. As a result, the fast developing medical infrastructure of Indian hospitals are hugely sought after by these foreigners. They actually seem to be obliged by the low-cost, non-subsidized medical treatment facilities offered by the India Medical Tourism.
Of course, there is a host of other attractive reasons for preferring the Indian medical option pointed out by Mr. Venugopal N. Dhoot. The strength of highly qualified medical professionals, including nurses is a luring factor for foreign patients. There are about 700,000 qualified doctors and trainee nurses (graduates and diploma holders) ready to attend to the ever-growing number of foreigners. What is more, they charge only a reasonable professional fee for their services, which makes Indian medical facilities affordable.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
