Travel for health and medical reasons date back to the 18th century, and is currently one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. A perfect example of how globalisation has extended its help, combined with a steady support of science and technology, medical tourism has made life extension possible. The entire process is seen to have caught speed in the late 1990s, as the developed countries began to acquaint itself with the new demand and invested its sources for particular kinds of medical care and global competition. India can be called one of the topmost centres for health and medical care. With a rich medicinal history that can be evidenced with the abundant literature that cover topics ranged from physical, mental to spiritual healing.
Patients from across the world come to India for various reasons, the foremost reason being high quality treatment at an affordable cost. “Medical tourism or travel for health comprises of 2 different segments. One segment comprises of people who travel to other countries for rejuvenation purposes, and the other segment comprises of people who travel for curative care that is not available in their countries. While the former is a luxury segment, the latter is economy,” said Nilaya Varma, KPMG, in an interview.
The Medical Tourism Market Report: 2015 said 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.” The country’s medical tourism sector was estimated at a worth of US $3 billion last year and is expected to grow to $ 7-8 billion in the next four years. The Indian Brand Equity Foundation says the overall Indian healthcare market today is worth $100 billion, and is expected to grow to $280 billion by 2020. “The Indian medical tourism is pegged at $3 billion per annum, with tourist arrivals estimated at 2, 30,000. The Indian medical tourism industry is expected to reach $6 billion by 2018, with the number of people arriving in the country for medical treatment set to double over the next 4 years.”
Different organisations will provide with different stats, all echoing the same thought. India is among the top five medical tourism hotspots in the world. Using its pros to the maximum, the Ministry of Tourism of the state is also doing its part in order to advance medical and wellness tourism in the country. The 2014 Medical and Wellness Tourism Summit talked about different measures taken by the government to boost the sector. Parvez Dewan, Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism had said, “ The growth of medical tourism in India has led to the enhancement of better and advanced medical facilities in the country. More tourists are coming to India because cost of treatment here is much less compared to the US and the European countries. We are also trying to integrate medical tourism with normal tourism.”
India can become the global leader in affordable healthcare: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a supporter of wellness and yoga, has contributed to showcasing India as the hub of medical tourism, ever since he came to power. With a vision to making India the world leader in affordable healthcare, Modi vouches by the effects of traditional medicinal systems like Ayurveda. In a speech addressing the 'Vision Conclave' of the Global Ayurveda Festival, the PM said his government is committed to promoting traditional medicines to provide cheap and effective healthcare in the country. He said India would learn from the experience of other countries, especially China, which has put in place policies and regulations for promoting their traditional medicine. He said India could become a world leader in affordable and holistic healthcare.
The year 2016 has seen many ventures initiated with the sole purpose of promoting medical tourism. A National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been constituted to provide a dedicated institutional framework to encourage Medical Tourism, Wellness Tourism and Yoga, Ayurveda Tourism and all other forms of Indian style medicine covered by AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy). Three sub-committees have also been set up to look into the issues, relating to visa, accreditation and allied services including marketing & promotion.
The 25-member board includes experts like Trehan, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty from Narayana Health, IATO president Subhash Goyal, yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his aide Acharya Balkrishnan, accreditation agencies like NABHHS, Quality Council of India and industry bodies like CII, Ficci, and PHDCCI. The ministry has also undertaken plans to set up a dedicated web portal highlighting information related to facilities and services offered by hospitals, health and yoga centres, spas, wellness institutes along with costs. “The sub-committee will grade institutions and offer information on costs...we would like to offer accredited facilities to foreign travelers so they have an even experience,” Trehan said.
The Government of India has Medical Visa and Medical Attendant Visa as separate categories of Visa to facilitate entry of medical tourists in India. The foreign tourists who visited India for medical purpose during 2012, 2013 and 2014* were 171021, 236898 and 184298, respectively (*Data for the year 2014 is of visa type by Nationality. Earlier data is of Nationality-wise FTAs by purpose of visit based on the information recorded in disembarkation card).
Surrogacy Tourism
Surrogacy is a rapidly growing industry in India, as hundreds of childless couples flock to the country to conceive children through surrogate mothers every year. The charade is supported by favourable laws. The Supreme Court of India recognised commercial surrogacy in 2002, after which, it emerged in the top for international surrogacy and surrogacy-related fertility tourism. Indian surrogates have become increasingly popular with fertile couples and singles from countries like Canada, USA, Australia, Ireland, France, and UK.
The steady increase in the sector depends on two factors. One, being the expenses, for obvious reasons. Surrogacy comes at a reasonable price in India, said a source. While in the US, the procedure would set back a couple/person by $120,000, India offers the entire charade for only a fourth of the amount. The total expense of having a child via surrogacy could cost anything between Rs 10 Lakh to 25 Lakh. This includes vitro fertilisation, caring for the surrogate for her full term of pregnancy, her fee, and living expenses for the expecting parents. The second reason is its laws. With regulations simpler as compared to those in the UK, some parts of USA, Canada and Australia, where surrogates are consider the legal mothers, India recognises the intended parents as the legal parents. All surrogates in India are required to sign contracts waiving any rights over the child.
