The slogan of the industry is ‘First World treatment at Third World prices’. Here is a quick primer of the Rs 800 crore business in the making.

It was the year 2003, when two-year-old Noor Fatima arrived in India with her parents on the Lahore-Delhi bus service to undergo a heart surgery. The entire country was hooked on to their television sets, as all of us prayed for little Noor’s speedy recovery. Even Sonia Gandhi could not resist and wrote a special letter to Noor admiring her courage and praising her “indomitable spirit.”

Noor’s case opened up a new avenue for India’s healthcare sector, awakening people to exploit the potential that lies in medical tourism even more. The Indian government eased out visa restrictions for other Pakistani children requiring medical attention and also announced that they would finance the travel, treatment and accommodation of around 20 children.

That was the year 2003. Five years later, in 2008, we are looking at around 170,000 foreign patients coming in annually, with the medical tourism market at around US $300 million. According to ASSOCHAM, the market is expected to grow to US $2 billion by 2012.

Healthy Traveling
As the name suggests, medical tourism refers to traveling to different countries for healthcare purposes. The healthcare sector and the tourism industry are working together in facilitating this process. Medical tourism is rapidly catching on, especially in western countries, as they have to put up with exorbitant healthcare charges and long waiting lists. Also, with international traveling becoming easier and affordable and with improvements in healthcare technology and infrastructure across the world, medical tourism is fast becoming a preferable way to mingle leisure with health and wellness.

Besides India, industry experts believe Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Colombia, Costa Rica and UAE to be some of the hot destinations for medical tourism.

Indian Advantage
What attracts tourists the most towards India is its low cost treatment, compared to western standards. Research shows that the cost is lower by an average of 40 to 60%, when compared to the US or UK. This includes the stay, cost of treatment, as well as the fare to and from India.

This is not to say that the quality of medical care suffers. As the popular slogan that goes around in the industry says, India offers “First World treatment at Third World prices.” India produces around 30,000 doctors and nurses each year and is known worldwide for its qualified and competent professionals in this field. As said by Sujit Chatterjee, CEO of Hiranandani Hospital, “Even in their own countries, patients prefer consulting an Indian doctor, as they are on the forefront of medical care.”

An added advantage is the fact that the Indian government issues a medical visa for those who come in for medical treatment. Up to two family members or attendants can also be granted a visa, to accompany the patient. The visa is valid for a year or the period of treatment, depending on whichever is less and can be extended for another year. It also enables a tourist to
travel to India three times in a year. India’s National Health Policy clearly states that “the treatment of foreign patients is legally an export and eligible for all fiscal incentives extended to export earnings.”

Industry Glimpse
According to ASSOCHAM, ayurvedic and medical tourism industries are likely to gain around Rs 800 crore from the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Out of this, it has been predicted that the market for medical tourism alone is around Rs 300 crore, the rest accounting for that of ayurvedic remedies. The breakup of tourists spending on medical tourism will fall in the band of around Rs 40,000-Rs120,000 on an average; whereas the amount spent on ayurvedic-related treatment will be around Rs10,000-Rs35,000.

Job opportunities for about 40,000 professionals are expected to arise in these fields. A CII-McKinsey report (Healthcare in India: The Road Ahead) states that medical tourism can be a much bigger business, provided we have proper infrastructure and networking amongst hospitals, hotels and tourism agencies.

In Demand
Apollo Hospitals enterprises is estimated to be the largest medical corporation in India that specially caters to medical tourists. Apollo has attracted patients from Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East and has tied-up with various hospitals in Mauritius, Tanzania, Bangladesh and Yemen. Patients can avail of package deals that include flights, hotels, treatment and a post-operative vacation. Other popular hospitals include the Escorts Hospital and Research Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences and Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.

What treatments are these medical tourists coming for? Says Sandeep Bafna, CEO of Travel India Company, “I get a lot of queries for kidney transplants, cosmetic surgeries and ayurvedic treatments. Patients also enquire about dental treatments, although I do not recommend coming all the way to India for it. If a patient is coming on a vacation or for a business trip it is more feasible to get this done, but a trip made exclusively for dental care is not pocket-friendly at all.” Patients are also coming to India for heart surgeries, hip and knee replacements, infertility treatments, as well as for rehabilitation.

Comments (12)

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Gr8 opportunity for leading organizations in medical tourism in India
written by Khushal Bhargava, January 02, 2010

if we study case studies in th eleading medical tourism countries like thailand, phillipines, singapore...India has much greater potential in India but its un attended. there is a definate strategy to loop in government n private players which can create a gr8 fussion for the benefit of foreign as well as Indian patients together(specially n 80% poor n needy patients). lets come together for a cause...

