Punjab Government on Wednesday prescribed medical tourism for improving the health of State’s ailing economy.
Claiming that “most ignored” tourism department could be a great propeller to State’s economy, State Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday maintained that the department was ready with the Medical Tourism Policy which would be discussed with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in the days to come.
“Comprehensive Tourism and Medical Tourism policies, on the lines of Cultural Policy, are ready and they would be presented to the Chief Minister for approval,” he said.
Sidhu, who maintained that the medical tourism in the Europe and America has reached a plateau, pointed that Asian and Middle East countries, including China, India, Thailand and Indonesia, hold a great potential in the times to come considering various factors including low-cost facilities, visa relaxations, long waiting list in other countries, and others.
To tap the same population, the State Government has come up with a comprehensive plan not only to provide the medical facilities near to places of tourist attraction, but also give a much-needed push to the State’s economy.
As a part of the plan, the Department has proposed to set up a Punjab Medical Tourism Council, and a Punjab Association of Health Tourism (PAHT), accreditation and grading of Medical Tourism participants to ensure quality services, besides holding a Global Summit on Medical Tourism in Punjab.
The Department has also proposed a special medical tourism insurance package for Punjabi NRIs.
The proposed Medical Tourism Council would be responsible for policy making, regulation, co-ordination, development, and promotion with its members from the tourism, health, aviation, hospital sectors besides from the hotels, travels and tours and professionals.
“On the pattern of NASSCOM, which has successfully demonstrated the Indian software industry across the globe, the Association on Health Tourism would be formed under the Union Tourism Ministry as trade association with its members from the Ministry of Health, Hospitals, Hotels, Airways, travel agencies, tour operators and professionals,” said Sidhu. The main role of Association would be policy advocacy, promoting health tourism worldwide, organising events and conferences, skill development, besides research and innovation.