High Quality Cancer Care
Indian medical centres are sought out on a daily basis by international patients. One of the leading care in Cancer treatment, the Tata Memorial Cancer Centre provides foreign patients a dependable oncology treatment mixed with sustainable and modern technology; all at a very reasonable cost. Well-renown hospitals like HCG, Apollo Hospital Group, Fortis, Medanta- The Medicity, Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Centre, they are all institutions for patients to access treatment for cancer and related conditions. The organisations are accredited by international agencies and recognised world-wide for offering top class care.
BS Ajaikumar, founder of HCG Enterprise, said it is an Indian oncologist at hospitals in the US and UK who are found to have the expertise. This was what made patients want to come to India for the treatment. In fact, the patient care for cancer in India is on par and can be accessed at one-tenth the cost. He said, "The high quality medical expertise and advanced technology invested by us helps diagnose, treat and allow early control of disease manifestation. In fact India is now home to a team of well qualified oncologists, state of the art infrastructure with latest equipment like CyberKnife and genomic based tests for cancer prevention, diagnostics and targeted therapy now available through the Strand-Triesta Centre for Cancer Genomics."
Nephrology Tourism
Diabetes, Hypertension, and chronic glomerulo-nephritis are common diseases, and may put a permanent plug on renal functions. However, they are pretty much curable with dialysis and renal transplantation. India, with its ISO certified major hospitals, have strong Nephrology and Organ Transplant departments with state of the art computerised dialysis machines, reverse osmosis water plant and facilities including operating rooms and Transplant Intensive Care Units.
Ophthalmology Treatment
It is widely known that the south of India got a strong head-start and a lead in the fields of Ophthalmology. Especially in Tamil Nadu, where eye care awareness is much higher as compared with other parts of the country. Rural people are aware of free eye care programmes and know they won't have to wait for some institution to come and conduct programmes. Vellore especially leads the front in Ophtalmology care. The district has a good network of social welfare programmes and numerous other missionary hospitals that contribute to free eye care.
Spiritual Healing
It is not just the body that needs healing. Foreign tourists flock by the bunch to the Himalayan region of India, to make the most of its serene surroundings and pristine air. With effective Ayurvedic healing programmes that provide courses in Naturopathy therapy and Yogic therapy, people go through a soul cleanse to improve their quality of life.
Neighbours flock in for better medical aid
Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis are believed to be among patients coming to India for treatment, there is no official statistics to prove this. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) however, said an estimated 500 patients come to India from the neighbouring country daily for treatment. "Surprisingly, many Bangladeshis come to India for routine pathological tests and not complicated procedures. Nine out of 10 head for private hospitals in Kolkata, while the rest go to South India, mainly to the Christian Medical College in Vellore, Tamil Nadu," it said.
According to their analysis, Bangladeshis prefer coming to India because of easy accessibility by road, "even for people without the appropriate documents". People travelling from one country to another for treatment contribute to global business. Last year, it was a $43 billion market globally, according to the FICCI. Many of them come not even for complicated procedures but for routine pathological tests.
Indian pioneers contributing to the Health Sector
There are many eminent leaders in the sector, who have made prominent efforts to help make medical treatments affordable. One such healthcare entrepreneur is Dr Devi Shetty, Cardiac Surgeon and founder of multi-specialty hospital Narayana Hrudayalaya (NH). A Padma Bhushan awardee, Dr Shetty has forwarded his career to make healthcare affordable with his chain of NH sprawled across India. He pioneered inexpensive cardiac surgeries by creatively and efficiently driving down costs, making life-saving surgeries within the means of thousands of poor Indians. He also designed 'Yeshasvini', the world's cheapest comprehensive health insurance scheme, at Rs. 10 (20 cents) per month, along with the Government of Karnataka for the poor farmers of the state. It is very well-used in Karnataka with 4 million people covered.
Another such distinguished entrepreneur, Pradeep K Jaisingh of International Oncology has donated his time to fight Cancer. The network of cancer centres was designed to bring quality and affordable cancer treatment to India using a unique business model. Jaisingh's idea was to provide quality cancer care without having to deal with the expensive real estate costs that come with setting up new clinics. He launched India's first Healthcare Incubator in 2013.
Also doing exemplary work in the field is Kolkata-based Advatech. A facility which works with National Pathology, to offer genetic testing and pathology services, such as blood tests, to NHS and private healthcare providers. Dr Bala Raju, Medical Director at the firm helps it run number of diagnostic labs in India in partnership with other diagnostic centres. The firm will be present along with 10 other doctors, at the Anand Mela's 'Aarogya Mela' to be held 11th and 12th June, at Byron Hall, Harrow Leisure Centre, from 10 am to 7 pm.