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Affordable Medical Tourism website from Gloscon + Kosansh Team
written by Gloscon, October 28, 2009

Gloscon and Kosansh team are working on Affordable Medical Tourism site at http://www.affordablemedicaltourism.com. Kosansh is already a cutting edge Web 2.0 medical tourism portal at http://www.kosansh.com

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Insurance is most important for everybody..
written by compare cheap insurance quotes, September 10, 2009

I am so impressed by this slogen "First World treatment at Third World prices’. Here is a quick primer of the Rs 800 crore business in the making."

Great posting.
http://www.nextgencompare.co.uk/finance/travel-money.html

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Medical tourism
written by Hitesh bansal, August 19, 2009

This is a very good article related to medical tourism
http://www.indiameditours.com

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Medical Tourism in Pune
written by Rahul Kulkarni, April 18, 2009

Hello,

I am currently active in Biomedical & Tourism industries in Pune. I am keen on starting a Medical Tourism Venture and looking for an IT & ITES professional to join me for overseas marketing. I am also keen to know if any Healthcare Centres, Hospitals or Ayurvedic Treatment Centres are willing to tie with us for treating our patients.

Regards,

Rahul Kulkarni
punerk@gmail.com

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Kosansh building the most comprehensive portal in medical tourism
written by Roshan Shah, April 06, 2009

We are working on building a feature rich portal for medical tourism that makes it very easy for patients to get involved in finding the right provider. We also are adding second opinion services where patients can get second opinions from other doctors for their ailments.

Roshan Shah
Founder Kosansh
http://www.kosansh.com

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Medical tourism in India
written by Carol Brooks, April 06, 2009

India is, now, one of the leading countries promoting medical tourism. With an increasing number of outside patients flocking to India for low cost medical treatments, India’s medical tourism industry is doing pretty fine.When it comes to health care, safety is the foremost concern. The hospitals in India are well equipped with the latest technology and houses highly qualified and experienced staff who can provide timely and quality medical treatment to patients. Visit here to know more about the Emerging Trends of Medical Tourism in India

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Why isn't medical insurance cheap or free
written by emr, March 16, 2009

It never ceases to amaze me how many people are flocking overseas to take advantage of high quality medical coverage for very reasonable and affordable rates.IU personally beleive medical insurance should be provided to everyone without any discrimination

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Amazing how many people go overseas for medical procedures
written by Ask a nurse, March 08, 2009

I am still very amazed at how many people are flocking by the thousands overseas to receive medical help> It makes sense- lower costs and highly trained individuals completing the tasks. It appears that a lot of doctors from the US are concerned about only money, if you don't have insurance- I will see you in heaven.
Another related industry is virtual ask a nurse hotlines, where people can save thousands of dollars by not going to the ER via a simple phone call and uploading of pictures .

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Amazing to see how many people go overseas for medical treatments
written by Callcarenet.com, March 07, 2009

I am still very amazed at how many people are flocking by the thousands overseas to recieve medical help> It makes sense- lower costs and highly trained individuals cpmleting the tasks. It apperas that a lot of doctors from the US are concerned about only money, if you don't have insurance- I will see you in heaven.
Another related industry is virtual ask a nurse hotlines, where people can save thousands of dollars by not going to the ER via a simple phone call and uploading of pictures .

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More details about medical tourism
written by Prashant Thakkar, September 23, 2008

Hello,

I have read this article for more then 5 times and each time i have seen various opportunities in the industry.

I am the director of one of the startup ITES company. I want to launch one site in this domain along with medical and tourism industry i would like to add few more domains on the site.

I need help in collecting information for various medical, tourism, real estate, insurance, hospitality and from other domain.

Kindly help me by providing some resources, interested partners and/or institutes or centers from where i can collect the information.

Keeping 2010 in mind i would like to develop the site or the information center ASAP.

Regards,
Prashant Thakkar

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More details about medical tourism
written by Prashant Thakkar, September 23, 2008

Hello,

I have read this article for more then 5 times and each time i have seen various opportunities in the industry.

I am the director of one of the startup ITES company. I want to launch one site in this domain along with medical and tourism industry i would like to add few more domains on the site.

I need help in collecting information for various medical, tourism, real estate, insurance, hospitality and from other domain.

Kindly help me by providing some resources, interested partners and/or institutes or centers from where i can collect the information.

Keeping 2010 in mind i would like to develop the site or the information center ASAP.

Regards,
Prashant Thakkar

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Votes: +1