Medical Tourism in India

Contents

Introduction [1]        2

The key concerns facing the industry include        2

Medical Tourism in India [2]        3

Medical Tourism Structure in India [1]        4

Factors Driving Medical Tourism in India [4]        5

Key Issues to medical tourism industry in India [5]        6

Government Initiatives [6] [7]        7

SWOT –Analysis [8] [9]        8

Introduction [1]

Medical tourism is a new form of a niche tourism market which has been rapidly growing in the recent years. The term medical tourism is the act of traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental and surgical care. According to Goodrich & Goodrich (1987), medical tourism is the attempt to attract tourists by deliberately promoting its health-care services and facilities, in addition to its regular tourist amenities.

Medical tourism occurs when international patients travel across boundaries for their healthcare and medical needs. It can be defined as provision of cost effective private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment.

Medical tourism is becoming a popular option for tourists across the globe. It encompasses primarily and predominantly biomedical procedures, combined with travel and tourism. The term medical tourism has been coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain hi-tech medical care. Various countries like Thailand, Malaysia, India, etc are promoting medical tourism aggressively.  

The key competitive advantages of India in medical tourism stem from the following:

1. Low cost advantage.
2. Strong reputation in the advanced healthcare segment (cardiovascular surgery, organ transplants, eye surgery etc.).
3. The diversity of tourist destinations available in the country.

The key concerns facing the industry include:

1. Absence of government initiative.
2. Lack of a coordinated effort to promote the industry.
3. No accreditation mechanism for hospitals.
4. The lack of uniform pricing policies and standards across hospitals.

 Medical tourism or health care tourism is fast growing multibillion-dollar industry around the world. It is an economic activity that entails trade in services and represents the mixing of two of the largest world industries: medicine and tourism.

Medical Tourism in India [2]

India is a tremendous magnet for pulling in outside patients for medical treatments. With general tourism on the ascent, it is assessed that the volume of restorative sightseers worldwide could reach up to 5 million by 2016, pulling in extra guests to the nation. The number of Medical visas issued by India rose 45% in 2016 from the prior year. India issued more than 1.78 lakh medical visas in 2016, including for follow up treatment, as against 1.22 lakh in 2015.  data presented by the home affairs ministry in Rajya Sabha showed, a sign that India is quickly turning into a center of medical treatment for non natives. [3]

Larger part of the patients coming to India for treatment are from the Middle East, Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. India's cost leverage will essentially open ways to the US and Europe over future, because of lower cost than the US and a large portion of that of Europe. Dental tourism represents 10% of the medical tourism and the legislature is quick to advance it. India gives focused cost advantage at one tenth of the cost of the US and Europe. By 2020, restorative tourism industry of India is relied upon to touch $8 billion.

 Latest medical technologies in Indian hospitals at a lower cost is majorly contributing towards the country emerging as the premier medical tourism hub of the world. treatment provided in India from accredited facilities at par with any developed country in the world but at a much cheaper cost, thus making giving medical tourism a competitive advantage over others.

“With the integration of surplus talent, technology, tourist attraction, trade and tradition, India is a potential place to promote itself as a Premier Global Healthcare destination and enable streamlined medical services,"

                                                          -Sanjay Agarwala, Medical Director of Hinduja Hospital.

The major service providers in Indian medical tourism are:

• The Apollo Hospitals,
• Escorts Hospital,
• Fortis Hospitals,
• Breach Candy,
• Hinduja,
• Mumbai’s Asian Heart Institute,
• Arvind Eye Hospitals,
• Manipal Hospitals,
• Mallya Hospital
• Shankara Nethralaya etc.

Medical Tourism Structure in India [1]

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[pic 2]

[pic 3][pic 4][pic 5][pic 6][pic 7]

[pic 8][pic 9][pic 10][pic 11]

The structure of medical tourism in India is shown in the above Figure. The Classification of the services band of therapeutic tourism in India with respect to its competitive countries is shown in the Table below