Medical Tourism in India - Save Money &
Get a Free Holiday!
By Stephen Todd
Medical tourism is the provision of competitively priced private medical
care in collaboration with the tourism industry.
Patients can travel to India for surgery and
other forms of healthcare and pay less than patients who stay in
their own country.
Other highly attractive benefits include: The opportunity for patients to
avoid long waiting lists and with the savings they make, get a holiday
included in the package.
Medical tourists are an expanding group and one of the leaders in the
field is India.
The Growth of Medical Tourism in India
India's healthcare industry is already growing
at 30 per cent annually.
The area has shown such growth potential that Indian finance minister
Chidambaram, called recently for India to become a "global health
destination." His enthusiasm for making medical tourism in India a
major
foreign exchange revenue earner has broad based support among local
government and industry.
The ministry of tourism has shown interest, but so to have the various
state tourism boards and the private sector consisting of travel agents,
tour operators and hotel companies. All are looking at healthcare and
medical tourism in India as an area with tremendous growth potential.
A newspaper article recently in "India Abroad," showed the
potential for
medical tourism, when it outlined a deal, where India could earn more than
$1 billion annually and creates 40 million new jobs by sub-contracting
work from the British National Health Service. The deal would have broad
appeal. It would slash waiting times dramatically in the UK and create
huge savings in time and money for patients.
The potential for medical tourism in India from the US and UK looks set
for major growth, as India becomes a preferred destination for medical
tourists from these countries.
Medical Tourism Competition
As more and more patients from nations with
high Medicare costs look for
medical tourism options, India has competition namely from Thailand,
Singapore and other Asian countries. They have good hospitals, attractive
climates and are established tourist destinations. While these countries
with their advanced medical facilities and medical tourism options have
been drawing overseas healthcare traffic, India is and looks set to,
expand at a faster rate.
India's World Class Healthcare Facilities
Indian corporate hospitals are comparable to hospitals anywhere in the
world. In fact, India offers world-class medical facilities that are
comparable with the US or UK.
There is already a high concentration of expatriate Indian medical staff
working in the US and UK, as well as many other countries. This gives
patients confidence in the healthcare offered by India generally as they
are already used to the expertise and professionalism of Indian medical
staff. This is a major, but often overlooked factor in the growth of
medical tourism in India.
Medical Tourism Costs
Medical tourism in India's main appeal is low-cost treatment. Most
estimates claim treatment costs in India start at around a tenth of the
price of comparable treatment in the US or UK and cover a wide spectrum of
areas from, cosmetic surgery and major operations, to preventative
screening.
Medical Tourism in India and the Holiday of a Lifetime
Of course, you can get hugely reduced healthcare in India, but medical
tourists can also enjoy a holiday in a country that has a huge diversity
of holiday options, from the beaches of Goa, to the mighty Himalayas,
diverse wildlife and thousands of years of culture. In conclusion, medical
tourism in India is here to stay and looks set for spectacular growth.
More information about medical tourism in India and the cost savings
possible is available on the web site: http://www.meddetour.com